Saturday, September 14, 2019

Mount Vernon, Ohio: Ariel-Foundation Park

You can almost hear the ghosts of Ariel-Foundation Park while walking around the 250-acre.

Pittsburgh Plate Glass (PPG) opened a factory on this site in 1907. It was one million square feet, and certainly many residents of Mount Vernon received a paycheck because of that plant - directly or indirectly.

But the factory close in 1976, and a number of companies tried to use parts of the facility - only to fall short of become a long-term resident. Finally, the buildings were gutted in 2012 and the city took over the area.

The land was given to a foundation, which has turned it into a park. The quarries have been filled with water to form lakes, and the land has some trees and trails for visitors. But it is the leftover material that still fascinates.

For example, there is "the River of Glass." It's something of a tribute to those who worked PPG Works No. 11, with chunks of glass and crushed glass on display in a art-like setting. The sheets produced here were called "ribbons of glass." it was an easy rhetorical jump to river. Then there's the Rastin Observation Tower, a converted smokestack that has an observation deck about 140 feet up - halfway to the top. The views of the rest of the park, and even the town itself, are quite nice. (Just look out for bees and wasps on the way.)

There's also a building that can be used for events, as well as a labyrinth that surrounds a half-circle pond. Other portions of the factory can be found on the grounds as well. It makes for some unusual photos.

Still, there's some sadness associated with the place. It's a throwback to the days when big industrial plants were the backbones of local economies, and they are obviously missed. If you'd like a clue as to why Donald Trump carried Ohio in 2016, well, this is one. But no matter what is said, the good old days aren't coming back in the near future.

Let's look around from above:



(Find out about new posts on this site via Twitter @WDX2BB)

No comments:

Post a Comment