ALLEGHENY PORTAGE RAILROAD
Lemon House and Coal Mine
Historic Structures Report (Part I—Historical Data)
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SAMUEL LEMON -- RAILROAD CONTRACTOR

Lemon derived income from other sources as well. The outcropping of stone along the right-of-way was quarried and supplied to the line for use as ties. Many of these stone ties are still buried along the route and at the site of the Lemon "quarry" several stones have drilling scars and contain holes where bolts were inserted to secure the rail.

In the early days of the railroad, trains were drawn along the levels by privately owned horses. In 1835 Lemon bid on a contract for the supplying of teams to do that job. He offered six horses and three drivers. He didn't secure the contract but undoubtedly did obtain several others. [32]

The Portage Railroad also leased or purchased lots for necessary structures along the way. On Samuel Lemon's property the company secured a lot of 51 perches, perhaps for the construction of a government house. [33] A tax assessment record of 1853 reveals that three other government structures were built on Lemon property -- a "Rigger's House" and two "shops." [34] An early ground plan of these buildings describes them: The "Rigger's Shop, loft, etc" was a frame structure 33-1/2 by 100 feet with two doors and seven windows. Separated from the rigger's shop by a 26 foot lumber yard were two shops -- one for the carpenter and the other for the blacksmith. Between the two was a small coal yard. The fronts of these structures were fifty feet from the center of the railroad. [35] The exact location of these structures is not known but compass readings given in the historic ground plan might be used in conjunction with further archeological investigation to identify the sites. Two historical paintings (Illustrations Nos. 7 and 5) reveal a number of outbuildings in the vicinity of the Lemon House -- one light-colored structure directly east of the mansion on the south side of the track; a log cabin north of the track; finally, a third of at least two rooms, revealed left of center in the painting done by Storm (Illustration No. 5).



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Last Updated: 03-Nov-2009