# Ghost Town Trail > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Ghost_Town_Trail > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Ghost_Town_Trail.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Town_Trail > Source revision: 1326950637 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{About|the Ghost Town Trail in Pennsylvania, United States|the Ghost Town Trail in Saskatchewan, Canada|Ghost Town Trail (Saskatchewan)}} {{Use American English|date=July 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}} {{Infobox hiking trail | name = Ghost Town Trail | length_mi = 36 | designation = {{plainlist| *[National Recreation Trail](/source/National_Recreation_Trail) *[National Register of Historic Places](/source/National_Register_of_Historic_Places)}} | difficulty = Easy | established = 1991 | map = {{Maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|type=line}} }} The '''Ghost Town Trail''' is a [rail trail](/source/rail_trail) in [Western Pennsylvania](/source/Western_Pennsylvania) that runs {{convert|36|mi|km}} between [Black Lick](/source/Black_Lick%2C_Pennsylvania), [Indiana County](/source/Indiana_County%2C_Pennsylvania), and [Ebensburg](/source/Ebensburg%2C_Pennsylvania), [Cambria County](/source/Cambria_County%2C_Pennsylvania). Established in 1991 on the [right-of-way](/source/right-of-way_(transportation)) of the former Ebensburg and Black Lick Railroad, the trail follows the [Blacklick Creek](/source/Blacklick_Creek_(Pennsylvania)) and passes through many [ghost towns](/source/ghost_towns) that were abandoned in the early 1900s with the decline of the local [coal mining](/source/coal_mining) industry. Open year-round to [cycling](/source/cycling), [hiking](/source/hiking), and [cross-country skiing](/source/cross-country_skiing), the trail is designated a [National Recreation Trail](/source/National_Recreation_Trail) by the [United States Department of the Interior](/source/United_States_Department_of_the_Interior).{{Cite web |url=http://www.indianacountyparks.org/trails/gtt/gtt.html |title=Ghost Town Trail |publisher=Indiana County Parks & Trails |access-date=November 7, 2008}} ==Development== Construction of the trail began in 1991 after the [Kovalchick Salvage Company](/source/Kovalchick_Salvage_Company) of [Indiana, Pennsylvania](/source/Indiana%2C_Pennsylvania), donated {{convert|16|mi|abbr=on}} of the [Ebensburg and Blacklick Railroad](/source/Ebensburg_and_Blacklick_Railroad) to Indiana County, {{convert|12|mi|abbr=on}} of which between [Dilltown](/source/Dilltown%2C_Pennsylvania) and [Nanty Glo](/source/Nanty_Glo%2C_Pennsylvania) were used for the trail. In 1993, the [Cambria and Indiana Railroad](/source/Cambria_and_Indiana_Railroad) donated the Rexis Branch, {{convert|4|mi|abbr=on}} between Rexis near [Vintondale](/source/Vintondale%2C_Pennsylvania) and [White Mill Station](/source/White_Mill_Station) at [U.S. Route 422](/source/U.S._Route_422). Another {{convert|20|mi|abbr=on}} were added in 2005, extending the trail {{convert|12|mi|abbr=on}} west from Dilltown to Black Lick, and {{convert|8|mi|abbr=on}} east from Nanty Glo to [Ebensburg](/source/Ebensburg%2C_Pennsylvania). In 2016, it was extended again to include [Cardiff](/source/Cardiff%2C_Pennsylvania).{{Cite web |last=Griffith |first=Randy |title=More for the money: Ghost Town Trail extension nearly doubles in length |url=https://www.tribdem.com/news/local_news/more-for-the-money-ghost-town-trail-extension-nearly-doubles-in-length/article_35f87372-3501-11e6-8bf8-6f66bd96cc21.html |access-date=2023-02-23 |website=The Tribune-Democrat |language=en}} ==Historical sites== The trail passes many historical sites, particularly sites of abandoned coal mines and their [company towns](/source/company_towns). The ghost towns include Bracken, Armerford, Lackawanna No. 3, [Wehrum](/source/Wehrum%2C_Pennsylvania), Scott Glenn, Webster, [Beulah](/source/Beula%2C_Pennsylvania) (or Beula), and Claghorn. ===Wehrum=== {{Main|Wehrum, Pennsylvania}} Wehrum, the largest of the former towns, once contained 230 houses, a hotel, company store, jail, bank, post office, school, and two churches.{{Cite web |url=http://www.indianacountyparks.org/photos/maps/regionaltrailguide.pdf |title=Regional Trail Guide |date=April 15, 2008 |publisher=Indiana County Parks & Trails |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080819181021/http://www.indianacountyparks.org/photos/maps/regionaltrailguide.pdf |archive-date=August 19, 2008 |access-date=November 7, 2008}} It was founded in 1901 by [Warren Delano](/source/Warren_Delano_IV), uncle of [Franklin Delano Roosevelt](/source/Franklin_Delano_Roosevelt), for the [Lackawanna Iron and Coal Company](/source/Lackawanna_Steel_Company), which opened mines in the area. When the mines declined and closed in the 1930s, the town was abandoned. Only one of the houses is still standing, across from the site of the hotel and the remains of the bank vault.