Eidenau, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Eidenau is an unincorporated community
in Jackson Township
, Butler County
, Pennsylvania
, United States
.
flows into the Connoquenessing Creek
. Pennsylvania Route 68
is the main road in Eidenau.
Oftentimes, Eidenau is mistakenly called Harmony Junction. Harmony Junction is the name of the large railroad junction that connects the Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad
's P&W Subdivision
with the Northern Subdivision.
. Gist and George Washington
traveled through the area in December of 1753 after leaving Fort LeBoeuf bound for Williamsburg
, Virginia
. After passing through Murdering Town
they stumbled upon an area known as Sakonk. There they found a Native American
that guided them down a wrong path, and attempted to kill them. His attempt failed, and the two men continued their journey south to the Allegheny River
. Gist renamed Sakonk to Eidenau after his trek though the Ohio Country
.
However, another source claims that the Harmony Society
named Eidenau after a community in Württemberg
, Germany
. The Harmonites settled in this region, and constructed a large mill in the Connoquenessing Valley after a small Delaware tribe moved away in 1792. This tribe may have been from the village of Sakonk. The mill operated for about two decades, but eventually went out of business. Most of the twenty log houses surrounding the mill were also abandoned by 1814. Some of the relics from the mill and village are preserved at Historic Harmony
in Harmony, Pennsylvania
.
At the turn of the 20th century, a new cutoff was built by the Pittsburgh and Western Railroad to connect Eidenau with the community of Ribold which was just outside the city of Butler
. This new route eliminated an older route that ran from Callery Junction
to Ribold. The lines that run through the junction have exchanged hands several times. This is a list of the railroads that have used the junction from the P&W Railroad to the current B&P Railroad:
The junction is a popular destination spot for railfans.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Jackson Township
Jackson Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania
Jackson Township is a township in Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,645 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000,...
, Butler County
Butler County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 174,083 people, 65,862 households, and 46,827 families residing in the county. The population density was 221 people per square mile . There were 69,868 housing units at an average density of 89 per square mile...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Geography
Eidenau is located in the area where Breakneck CreekBreakneck Creek
Breakneck Creek is a tributary of Connoquenessing Creek that flows in a northwardly direction in Western Pennsylvania. It forms in the village of Bakerstown in Allegheny County then flows northwest through the borough of Valencia in Butler County....
flows into the Connoquenessing Creek
Connoquenessing Creek
Connoquenessing Creek is a tributary of the Beaver River, approximately 50 mi long, in Western Pennsylvania in the United States.-Course:...
. Pennsylvania Route 68
Pennsylvania Route 68
Pennsylvania Route 68 is a long east–west state highway located in western Pennsylvania in the United States. The western terminus of the route is at the Ohio state line west of Glasgow, where PA 68 continues into Ohio as State Route 39. The eastern terminus is at U.S...
is the main road in Eidenau.
Oftentimes, Eidenau is mistakenly called Harmony Junction. Harmony Junction is the name of the large railroad junction that connects the Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad
Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad
The Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad is a Class II railroad operating in New York and Pennsylvania.The BPRR is owned by Genesee and Wyoming Industries. Its main line runs between Buffalo, New York and Eidenau, Pennsylvania, north of Pittsburgh. Here, connections are made to the city center via the...
's P&W Subdivision
P&W Subdivision
The P&W Subdivision is a railroad line owned and operated by CSX Transportation, the Allegheny Valley Railroad , and the Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania...
with the Northern Subdivision.
History
The earliest known use of the name Eidenua is found in the journals of Christopher GistChristopher Gist
Christopher Gist was an accomplished American explorer, surveyor and frontiersman. He was one of the first white explorers of the Ohio Country . He is credited with providing the first detailed description of the Ohio Country to Great Britain and her colonists...
