The Lost Children of the Alleghenies

[moxham123]

Do any Rockpagers know this story about the lost children of the Alleghenies? This took place in 1856 in Bedford County in the Lovely, PA area near what is now Pavia and Pleasantville.

Alison Krause did this song called, Jacob's Dream, about the incident.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj1p22kW5Xs

Here is the story

http://www.bedford.k12.pa.us/C12/Histor ... henies.htm

I have lived in Johnstown all of my life and never heard this story before.

[DirtySanchez]

Do any Rockpagers know this story about the lost children of the Alleghenies? This took place in 1856 in Bedford County in the Lovely, PA area near what is now Pavia and Pleasantville.

Alison Krause did this song called, Jacob's Dream, about the incident.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj1p22kW5Xs

Here is the story

http://www.bedford.k12.pa.us/C12/Histor ... henies.htm

I have lived in Johnstown all of my life and never heard this story before.

Theres a memorial in pavia. I fish bobs creek in the area nearby.

[songsmith]

I first heard the story a number of years ago, and thought it make a good story-song (my favorite kind!), but sat on the idea to let it ruminate. Bad idea. I saw Alison talking about it in an interview, and knew if she did the song, there'd be no point in me trying it, if she does a song, it's pretty much done.
That's happened before... I got an e-mail story way back in the mid 90's about a woman getting a flat-tire, and the guy who helped her, and how the woman unknowingly helped the guy's expectant wife. Someone else wrote it, Clay Walker cut it, and got a #1 song. For those who don't follow country music business, you can buy a pretty nice house around here every week your song is number one, plus the trip up and back down the charts, and that's just the writer's share after the publishing co. takes their half. DOH!!------->JMS

[alfred]

i think from the marker,about 100 feet in the woods they found the
bodies of two children who were lost. i think they were brother and sister.

[moxham123]

They were two little bothers. The link above to the story tells what happened.

[Banned]

"The Lost Children of the Alleghenies" would be a good band name.

[Bag]

"The Lost Children of the Alleghenies" would be a good band name.

You're a nut!

[onetooloud]

I remember a motorcycle ride with some freinds a few years ago to the marker. They felt I was on crack and said theres nothing up there. Even when I took them up the trail to the marker they still had doubts.

Go to the light in Pleasantville from Johnstown make a left. Follow this to a tee in the raod go left agin follow this to Pavia. After Pavia look for a small paved road into the woods on the right. I don't recall this road being marked with any info. Its on a turn.

Follow this road (very narrow two cars can barely pass) maybe a mile or two and start looking on the left side for a wide spot in the road with a footpath leading out of it.

Follow the path into the woods maybe 1000' If you've gotten the right area you'll come to the monument.

Maybe somebody has better directions, but I can't remember any signs or directions to get there. Just always seemed like you where on your own.

[KyleMayket]

hey Ray, from 56, make a left, go to the T, make a left again, and follow Rt 869, that will take you right too it, or if your from around forest hills school district, just take 869 out of beaverdale. if you're from altoona, or state college, get to 220 south, then get off at Rt869, and take it west, follow 869 and you'll see a little sign on the side of the road, turn back that little road at the sign, when you get to a large pull off area, park your car, and walk off to the left if i remember right, it's maybe 150 yards off of the road.

[greaser]

"The Lost Children of the Alleghenies" would be a good band name.

You're a nut!

...good subject matter to wright a song about. you can't beat local history/legends.

[DirtySanchez]

"The Lost Children of the Alleghenies" would be a good band name.

You're a nut!

...good subject matter to wright a song about. you can't beat local history/legends.

I'm gonna write a song about Cort Duffle one day.

[songsmith]

"The Lost Children of the Alleghenies" would be a good band name.

Hmmmm. Sounds Emo.----->JMS

[witchhunt]

"The Lost Children of the Alleghenies" would be a good band name.

Hmmmm. Sounds Emo.----->JMS

Sounds DIO.

