Latodami Nature Center

I came across this gem recently while doing research for an upcoming blog. While searching the Google satellite map of Pine I saw Latodami Nature Center. I’d never heard of it.

I asked my husband, who annoyingly knows almost everything about Allegheny County but he’d never heard of it. So of course I had to check it out (if only to brag I saw it first).

The Latodami Nature Center can be found on Brown Road and is part of North Park. The entrance is subtle and I can understand how residents could drive down this road and never notice the property.

Everyone has seen the old barn on the road but many of us are unaware of the natural beauty of the nature center. The wild grasses and flowers grow in abundance and the trees are delightfully overgrown. The old barn is authentic and rustic and is now home to a collection of animal skeletons, abandoned wasp’s nests, turtle shells, and many other natural treasures they have discovered on the 200+ acre nature center.

The farmland had been established sometime in the early 1800’s with a portion of the house reportedly built in 1832. The large barn that we all see while driving by was built in 1914 by J.D. Brown. Brown was a lawyer in Pittsburgh making him a gentleman’s farmer, hiring workers to run the farm for him. The farm was known as Oak Knolls.

At some point Richard O. Horning’s family took over the farm and renamed it Latodami after the four Horning children: Orlando, called Lanny (La), Antoinette, called Toni (to), Davia (da), and Michelle (mi).

The farm was extensive, producing turkey, pork, and chicken products, as well as produce and honey. The farm continued to operate until 1999 even though it had been purchased and turned into a nature center.

In 1969, Allegheny County approached the Horning estate about purchasing the 234-acre farm. Initially, Pine Township supervisors tried to talk the county out of buying the property since it provided $1,800 a year in tax money to the township but the sale went through rather quickly. The farm was declared condemned, all personal property was removed, and Latodami became a nature center.

On this, my first trip, I took my two sons (3 ½ months and 4 years old) and my father-in-law (the 4 year olds best buddy). We visited the barn, the pond, and walked up the big hill behind the barn. There are no paved trails (no strollers) rather, overgrown grasses trampled by visitors. (The grass really should be cut. It would make it easier.)

Birds and butterflies fly in abundance and the wild flowers were beautiful. Getting out in nature in the middle of our suburban community was a real treat. Although the farm would have looked much different while it was working, the grounds are a chance to walk through history and appreciate the natural beauty of Pine. Pine was always a farming community until the late 20^th century and now with the building boom it can be hard to image Brown Road as an unpaved, dirt road. It is hard to believe, as one surveys the property that it was possible at one point to not see a neighbor or hear anything except the birds chirping.

Taking a break and visiting the Latodami Nature Center or even enrolling your kids in the one of their summer programs is a great way to experience something truly unique, right here in our wonderful little township.

 

 

Pine Township War Memorial

How many Pine residents know where the war memorial is?

“We have one?”

Yes, my neighbors. We have one.

This past Memorial Day, my husband and I drove over to Richland Community Park for the Memorial Day service. It was very nice. Hundreds of people attended. Many people brought their own seats and I would bet many of the families let their kids play afterwards.

There was a stage with seats for VIP’s, a podium for speakers, the local Boy Scouts and Girls Scouts, along with Pine-Richland’s JROTC attended. Representative Keith Rothfus and the Speaker of the State House Mike Turzai came to honor our local veterans. The weather was beautiful. Overall it was a lovely day.

But as I enjoyed the event I thought, “Pine could never do this.”

Pine Township has a pitiful excuse for a war memorial. The actual memorial is very nice but the location is about as bad as it gets. Pine Township honestly, should be ashamed that they couldn’t think of a better place to put the war memorial.

It is on the corner of Wexford Bayne and Church Road. Yes. There is a war memorial literally on that corner. Not in the yard. Not closer to the bank but right on the corner. In order to get the pictures I have, I had to wait for all the traffic to pass before I ran into the middle of the road and I had to work quickly because more cars were quickly approaching.

There is no way to have a proper memorial service for our local veterans in that location. If a hundred people wanted to go, there is nowhere to park and nowhere to stand. Most American Legions will have services for the veterans a few times a year and put out flags. There are no places for flags to be hung.

I personally believe the war memorial should be in Pine Community Park. First, it is a beautiful park that we should feel a lot of pride in. Second, if the American Legion wanted to have a large memorial service they could. There would be plenty of parking and plenty of space for people to watch. The memorial doesn’t have to be large. The one we have now is small and it is fine, except for the location.

Now, despite this rant, there is no current campaign to move the memorial. I don’t even know if the members of the American Legion would be on board. This is just my opinion. I strongly believe this and would love to be a part of a future campaign but as for now, it is just one woman’s annoyance.