We’re mapping our trip by Main Streets today, heading out on the back roads to hit out-of-the way towns. We’ll see how many we hit.

First stop.

Main Street–Parkesburg, PA

A house on Main Street in Parkesburg, PA

We’re at the town’s edge and decide to run around for five minutes.  Kara walks into a corner store called “Town’s Edge Antique Market” and finds Barbara Ann Henry.

She’s nervous to talk with us, “Sure wish the owner were here,” she says over and over.  We take her picture in front of an old stove display.  Main Street is Parkesburg’s commercial center, although there sure isn’t much commerce—just a few old dusty storefronts, some houses.  Barbara tells us if we ever want to know about the history of Parkesburg, there’s a guy down the street we should talk to, his place is closed today.  It is Sunday.

There’s only one young guy I see walking up and down Parkesburg’s Main Street smoking a cigarette and looking bored.  There’s a pitbull chained up at one house’s front walk.  No time to say hi.