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probablybill t1_j21zn9h wrote

Had a friend that had a house on the island. Like you said the only way to get over is a pontoon boat that goes back-and-forth. Super cool little island with summer vacation homes on it. There might be some people that live there year round but I’m not sure. Jimmy Buffett vibe.

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DammitDad420 t1_j242dz7 wrote

> Jimmy Buffett vibe

If Jimmy lived in a trailer park in sub freezing temps

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probablybill t1_j249vky wrote

Most of the homes were very nice from what I remember.

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merkinmavin t1_j264m63 wrote

Nibblin' on dippy eggs

Watchin' the homeless beg

All of those roads covered with chips and oil

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ChrisP365 t1_j25hacl wrote

You got Yinz to the left, Yinz to the right and you can only reach by boat....

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Username89054 t1_j23yeir wrote

I was expecting like 10 houses on it. Nope, there are 50ish all cramped together. This drone shot is a good view of it all.

https://goo.gl/maps/zGe3TBxrd6SugMC86

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zesty_vixen1031 t1_j24jovo wrote

Yo the building structure is so freaking random it's ugly to look at 🤣

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herpaderpadont t1_j24nbnh wrote

If ya ever travel north where people have camps…this is exactly what it looks like. This is the most rural PA thing I have yet to see in PGH.

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zesty_vixen1031 t1_j24s7x5 wrote

I guess I haven't been far enough north to know. I've been pretty far out but most camp grounds ive been too are either set up like trailer parks, or just straight up woods

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herpaderpadont t1_j24w6j7 wrote

Not campgrounds…camps. Hunting camps, fishing camps.

You’ll be driving along a stretch of road and pretty soon it is just a hodgepodge of random campers, trailers, and one room houses. Sinnemahoning and Wharton come to mind. Parts of Bennezette as well.

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zesty_vixen1031 t1_j26uttd wrote

Oh I'm sorry, I misunderstood. I'm in the heart of the city and really only ever go as far as beaver falls 🤣 I need to get out more. I like fishin

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herpaderpadont t1_j26vz3t wrote

Haha.

“Do your sportin’ in Wharton!”

Some very prized trout streams up that way and not too terrible of a drive.

There’s pretty cool camping and music festival in Austin, PA called The Dam Show at the end of the summer if you are into that. Great star gazing opportunities as well.

It’s great for a visit.

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DingosAteYourMorals t1_j26rdkf wrote

If you go up to Potter County you'll see it alot. Cherry springs is a nice place to stay for a couple days of star gazing.

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DaleGribble312 t1_j2405ur wrote

Summer vacation homes? The drone shoot looks like a homeless encampment

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Blaster412 t1_j24dymd wrote

The houses don't look too bad, but why would anyone want a summer house with a view of a highway and a sewage treatment plant?

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godard31 t1_j24izt1 wrote

It feels so Pittsburgh though, yinzers who see this is the height of luxury and an escape from the city hustle and bustle

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probablybill t1_j24a0xs wrote

The houses aren't locked to a grid like a typical neighborhood. So they can look scattered from the air. It was honestly a nice place last time I was there.

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mrsrtz t1_j222vp8 wrote

https://archive.triblive.com/news/island-living/

"... Upriver at 12 Mile Island in Harmar, where people still occupy sturdy cottages, islanders were hit harder by the recent floods.

Harmar officials said land on that island is privately owned and flood damage was intense.

But it is difficult to gauge the situation at 12 Mile Island. Harmar officials offered little information, and a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reporter who visited there recently was quickly asked to leave by "Island Officer" Gary. He declined to answer any questions about the island, saying they did not want any publicity.

Miller said he and others who frequent the rivers have had similar experiences on 12 Mile Island.

"I stopped there a few times, and they don't want to talk to anybody," he said..."

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vinylscratch27 t1_j22q6z5 wrote

So basically the Yinzer version of North Sentinel Island?

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Fue_la_luna t1_j24erzq wrote

Yinz see thoase eanthrowpawlawgists 'nat tryna encroach awn aur rightful vawlunterry ahsowlation? Dey got no bidness.

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colawars t1_j227xuo wrote

We need to start sending some drones over there or something. This is some legendary stuff I've never heard before. I mean, Washington's Landing and even Neville Island are kinda cool but this is interesting as fuck.

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Sea_Telephone_7745 t1_j239if6 wrote

Thanks! I LIVE on Neville Island! My family actually immigrated from Poland to the Island in the 1930s. When my grandpa built his house, he found several Indian arrowheads buried in the ground. It's actually got a LOT of cool history, it just had a bad rap (I think) due to the factories. Personally; I'd LOVE to see them all torn down, and houses or businesses put up right along the waterfront! Maybe it won't happen in MY LIFETIME, but I really hope that it happens some day!

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DoublePlusGood23 t1_j24y4ck wrote

I hear Carmody's make an excellent prime rib. I’ve wanted to check it out on my way back from wash pa.

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Sea_Telephone_7745 t1_j26c39t wrote

If you LIKE prime rib, then yes. I heard it is very good! I worked at the Carmodys restaurant that was in wexford, like 20 years ago! It was definitely a very nice restaurant, as opposed to the bar type setting at the one on Neville island. The food at the carmody's in Wexford was out of this world! The food at the new car movies on Neville Island is decent, but I guess I'm comparing it too much to the older one! I just don't like prime rib personally, because I like my meat to be well done! And obviously you can't really get well done prime rib, otherwise it would be like eating a leather shoe! Or so I've heard..

