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The photos below are of our PW&S room as of September, 2007. As the project progresses we will update the photos.

 

Project Updates
Here's an update on the PW&S Room. These updated photos were taken in October 2007. Click here to check out the gallery...
Here's some interesting facts, history, and links concerning the PW&S railroad

A brief timeline of the lifespan of the PW&S Railroad as learned during Phase I, follows:

1899 -  The Byers-Allen Lumber Company is chartered on April 15, 1899 by several Williamsport , PA and Buffalo , NY principals. Captain Charles Nelson Byers, a lumberman from Williamsport , PA and minor shareholder, was charged with management of the company. The company organized the Pittsburgh, Westmoreland and Somerset Railroad on July 20, 1899 to reach 9,500 acres of timber purchased in Somerset and Westmoreland counties.

1900 -  The Ligonier saw mill begins production and 15 miles of railroad is built to the top of Laurel Mountain .

• 1906 - Railroad reaches Somerset- Captain Byers dies.

• 1909 - Lumber operations close – sawmill at Ligonier is dismantled.

• 1916 - Passenger service to Somerset ceases

• 1917 - Railroad abandoned and dismantled

Related Links

A Brief History of the Mainline of the Ligonier Valley Rail Road. http://www.lvrra.org/