{{Cite web |url=http://www.americantrails.org/nationalrecreationtrails/trailNRT/Ghost-PA.html |title=Ghost Town National Recreation Trail, Pennsylvania |date=November 18, 2007 |publisher=National Recreation Trails |access-date=November 7, 2008 |archive-date=October 16, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081016083723/http://www.americantrails.org/nationalrecreationtrails/trailNRT/Ghost-PA.html |url-status=dead }} One of the few other remnants of Wehrum is a [Russian Orthodox Church](/source/Russian_Orthodox_Church) cemetery that sits in the woods above the trail; the last burials took place in 1927.Dusza Weber, Denise. ''Delano's Domain: A History of Warren Delano's Mining Towns of Vintondale, Wehrum and Claghorn, Volume I, 1789-1930 [http://mysite.verizon.net/warholic/wehrumcem.html Appendix R] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090216183024/http://mysite.verizon.net/warholic/wehrumcem.html |date=February 16, 2009 }}'', A.G. Halldin 1991 The trail follows the [Pennsylvania Railroad](/source/Pennsylvania_Railroad)'s Ebensburg & Blacklick line past Wehrum, which opened in 1903. ===Claghorn=== Construction of Claghorn by Lackawanna Coal began in 1903. Due to an economic downturn, work was suspended in 1904. The Vinton Colliery Company purchased the partially built town in 1916 and opened six mines in the area. The company constructed 84 houses, a three-story 22 room hotel, a building that served as a school and theater, and a company store.{{Cite web |url=http://www.indianacountyparks.org/trails/gtt/ghosttownofclaghorn.pdf |title=The Ghost Town of Claghorn |publisher=Indiana County Parks & Trails |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716140357/http://www.indianacountyparks.org/trails/gtt/ghosttownofclaghorn.pdf |archive-date=16 July 2011 |access-date=22 October 2009}} The Ebensburg-Black Lick line of the [Pennsylvania Railroad](/source/Pennsylvania_Railroad) extended past Claghorn. The mines were closed in 1924, and houses were rented until after [World War II](/source/World_War_II) when the town was abandoned. ===Buena Vista Furnace=== thumb|right|350px|Buena Vista Furnace, 2007 Named after the [Mexican–American War](/source/Mexican%E2%80%93American_War)'s [Battle of Buena Vista](/source/Battle_of_Buena_Vista), the [hot blast](/source/hot_blast) [iron furnace](/source/blast_furnace) was built in 1847. The thirty-foot furnace used [iron ore](/source/iron_ore), [limestone](/source/limestone), and [charcoal](/source/charcoal) mined nearby to produce up to 400 tons of [pig iron](/source/pig_iron) per year. The operation was started by partners Henry McClelland, Elias McClelland, and Stephen Johnson who acquired {{convert|30|acre|m2}} along the Blacklick Creek. The property containing the furnace eventually totaled {{convert|822|acre|km2}} and included a sawmill and several boarding houses to accommodate the more than 60 workers.{{Cite web |url=http://www.indianacountyparks.org/parks/bvf/Buena%20Vista%20Furnace.pdf |title=Buena Vista Furnace |last=Stephenson |first=Clarence D. |date=July 1968 |publisher=Mahoning Mimeograph and Pamphlet Service |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011173756/http://www.indianacountyparks.org/parks/bvf/Buena%20Vista%20Furnace.pdf |archive-date=October 11, 2007 |access-date=November 7, 2008}} As early as 1850, the furnace was struggling financially and forced to close. Ownership passed to Dr. Alexander Johnson, who sought experienced individuals to run the furnace. When Johnson died in 1874, he stipulated that his estate be divided amongst his three children. The courts ruled that the estate "could not be parted or divided ... without injury to or prejudice to or spoiling the whole thereof." The Court awarded the property to Johnson's son Stephen, one of the original partners in the project. On February 17, 1901, the property was sold to Judge A.V. Barker on behalf of the [Lackawanna Iron and Steel Company](/source/Lackawanna_Steel_Company), who acquired a total of over {{convert|20000|acre|km2}} of coal land in Indiana and Cambria counties.