Monday, July 8, 2013

Cedarhurst's Hidden Gem



















I never miss the Mt. Lebanon Garden Tour. Being a Mt. Lebanon resident for most of my life, I am always amazed at the hidden treasures that are nestled in the community. I was not disappointed yesterday.

I had heard stories about Cedarhurst Lake, and even caught glimpses of it driving on Lakemont, but what I saw yesterday was nothing short of amazing.


  
A brace of ducks by the canoe

My photos were not able to capture the feeling of being on vacation. My thanks to the Baer Family and to all the families who opened up their gardens to us. Another great Garden Tour!

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's a shame that there isn't a spot like this anywhere in the community that is open to the public.
Kinda of like a Central Park! I could get behind something like that over turf.

Anonymous said...

Who pays to maintain the lake? Whose property does the lake rest upon?

Lebo Citizens said...

It is private property.
Elaine

Anonymous said...

two words: eminent domain. Then we could totally outdo USC with our crew team. I mean, USC doesn't have its own lake, right? Better yet, we could totally outdo all the high schools in the area and have our own trained dolphins. And a waterski team. And a bass fishing team. Maybe the school district could put a dome over the lake to prevent people from getting wet.

Anonymous said...

Are you thinking small potatoes 2:53.

The PIO could be Executive Producer of Lebo Duck Dynasty airing on Municipal Channel 17.
Think of the commercial deals, the posters, t-shirts, decoy kits. There could've millions coming in for Outreach if only the PIO and staff would grow beards, don camo and drive pick up trucks.

Anonymous said...

No, the lake belongs to the people whose property it rests upon.

Lebo Citizens said...

I used to walk near there when I went to Jefferson Elementary. The teachers would always remind us to stay off the frozen lake because of the abandoned mines below. It is fed by underground springs. I wish I could have taken better pictures. My daughter was holding an umbrella over me while I was snapping photos in the pouring rain.
Here is the history as written in the program.
"What is now Cedar Lake was originally a spongy marsh fed by multiple natural springs and several creeks. Indeed, there were two distilleries here in the late 1700s fed by these springs. The Pittsburgh Coal Company mined throughout the area beginning in about 1883 and continued until about 1923. In the 1880s, it dug out the marsh to create a coal washing facility. Unfortunately, coal washing left behind extraordinarily dirty material generally known as a coal slurry. In those times, there was no Environmental Protection Agency or the like, and the area was not well populated; so this activity was countenanced.
While the mining did not stop until 1923, the coal washing ended about 1896. Over the decades, the water replentished itself. Today, the coal washing facility is Cedar Lake and supports much wildlife, including fish, turtles, many species of birds, an occasional red fox, as well as transient heron and hawks."
Elaine

Anonymous said...

How about deer?

With the distilleries being so close to the Neville House, wonder if any Whiskey Rebellion meetings took place around the lake.
Might be some early American History here we're not aware of which could be a tie in to a Whiskeyfest fund raiser for one thing or another.
Maybe the Historical Society... seriously.

Anonymous said...

Your hidden gem is costing Mount Lebanon in taxes ! 3.7789 Acres on Orchid Ln dropped to $340100. Mult. Parcels on Locust dropped in the 2013 Reassessment.

Lebo Citizens said...

Here we go again. I hope this doesn't turn into my fault too. Singlehandedly, I am responsible for kids dying, stealing from Outreach, ruining fundraising for the Veterans Memorial, and now going after the Library through the Garden Tour? Really? I support the Library in many ways. I am not responsible for county reassessments.
Elaine