McKeesport Dead Mans hollow

davew0710

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McKeesport Dead Man's hollow

Along the Yough river, near McKeesport is a place called "Dead man's hollow." According to old stories, a couple of men robbed the bank in McKeesport and escaped along the river. the two robbers fought over the loot and one killed the other. Hence the name "dead man's hollow." The remanding robber was captured and hanged. Does anyone know if the loot was recovered? If not, the hollow might be a good place to hunt.
 

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Re: McKeesport Dead Man's hollow

What I Got

in 1881 three men robbed a McKeesport general store owned by Robert McClure.
McClure and a posse of 20 armed and mounted citizens followed the robbers to Dead Man's Hollow and found part of the loot hidden in a tree. While pursuing the robbers in the hollow, McClure was shot to death.Seven years later, Ward McConkey was arrested and convicted of McClure's murder. McConkey, who proclaimed his innocence to the end, was quoted as saying, "Goodbye, all you murderers," just before he was hanged for the crime.

another Legend says two Clairton bank robbers were meeting in the hollow to split the loot when one robber shot the other and kept all the money. Some believe the money still may be somewhere in the hollow.

there were also there were many moonshine stills throughout the hollow

http://www.post-gazette.com/neigh_south/20011031s51trail1031p2.asp
 

Tubecity

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Re: McKeesport Dead Man's hollow

I know this area very well & it's still my favorite local hunting spot & I can be there in less than 10 minutes
from my house. I heard the story of the McKeesport robbery but I always heard it was named because a
man was found hanging from a tree there. At one time there was a plant there along the Yough river that
made the old type stoneware pipe. There also was a hole in the ground that led to a tunnel & went probably
200 yards down to the riverbank. I've been in it a number of times. At the head of the hollow there is a
beautiful old 1800's stone bridge spanning a gap when the road used to go thru there. This land was turned
over to the Allegheny County Conservancy in the late 1980's. I've spent hundreds of hour in there. Nice area.
 

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davew0710

davew0710

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Re: McKeesport Dead Man's hollow

Tubecity said:
I know this area very well & it's still my favorite local hunting spot

I used to hike to dead man's hollow when I was young. I remember the old brick works and all. Canyou still hunt there since it was turned over to the conservancy?
 

Tubecity

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Re: McKeesport Dead Man's hollow

As of yet nothing has changed & some people still hunt there. I've a few friends that grew up there & Dead Man's was actually in their backyard. Because the biking trail along the Yough runs past the hollow, they've supposedly added a small trail leading from the river into the flat land at the opening. I've camped there , hunted there & when getting in shape for a western elk hunt went there nearly every day, humping up those cliffs & trails coming up from the river with weighted packs. It's still a nice, peaceful place to walk thru. Not quite as steep, but always reminded of the mountains up Rt. 30 around Kingston Dam above the Sleepy Hollow Inn.
 

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