{{Citation needed|date=January 2009}} The deed passed to Warren Delano and his Delano Coal Company, established as a [subsidiary](/source/subsidiary) of Lackawanna Steel. Facing financial troubles during the [Great Depression](/source/Great_Depression), the mines were shut down. A civic group, the Buena Vista Furnace Park Association, was organized shortly after in hopes of acquiring the furnace to create a public historical park. According to the group, an attempt was made by [Henry Ford](/source/Henry_Ford) to obtain the furnace for his [Greenfield Village](/source/The_Henry_Ford) project. On November 5, 1957, the Delano Coal Company sold the property to the Historical & Genealogical Society of Indiana County. Due to difficult access and a flood in 1977, repairs had been minimal until the trail was extended past the site in 2005. The furnace is located along the trail in [Brush Valley Township](/source/Brush_Valley_Township%2C_Pennsylvania), Indiana County, about one-half mile west of [PA 56](/source/Pennsylvania_Route_56).{{Cite web |url=http://www.indianacountyparks.org/parks/bvf/bvf.html |title=Buena Vista Furnace |publisher=Indiana County Parks & Trails |access-date=November 7, 2008}} ===Eliza Furnace=== {{Infobox NRHP | name = Eliza Furnace | nrhp_type = | image = Eliza Furnace.jpg | caption = Front of Eliza Furnace | map_caption = | coordinates = {{coord|40|29|3|N|78|55|20|W|display=inline,title}} | locmapin = Pennsylvania#USA | location = [Vintondale, Pennsylvania](/source/Vintondale%2C_Pennsylvania) | built = 1846 | architect = | architecture = | added = September 6, 1991 | designated_nrhp_type = Structure | refnum = 91001138{{NRISref|version=2013a}} | mpsub = }} The Eliza Furnace, also known as Ritter's Furnace, operated between 1846 and 1849. It is one of the best-preserved hot blast iron furnaces in Pennsylvania, one of the first in the area, and is on the [National Register of Historic Places](/source/National_Register_of_Historic_Places). At its peak the furnace produced about 1,080 tons of iron annually, employed over 90 men and boys, and used 45 mules. During the 1830s and 1840s, partners David Ritter and George Rodgers acquired several thousand acres in the Blacklick Valley and began construction of the furnace in 1845. Before completion, Rodgers sold his share to Lot Irvin, a farmer from [Centre County](/source/Centre_County%2C_Pennsylvania). The furnace was one of the region's first to use the [hot blast](/source/hot_blast) method. After the iron was produced at Eliza, it was carried by wagon to Nineveh (modern day [Seward](/source/Seward%2C_Pennsylvania)) in [Westmoreland County](/source/Westmoreland_County%2C_Pennsylvania) or [Johnstown](/source/Johnstown%2C_Pennsylvania), where it was transported by the [Pennsylvania Canal](/source/Pennsylvania_Canal) to [Pittsburgh](/source/Pittsburgh). In 1848 the furnace produced over 1000 out of an estimated capacity of 1800 tons of iron. But the operation soon began to decline.{{Cite web |url=http://www.indianacountyparks.org/parks/ef/elizahistory.PDF |title=History of the Eliza Furnace |last=Patterson |first=Ed |date=1997 |website=A Master Plan for the Eliza Furnace |publisher=Indiana County Parks & Trails |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080704170619/http://www.indianacountyparks.org/parks/ef/elizahistory.PDF |archive-date=July 4, 2008 |access-date=November 7, 2008}}{{cite report|type=none|url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71992496 |title=National Register of Historic Places Registration: Pennsylvania MPS Eliza Furnace|publisher=National Archives and Records Administration |author= Diane B. Reed|date= March 1991| access-date=December 11, 2025 }} ({{NationalArchivesNote}}) The furnace operation encompassed {{convert|231|acre|km2}}, though Ritter and Irvin owned much more. The property included many related buildings such as a casting house and a stove house, twenty-one log homes, a wagon shop, smoke house, stable, sawmill, boarding house, and store. The employees were often [paid in kind](/source/in_kind) rather than in cash. The furnace was never able to achieve a profit and was forced to close for several reasons: the [Pennsylvania Railroad](/source/Pennsylvania_Railroad) chose the [Conemaugh Valley](/source/Conemaugh_River) for its new route rather than the Blacklick, the furnace utilized outdated technologies, and the cost of hauling iron to the Canal was high. David Ritter experienced financial problems, losing property in [Armagh](/source/Armagh%2C_Pennsylvania) as payment when sued by former partner George Rodgers for $350. In July 1848, the property was seized and sold at [sheriff's sale](/source/sheriff's_sale) to Soloman Alter and Joseph Replier of [Philadelphia](/source/Philadelphia). After being purchased by Alter and Replier, the property passed hands many times before ultimately passing from Manor Realty of the Pennsylvania Railroad to the Cambria County Historical Society. The furnace is located at [Vintondale](/source/Vintondale%2C_Pennsylvania), near the midpoint of the trail. The site also contains a picnic area, restrooms, and historical signs.