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Avenirex t1_j24t95k wrote

Also highly recommend checking out the Globe View in Google Maps for places like this (and pretty much anywhere else in Pittsburgh)

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BruchsK t1_j24atle wrote

My mental picture of "Island Officer" Gary is eeriely similar to officer Lahey from Trailer Park Boys.

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tapdancingtommy7 OP t1_j22392l wrote

Thanks! That was a good read- what an exotic little slice of Pittsburgh life

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saudichickenprince t1_j26ja5z wrote

Something about the trib calling residents “islanders” will always make me smile.

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hippieflipping t1_j23xg8v wrote

Big Ben used to have a booty room there (early in his career). Aka a house he and fellow players would have parties with “promiscuous” women. Oddly he rented the house from my high school business teacher. Who was a very successful, wealthy business man who taught high school business and gov classes as a hobby. He served Ben an eviction notice once for non payment. He loved telling the story and used it as an example of binding contract agreements.

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paddle_forth t1_j227d63 wrote

If I remember correctly, it was owned by the Pennsylvania Conservancy but at some point they parceled it up and sold to private individuals. It seems like a cool little spot, but just out of frame on the Harmar side is a sewage treatment plant.

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damtaxmann t1_j23p4iz wrote

Many years ago my wife was a home healthcare worker. She had an elderly patient who lived on the island. My wife had to be taken over by boat to do her visits. It was definitely one of the more unusual visits.

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DIY_Creative t1_j22mwl9 wrote

My father's friend had a cottage there. He may still. Only accessible by boat. Summer cottages mostly. I don't think anyone lives there full-time but I may be very wrong. There may be one or two people who do. We used to go at least once a summer, usually July 4th weekend, boat on rivers and BBQ at the cottage on the island. It was pretty cool to be honest. Just walk from cottage to cottage. It's like one big yard with cottages strewn about. Being only accessible by boat is find it hard to believe people live there full-time because of the need to leave for food and home fuel on some sort. Like I said summer cottages mostly.

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hineybush t1_j22pbpa wrote

my mom's cousins have a place there, I see occasional instagram stories of them going across the river on a little boat with groceries for the weekend lol

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motociclista t1_j24c2bl wrote

It’s a weird little spot. People obtain land there.. somehow and build little cabins. It’s private and they don’t like strangers. It’s hard to really even talk to anyone about it because no one that has land there wants any new people to come, so they all stay pretty tight lipped about it. The only access is by boat and the entire island is no trespassing. I’m a boater and expressed interest in buying a plot there if one came available, but it seems like anything that ever gets vacated gets sold or left to friends and family of someone else on the island. Some of them are also kind of jerks about the public boat launch right there. They’ll clog it up for hours while they ferry people and things back and fourth.

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Sufficient-Lab-5769 t1_j22xpfc wrote

So like do the cottages have toilets, showers, sinks, etc.?

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sctlight t1_j23g3y6 wrote

Yep septic tanks for all the homes. There’s actually an HOA.

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ScaryHovercraft3398 t1_j22z974 wrote

Look, I will tell you more about this place when I can. All I can give you right now is that the island is 12 miles. Okay, I’ve said too much.

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Plastic-Relation6046 t1_j24yfdx wrote

Dated a guy whose family had a place here since the 40s. Certainly a yinzer paradise....it was quite nice actually. Funfact.....the island had a speakeasy aka a shack where they sold cans of beer/drinks. The plcb shut it dahn tho.

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faux-gogh t1_j23ogsc wrote

public record: https://www2.alleghenycounty.us/RealEstate/GeneralInfo.aspx?ParcelID=0362A00400000000&SearchType=2&CurrRow=0&SearchName=&SearchStreet=twelve&SearchNum=&SearchMuni=915&SearchParcel=&pin=0362A00400000000

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sweaty_bobandy t1_j24zz3r wrote

One of my good friends step dad has a place there. Go there pretty regularly there in the summer, it’s def it’s own little tight knit community that’s a hell of a good time on holiday weekends. Weirdly enough, no dogs allowed. Mainly because everyone walks around bare foot

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PittsburghChris t1_j24acca wrote

A small community without roads and cars. Neat.

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blondecomet t1_j25cxw0 wrote

It’s like The Hamptons of the Allegheny. 🤣

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chrisfyb t1_j227d8g wrote

Well we didn't wanna be your friends anyway!

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Whiplash_666 t1_j22cb2r wrote

I always wondered about that too. Interesting

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Capable_Dentist9501 t1_j25asv1 wrote

My family has a cabin on the island. It’s a pretty neat place to spend summers. Like someone else said there’s a pontoon boat that shuttles people back and fourth from the main land but most people have boats that we dock on the harmerville side.

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RagnarHedin t1_j25soqo wrote

I once read that a judge owned and lived on 12 Mile Island 220 years ago. One day, locals showed up to his house demanding that he try a woman for witchcraft. He told the crowd he needed to consult his law books and allowed the accused to escape while he pretended to do research. And that's all I know about the island.

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Elonmusketeera t1_j23tc9s wrote

Also a rule is no stiller jerseys allowed to be worn on this island. Amazing.

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Practical_Baseball69 t1_j26gj7q wrote

I have a friend who has a house there. Only accessible by boat like others have said. No roads just a bunch of grass. Not too too much goes on there just chill and boating

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its-saute t1_j21zlij wrote

No roads either? This is a good question.

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motociclista t1_j24ce4d wrote

No. I think I’ve seen golf carts but everything there is walking distance.

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