. Gist and George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
traveled through the area in December of 1753 after leaving Fort LeBoeuf bound for Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. After passing through Murdering Town
Murdering Town
Murdering Town, was a Lenni Lenape community that comprised several smaller villages along the Connoquenessing Creek and Breakneck Creek near present-day Harmony, and Evans City, Pennsylvania, United States. The village was located along the Venango Path which ran through what was then the Ohio...
they stumbled upon an area known as Sakonk. There they found a Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
that guided them down a wrong path, and attempted to kill them. His attempt failed, and the two men continued their journey south to the Allegheny River
Allegheny River
The Allegheny River is a principal tributary of the Ohio River; it is located in the Eastern United States. The Allegheny River joins with the Monongahela River to form the Ohio River at the "Point" of Point State Park in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
. Gist renamed Sakonk to Eidenau after his trek though the Ohio Country
Ohio Country
The Ohio Country was the name used in the 18th century for the regions of North America west of the Appalachian Mountains and in the region of the upper Ohio River south of Lake Erie...
.
However, another source claims that the Harmony Society
Harmony Society
The Harmony Society was a Christian theosophy and pietist society founded in Iptingen, Germany, in 1785. Due to religious persecution by the Lutheran Church and the government in Württemberg, the Harmony Society moved to the United States on October 7, 1803, initially purchasing of land in Butler...
named Eidenau after a community in Württemberg
Württemberg
Württemberg , formerly known as Wirtemberg or Wurtemberg, is an area and a former state in southwestern Germany, including parts of the regions Swabia and Franconia....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The Harmonites settled in this region, and constructed a large mill in the Connoquenessing Valley after a small Delaware tribe moved away in 1792. This tribe may have been from the village of Sakonk. The mill operated for about two decades, but eventually went out of business. Most of the twenty log houses surrounding the mill were also abandoned by 1814. Some of the relics from the mill and village are preserved at Historic Harmony
Harmony Historic District
Harmony Historic District, in Harmony, Pennsylvania, USA, is the site of the first settlement established by the Harmony Society when they immigrated to the United States around 1804. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1974. It is located along Pennsylvania Route 68 in Harmony.-...
in Harmony, Pennsylvania
Harmony, Pennsylvania
Harmony is a borough in Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 937 at the 2000 census. It is located about 30 miles north of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.-Geography:...
.
At the turn of the 20th century, a new cutoff was built by the Pittsburgh and Western Railroad to connect Eidenau with the community of Ribold which was just outside the city of Butler
Butler, Pennsylvania
The city of Butler is the county seat of Butler County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, situated north of Pittsburgh. The population was 15,121 at the 2000 census.- History :...
. This new route eliminated an older route that ran from Callery Junction
Callery, Pennsylvania
Callery is a borough in Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 444 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Callery is located at ....
to Ribold. The lines that run through the junction have exchanged hands several times. This is a list of the railroads that have used the junction from the P&W Railroad to the current B&P Railroad:
- Pittsburgh and Western Railroad
- Pittsburgh, Harmony, Butler and New Castle RailwayPittsburgh, Harmony, Butler and New Castle RailwayThe Pittsburgh, Harmony, Butler and New Castle Railway, commonly called the Harmony Line, was a broad gauge interurban streetcar line connecting Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States to Butler and New Castle via Harmony and a split at Evans City...
(not a part of the junction itself, but passed alongside the ROW at certain points, now abandoned) - Baltimore and Ohio RailroadBaltimore and Ohio RailroadThe Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...
(later under the management of the Chessie SystemChessie SystemChessie System, Inc. was a holding company that owned the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway , the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad , the Western Maryland Railway , and several smaller carriers. It was incorporated in Virginia on February 26, 1973, and it acquired the C&O on June 15...
) - CSX TransportationCSX TransportationCSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
- Buffalo and Pittsburgh RailroadBuffalo and Pittsburgh RailroadThe Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad is a Class II railroad operating in New York and Pennsylvania.The BPRR is owned by Genesee and Wyoming Industries. Its main line runs between Buffalo, New York and Eidenau, Pennsylvania, north of Pittsburgh. Here, connections are made to the city center via the...
+ Allegheny Valley RailroadAllegheny Valley RailroadThe Allegheny Valley Railroad is a class III railroad that operates in Western Pennsylvania, and is owned by Carload Express, Inc.AVR acts as a feeder line connecting its many and varied customers to Class I railroads such as CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railway , and regional lines...
(current)
The junction is a popular destination spot for railfans.