Alan Mays' photos with the keyword: Allegheny Mountains

"Big Trout Inn, Weedville, Pa. Bar. Ballroom." Printed on the back of this linen postcard: "Big Trout Inn, Weedville, Pa. Leo and Rose Barbazzeni, props., welcome you to their spacious tavern, located on Route 255 near Weedville, Pa., in the heart of Pennsylvania's picturesque Alleghenies."

Caption: "S. S. Grand View Point. A Steamer in the Allegany Mts. Elv. 2624 ft. 17 m. W. of Bedford, Pa. U.S. 30. 4-CEG-32." Signs and banners: "Grand View Point Hotel. Post Cards. Souvenirs. See 3 States and 7 Counties. Visitors Welcome. Free Telescope." "Restaurant. Rooms." "S.S. Grand View Point....Open for Business." This image of the famous Ship Hotel , which was a popular roadside attraction along the Lincoln Highway (U.S. Route 30) in western Pennsylvania until it burned to the ground in 2001, is a real photo postcard by Charles Elmer Gerkins (indicated by the initials "CEG" in the caption) that's dated April 1932 ("4-32"). In The Ship Hotel: A Grand View along the Lincoln Highway (Mechanicsburg, Pa.: Stackpole Books, 2010), author Brian Butko quotes a 1930s WPA guide to explain the reason that the building was shaped like a ship: "The S.S. Grand View Point Hotel was remodeled in 1931 to give the impression of an ocean liner, because the owner saw a resemblance between early morning mists rising from the valley and billowing ocean waves." After enlarging the image, I discovered that two of the banners on the building (including the one hanging on the railing just above "3 States") indicate that the "S.S. Grand View Point" is "Open for Business." Since the building was remodeled to look like a ship sometime in 1931 (the smokestacks, deck, and bow-shaped front of the building were added at that time), I wonder if this photo from April 1932 shows the building just after it reopened. See also two linen postcards that illustrate the 63-Mile View from the hotel and the Approach to the Hotel :

"Grand View Point Hotel. Approaching S.S. Grand View Point Hotel on the Lincoln Highway, 17 miles west of Bedford, Pa. Elevation 2,464 feet. 3A-H421." Printed on back: "Grand View Point Hotel at the most beautiful spot in U.S. Summit of Allegheny Mts., 17 miles west of Bedford, Pa., on Historic Lincoln Highway, overlooking 3 states and 7 counties. Elevation 2,464 feet. Distributed by H. Paulson, Grand View-Ship Hotel, Central City, Pa."

Crawl from here over to the Incredibly Boring Postcards group . Some areas in the vicinity of Altoona and Hollidaysburg--located in the Allegheny Mountains of western Pennsylvania--are noted for the presence of large mounds (or "ant hills") created by the Allegheny mound ant . Those with an entomological bent will want to seek out Henry C. McCook's early article, " Mound-Making Ants of the Alleghenies, Their Architecture and Habits ," published in the Transactions of the American Entomological Society (1867-1877) , vol. 6 (1877), pp. 253-296.