{{Cite web |url=http://www.indianacountyparks.org/parks/ef/ef.html |title=Eliza Furnace Historic Site |publisher=Indiana County Parks & Trails |access-date=November 8, 2008}} ==Economic impact and funding== thumb|right|250px|Abandoned coal cars along the trail In October 1996, interns from the Southwestern Pennsylvania Heritage Preservation Commission and [Penn State's](/source/Pennsylvania_State_University) School of Forest Resources completed an economic impact study of the trail. The study concluded that the trail is providing a positive impact on the region. Average daily expenditures of resident visitors was $4.33 per day while non-residents spent $9.28 daily. Attendance during the May to October period was 66,000, of which 23% were from outside of Cambria and Indiana counties. The overall impact of the trail during the period totaled $362,000. The trail obtained much of the property through donated rights-of-way. Since its establishment, the trail has been supported by the Keystone Grant Funding, a program that will match a donation from a variety of private, local, state, and federal groups.{{Cite web |url=http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/brc/keystone/ghost.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110501022629/http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/brc/keystone/ghost.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 1, 2011 |title=Ghost Town Trail: Great Allegheny Valley Passage |publisher=Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resources |access-date=November 8, 2008}} ==Trail access points== {| class="wikitable" border="1" |- ! Access ! Location ! Mileage ! Elevation |- | Saylor Park
[Black Lick](/source/Black_Lick%2C_Pennsylvania) | {{convert|1|mi|km|adj=on}} from
[U.S. Route 119](/source/U.S._Route_119) |{{convert|0|mi|km}} |{{convert|980|ft|m}} |- | Heshbon | [PA Route 259](/source/Pennsylvania_Route_259) |{{convert|6.5|mi|km}} |{{convert|1260|ft|m}} |- | Dilltown | [PA Route 403](/source/Pennsylvania_Route_403) |{{convert|13|mi|km}} |{{convert|1350|ft|m}} |- | Wehrum | Vintondale Rd. |{{convert|16|mi|km}} |{{convert|1355|ft|m}} |- | Vintondale
Eliza Furnace | Vintondale Rd. |{{convert|19|mi|km}} |{{convert|1360|ft|m}} |- | Twin Rocks | [PA Route 271](/source/Pennsylvania_Route_271) |{{convert|22|mi|km}} |{{convert|1660|ft|m}} |- | [Nanty Glo](/source/Nanty_Glo%2C_Pennsylvania) | PA Route 271 |{{convert|25|mi|km}} |{{convert|1720|ft|m}} |- | [Ebensburg](/source/Ebensburg%2C_Pennsylvania) | [U.S. Route 422](/source/U.S._Route_422) |{{convert|33|mi|km}} |{{convert|2000|ft|m}} |} ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== {{Commons category}} *[http://www.indianacountyparks.org/trails/gtt/gtt.html Ghost Town Trail - Indiana County Parks & Trails] *[http://www.traillink.com/ViewTrail.aspx?AcctID=6016968 Interactive Map of Ghost Town Trail (TrailLink)] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20071012210451/http://www.indianacountyparks.org/tours/ghosttown/sellfolio.html Ghost Town Trail Heritage Tour - an online interactive tour of the history behind the trail] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20110716140251/http://www.indianacountyparks.org/photos/maps/ghosttowntrailmileagechart.pdf Ghost Town Trail Mileage Chart] *[http://railstotrails.us/pa_ghost_town_trail.htm RailsToTrails.us Ghost Town Trail Page] *[Historic American Engineering Record](/source/Historic_American_Engineering_Record) (HAER) documentation: **{{HAER |survey=PA-257 |id=pa2754 |title=Eliza Furnace, Vintondale, Cambria County, PA |photos=6 |data=3 |cap=1 |link=no}} **{{HAER |survey=PA-265 |id=pa2770 |title=Buena Vista Furnace, Armagh, Indiana County, PA |photos=4 |color=2 |data=3 |cap=2 |link=no}} {{PennsylvaniaRailtrails}} {{National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania}} {{Authority control}} Category:Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania Category:Rail trails in Pennsylvania Category:National Recreation Trails in Pennsylvania Category:Protected areas of Indiana County, Pennsylvania Category:Protected areas of Cambria County, Pennsylvania Category:National Register of Historic Places in Cambria County, Pennsylvania --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ghost Town Trail](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Town_Trail) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Town_Trail?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.