The Island...a rich history, now a scenic beauty

The Island...a rich history, now a scenic beauty. . , Walkable Warren , Walkable Warren is a local initiative intended to promote healthy lifestyles by encouraging foot travel and bicycling as alternative modes of travel in and around the City of Warren. Warren has a wealth of scenic landscapes, historic architecture, public parks, and trails, all worthy of being showcased and that are best experienced on foot or by bicycle. Recommended routes of travel between the Warren/North Warren Bike/Hike trail, core downtown and a few of our public parks are marked by Walkable Warren signage along our public streets. We encourage you to step out of the automobile as a source of travel and, instead, experience Walkable Warren on foot or by bicycle. Pedestrians should use the sidewalks. Bicyclists must obey all traffic laws., The Island...a rich history, now a scenic beauty. , The City of Warren is located at the confluence of the Conewango Creek and Allegheny River. Prior to the turn of the 20th Century, both waterways served as major transportation routes for both people and products. During the 1800's, the Conewango was used to transport White Pine logs, square-cut timber and sawn lumber through the Conewango valley, on its wat to the Allegheny River. On the Allegheny River, huge rafts of sawn lumber were assembled, measuring some 51 feet wide by 340 feet long, and readied for their journey to growing towns along the river or to be joined together at Pittsburgh to make an Ohio river raft that covered more than an acre of water., This site was once an island, flanked by the Allegheny River to the South and a mill race to the north. The island was home to a variety of businesses, among them; sawmills, a sash and blind factory, paint shop, carriage shop, and barrel works. The mill race was later filled in and today the island is home to Breeze Point park at the Western end of Clark Street, the parking garage, and the building is that surround you. , [Captions] , The Island, circa 1875. , Allegheny River Lumber Raft (2/3 standard width) coming in for a landing near "The Island.", The "Shirley Belle" , An excursion steering wheeler built by Wm. Clark at his machine shop at the upper end of The Island. Hiran C. Shirley, a Civil War veteran and owner of the boat, died when it blew up in the Allegheny River on September 17, 1878. Mr. Shirley had invented a reverse gear for the steam engine. Struthers Wells Company raised the boat and used it the gear as a model for their own gear, triggering a lawsuit. (Note the corner of a log raft in the foreground)