Western Pennsylvania Tour➤

My friend Patty and I hit the road in October of 2022 for a tour of the Western Pennsylvania NPS units. The National Parks of Western Pennsylvania (WEPA) includes the following five parks: Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site, Johnstown Flood National Memorial, Flight 93 National Memorial, Fort Necessity National Battlefield and Friendship Hill National Historic Site.

We decided to start the circuit at the southernmost unit, Friendship Hill, and work our way North. Along the way we also toured a Frank Lloyd Wright UNESCO Heritage Site and Ohiopyle State Park. After Ohiopyle, we began the trek North to Flight 93.

Flight 93 National Memorial➤

The Flight 93 National Memorial commemorates the crash of United Airlines Flight 93, which was one of four aircraft hijacked during the September 11 attacks in 2001. It honors the 40 passengers and crew of Flight 93. They stopped the terrorists from reaching their target, the US Capitol Building, by fighting the hijackers. After spending time in the visitor center and at the wall of names, we drove over to the Tower of Voices.

Tower of Voices➤

The park added the 93 foot tall Tower of Voices in 2020. The tower contains 40 wind chimes – one for each passenger and crew member who died in the crash. Each chime rings a different tone. So when the wind blows, the voices of the heroes of Flight 93 sing.

Western PA Posts➤

• Fallingwater
• Friendship Hill
• Fort Necessity
• Mount Washington Tavern
• Ohiopyle
• Flight 93
• Flight 93 Tower
• Johnstown Flood
• Allegheny Portage

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Location: 6424 Lincoln Hwy, Stoystown, PA 15563
Designation: National Memorial
Date designated/established: September 24, 2002
Date of my visit: October 9, 2022