Vintage Portage

Our second destination this week is a special place because it bridges the gap between the virtual and the real and shows what a wonderful tool Opensim can be for academics and professionals. Located on the Science Circle Grid, it is reconstruction of Portage, an archeological site in Pennsylvania, built by Nova Saunders. 

At the side of a tranquil canal, Nova and fellow Science Circle member Quaezar Agnomen  were waiting for us, to explain the build and share the experience. You can read about the first part of this week's Safari in the post called 'The Folly of Phaedra'. As always the address of the destination is at the end of the post.

Nova and Quaesar welcome us to Portage

          The settlement of Portage, PA was established in 1830's during the presidency of Andrew Jackson, at a time when the United States was pushing Westwards with a passion. It was an era of fast moving technological revolution.           Portage is located about 70 miles due west of Pittsburgh, and while there is a town in the area, the original settlement is all but gone from the landscape.

           In the 60 years preceding the heyday of Portage, canal technology had been considered, especially in Europe,  the best way to move heavy and bulky goods from place to place. However, by 1820, a newfangled means of transport was beginning to be talked about, invested in, and dreamed of, first in England and then further afield - trains. So Portage found itself on the cusp of transition between the older, more organic form of transport, by water, and the bold and speedy new one - the steam train. But speaking of new technology and old,  who supplied Nova with all the info needed to build this lovely 3D reconstruction?

Nova Saunders: From the Cambria County Warrant Register pages  at PHMC, the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.  It suggests lands were granted (in the 1830's) to those that would have contributing assets to the community. Earliest archived materials shows that the population also consisted of immigrants from Ireland, Wales and Germany.  

Nova Saunders: Some occupations listed in the documents include: Farmer, Servant, Miller, Carpenter, and Hotel Keeper. 

Thirza Ember: What on earth is a weigh lock? Can you explain a little bit about what it does and why they needed it?

Nova Saunders: A weigh lock is a specialized canal lock designed to determine the weight of barges in order to assess toll payments based upon the weight and value of the cargo carried. This requires that the unladen weight of the barge be known.

Nara Nook: This is fascinating

          The landing point features an old time photographer, and the reason is that sim is simply studded with old photographs, which formed the basis for Nova's reconstruction. 

Nova Saunders: the pictures....canal information were provided by the NPS for this reconstruction of the village Unfortunately this was the land of hopes and crushed dreams, since it only lasted for 20 yrs

Thirza Ember: wow all this work for only 20 years of use? What was the reason for that?
Nova Saunders: the canal ways were replaced by the railroad. 

James Atlloud: I live near a village named Portage in Wisconsin.  I imagine there are a lot of towns named Portage. 

Nova Saunders: Please feel free to look around at the builds, and posters.

James Atlloud: I see a train and track replacing the canal to the west - did the train follow the route of the canal?

Nova Saunders: did the train follow the route of the canal?   No.

James Atlloud: Ok thanks.  I like the symbolism anyway!

George Equus: I see the sign says that it cost $12 for a ticket. In today's value, that would be $362

Starflower Bracken: I love the bridges and the canals <3

Nova Saunders: after the work was done tracks and bridges were constructed to make travel faster. 
Starflower Bracken: I love the rocks on each side of the cutting for the railway. It gives a sense of depth. I love the industrial feel <3

Thirza Ember: wait - one question Nova - ARE THERE ANY STAIRS? cuz I don't think I can do any more stairs today.
James Atlloud: LOL @stairs
quaezar Agnomen: No stairs :)
Mal Burns: my camera stares but I don't do stairs
whirli placebo: lol@ stairs

James Atlloud: Is there a map of where this is in PA?
Nova Saunders: Portage Village no longer exist...but PORTAGE does. Many buildings and families moved after the canal closed

Thirza Ember: the combination of photos and 3d is amazing. You bring it to life. How did you get the idea, and how did you find the resources to make your textures and structures?
Nova Saunders: All this came with the help of National Park Service. They helped me collect the information I needed for the reconstructions.

Nova Saunders: You will see down at the far end a farm with a line of Pine trees. Places of importance used Pine trees so that way, they could be found in the winter. The village had less then 25 homes in the area, the Elite lived close by. The working class had large homes and rented out rooms to workers.

 Nova Saunders: The Portage consisted of 11 relatively level horizontal passages that were linked by 10 'steep' inclined planes.  The inclines were generally 0.5 mile in length, while the levels ranged from 0.15 mile to 14 miles.  The gradient on the inclines could, by law, be no greater than 12%. At the far end is the Skew Arch bridge , the only bridge constructed with the canal in mind. Information about the bridge can be found on the panels as well as the actual RL photo, to the right is engine house #6 and how it looks now in RL

          We walked up the rail line which had a gentle incline until we came to The Lemon House, a careful reconstruction matching, as with the rest, a photograph from the period. This elegant Georgian building in warm stone pierced by numerous sash windows has many rooms already   furnished to match the look of the 1800's and many more are to come. George and James took advantage of a park bench at this point much, it seemed, to the annoyance of one of the locals, who glowered down at them.

Nova Saunders:  You will notice the diner was still gender biased at the time. Men and families could eat in the large room. Single ladies had to eat in the smaller area.

Thirza Ember: TBH I think that's not a bad idea to have separate dining arrangements, no annoying kiddies throwing their food at you, and no cheeky grins over the salt and pepper. The single ladies had it all right, I expect some of the wives would have willingly changed places.  Nova, I'm trying to visualize what this is like in rl. So, if someone goes to this place today, they just see fields and woods?

Nova Saunders: unfortunately yes...maybe a few remnants to suggest its location. Some parts of former canals can still be seen, but many were filled in.

Apollo Star: Very detailed

Starflower Bracken: Yeah, it's really fantastic work :-)

Nova Saunders: inside you can see the floor plan as drawn by IUP archaeological Services. The Pictures in the engine house were taken by Nancy Smith the Curator of the area there. I started this in 2009 in SL with IUP and then when Stephen moved, I moved with him, so this has been growing since 2009. It took me several attempts to make this area right.

Mal Burns: Thanks Nova

Apollo Star:  very educational !

whirli placebo: Such a passion filled sim you have created, creating a love for history.  bravo!

James Atlloud: This is so cool Nova - thank you for showing the safari around.

Starflower Bracken: Thank you so much for having us. Also thank you to Thirza for organising these visits, Great to see you all :-)

Thirza Ember:  Congrats on the build, I'm sure many of us will return there is so much to take in here. and thank you Quaezar for being on hand too, it's much appreciated.

Ernest Moncrieff: yes a really interesting build, ty for showing us around. I must hope now, see you next week!

Nova Saunders: Thank you again for your help Quaezer

Arcanquest Frank: grazie e alla prossima settimana, buona notte :)

Quaezar Agnomen: Buona notte Thanks for coming .. you all be safe

Address:  Nova Saunder's reconstruction of Portage, PA      grid.sciencecircle.org:Portage