[metalchurch]

"The Lost Children of the Alleghenies" would be a good band name.

Hmmmm. Sounds Emo.----->JMS

Sounds DIO.

Yeah like Children of the Sea, or somethin'. I'm wearin a Dio shirt right now actually! Holy Diver.
Reminds me, I found this little gem in my pc photo album.

[Charltor]

sounds like some song King would have done in his solo years!

[Banned]

I grew up in Woodbury along Rt. 36 in Bedford Co. I heard stories about the Lost Children of the Alleghenies and King Diamond. Not together, wait did he do that shit?! LOL!!

[metalchurch]

The King fuckin rules man!! That's an awesome pic of him too!
Grandma!! Let me help you out of your chair!
Grandma!!!

Hahaha

[Feelgood]

I refer to this place as The Monument. It's a cool place to go scope out.

[PanzerFaust]

Heard the story before but never heard of Alison Krause..

So how did she come to write a song about this area?

Her web site has a pic of her with that old dude from Led Zeppelin hehe...

[slackin@dabass]

old dude from Led Zeppelin hehe...

umm... all of them? (except bonzo, of course)

[scorpion84]

thats an interseting story, ive never heard that one before. that would make a cool band name actually. or a song title.

[songsmith]

Heard the story before but never heard of Alison Krause..

So how did she come to write a song about this area?

From what I recall, one of the Cox Family, a prominent bluegrass gospel group, has a friend from Somerset Co. who actually wrote the song. Alison produces and performs on nearly every Cox Family record, and she heard the song and loved it. I remember Alison saying in the interview that this was a true bluegrass story-song, and she almost had no choice but to record it before someone else did.
It really does have all the elements of a bluegrass song... a feeling of the innocent being lost in a cold, dangerous world (a recurring theme in bluegrass and oldtime); a tale of warning (don't let this happen to you, also a recurring theme in bluegrass and gospel), and of course, as in most bluegrass songs, somebody dies. If the boys were making moonshine in the Blue Ridge Mountains, it'd be the perfect BG song.

Oh, yeah, almost forgot. Alison Krauss and Union Station are a multi-platinum bluegrass band who pretty much rule the genre. They're excellent musicians, every one, and their dobro player, Jerry Douglas, is one of the few musicians on earth who could actually be called the best there ever was on his instrument (Dobro is only about 70 years old, and all the best players are well-documented. It's arguable, surely, but he's a pretty safe bet). The members of the band are all multiple Grammy winners on other projects, and Alison's voice is a huge draw... she has a breathy, round, flute-like tone, range for days, and airtight technique. I tend toward more rural, edgier stuff, but AKUS is hard to deny. Her band, along with the O Brother soundtrack they played on, saved the genre from near-death. It was getting pretty ragged before her guitarist/male lead, Dan Tyminski, sang "Man of Constant Sorrow," and showed the world that traditional bluegrass was viable commercially (13 million copies of the O Brother soundtrack have been sold, and still selling, with zero marketing. The record co's were sh*tting their collective pants a few years back, they sunk all that money into pretty-boy Nashpop, and a little oldtime record tore it all open. Nashville hasn't been the same, but sadly, they went even further to pop... look at the country charts: Bon Jovi and Hootie and Jessica freakin' Simpson... puh-leeze.)--->JMS

[PanzerFaust]

Thanx for the detailed post SS ....

Brings me quickly up to speed....

[Merge]

That was a very good post, songsmith. I've always enjoyed Alison Krauss's work. She's an excellent singer with a tremendous voice. She's currently the leading winner of Grammy's among female artists with 21, and is tied for seventh most of all time. Her album with Robert Plant is very good, it's not like anything else I've heard. I still think her version of "When You Say Nothing At All" is better then the original.

[randydrummer]

Cort Duffle? Is he still around? Is this the same guy that was hit by a school bus so many years ago? I haven't heard that name in forever.