I ended my visit to northeastern Pennsylvania in Scranton. The Steamtown National Historic Site is a railroad museum and heritage railroad located in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania, at the site of the former Scranton yards of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DL&W). Not all parts of the site were open to the public due to maintenance activities during my visit.
The museum is built around a working turntable and a roundhouse that are largely replications of the original DL&W facilities; the roundhouse, for example, was reconstructed from remnants of a 1932 structure. The site also features several original outbuildings dated between 1899 and 1902. All the buildings on the site are listed with the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Yard-Dickson Manufacturing Co. Site.
One of the steam locomotive around the parking area.…, and some more.Display locomotives around the turntable.
A lot of looks at the turntable.
Locomotives on display inside the Roundhouse.
A look inside the museum at some of the exhibits.
This is a working rail yard and train rides are available.A steam locomotive in action.
Tunkhannock is the county seat of Wyoming County, 31 miles (50 km) northwest of Wilkes-Barre. In the past, lumbering was carried on extensively in the area and served as the economic base. Today, many residents are employed by the Procter & Gamble plant in nearby Washington Township. As of the 2020 census, the borough population was 1,766.
The name Tunkhannock is derived from the Minsi-Len’api term Ptuk’hanna’unk, which means “Bend-in-river-place”, which is to the town’s west, upstream at the radical bend called “The Neck” on the Susquehanna River. The historic district was added the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.
The town has some lovely Victorian style houses.The rhododendron were in full bloom.The Wyoming County Courthouse.I love these small town movie theaters.Some store fronts along Route 6.
Nearby Miller Mountain was recently reacquired by the state after being in the hands of a ski area developer for quite a few years. It is one of the more recognizable peaks in the Endless Mountains region. It is a “stand alone” peak, which is separated from the remainder of the Allegheny Plateau. In 2023, Miller Mountain was purchased by the state, and added to the Pinchot State Forest.
The Susquehanna River flows past the mountain where the slopes rise to over 1,600 feet (490 m) above the riverbanks and the town of Tunkhannock. It is believed to be the last undeveloped mountain of its size in the Commonwealth that had been privately owned.
Vosburg Neck State Park has some lovely natural areas, in addition to the park facilities. Below are some more scenes from my visit. The birding was also very good here, and I had over 50 species during my trip here.
This flock of Turkeys was an unexpected surprise. Spring wild flowers.Finally, some farms along Vosburg Road.
Vosburg Neck State Park lies five miles west of Tunkhannock in Wyoming County. The park’s 669 acres feature historic buildings from the 1700 and 1800s, a canal bed and rail bed,, and a 1700s-era cemetery. Recreational activities include eight miles of trails, non-motorized boating access, and picnic areas.
The park is one of Pennsylvania’s three new state parks, and the most developed to date. The park was formerly the Howland Preserve. It is located in an oxbow on the north branch of the Susquehanna River known as the Vosburg Neck and features a diverse range of habitat.
The park office.The Riverside Barn seemed to have been in use for a private function before I arrived.Private residences dot the area. I also lust after one of these trailersThe boat launch.A lovely private home.The cemetery.
Harveys Lake, one of Pennsylvania’s few natural lakes, is found in Luzerne County. It has a surface area of approximately 621.5 acres, or nearly a square mile, and it is situated entirely within the borough of Harveys Lake. By volume, it is the largest natural lake in Pennsylvania, and by surface area, is the second-largest lake. It is a glacial lake surrounded by hills and is the source of Harveys Creek, a tributary of the Susquehanna River. Despite being a natural lake, it has a stone masonry dam. The lake’s watershed has an area of approximately 3600 acres. Nearly all of the developed land in the area is close to the lake itself, and the lake is surrounded entirely by a paved road. As you can see from the below photographs, the area around the lake is heavily developed with homes and other buildings built right up to the lakeshore around nearly the entire perimeter.
It is sad that few of Pennsylvania’s natural glacier lakes have been preserved in their natural, undammed state, with limited development. Few Pennsylvania residents will ever get an opportunity to experience a natural lake or learn about and appreciate their ecological importance. What has happened to Harveys Lake is, unfortunately, fairly typical of these lakes.
The day I visited, there was intermittent rain and heavily overcast skies, which do not make for the prettiest pictures.
Last week we visited the N.C. Wyeth House and Studio. The nearby Andrew Wyeth Studio can also be visited via a tour from Brandywine Museum of Art. The site is described on brandywine.org as:
Andrew Wyeth, one of America’s best-known twentieth-century artists, painted many of his most important works of art in his Chadds Ford studio. Given to the Brandywine Museum of Art by the artist’s wife, Betsy James Wyeth, the studio provides visitors with a unique opportunity to experience this very personal space…. This studio, a repurposed schoolhouse originally built in 1875, served as the artist’s principal Pennsylvania workplace from 1940 to 2008. Thousands of paintings and drawings were created there, inspired by the people, architecture and landscapes of Chadds Ford. The studio still houses the furnishings, library and collections acquired by the artist, as well as examples of the art materials he used throughout his career.
The exterior of the house.This sign says it all.The kitchenA library with films and …some interesting dioramas.The German military uniform worn by Karl Kuerner is several of Wyeth’s works.Jamie Wyeth used this room as a studio.A look inside Wyeth’s studio.The painting is reflected by the mirror.Because I really liked the shape of this tree branch.
The site is only available on limited dates and times, so please check with the Brandywine Museum of Art for more details.
The N.C. Wyeth House and Studio makes a lovely trip in the early Spring. One can visit the house and studio via a guided tour which leaves from the Brandywine River Museum and is definitely a must see for Wyeth fans. N.C. Wyeth is primarily known as an illustrator but worked on other subject matter as well. The property is only available for tours with limited dates and times, so please check the website at brandwyine.org for more information.
The site is described on the website as follows: In 1911, with the proceeds from his illustrations for Treasure Island, the artist N.C. Wyeth purchased 18 acres of land near the village of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. Possessed, he described it as “the most glorious site in the township.”
The house and studio, located five minutes from the museum, retain much of their original character. The main studio, with its spectacular Palladian-style north window, still contains many of the props that were essential to the work of an illustrator, including a birch-bark canoe and a collection of firearms. A full-size mural painting, displayed in a soaring 1923 addition, helps tell the story of Wyeth’s career. The house, with its country furnishings, reveals a more intimate picture of family life.
The N.C. Wyeth House and Studio is a National Historic Landmark and a member of the Historic Artists’ Homes and Studios program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
A view of the house and barn.The barnA look inside at some of the downstairs rooms is included in the tour.A view of the side of the barn with some artists at work.The palatial windows of the Studio open Wyeth’s workspace up to natural light.“Island Funeral” – this is now one of my favorite works by Wyeth. The original was in the Museum.I particularly liked this book shelf with the ships’ models and the animal which I think is a river otter.A work depicting William Penn and the founding of the Commonwealth.The artists tools as he left them the day he died.
I recently started watching the “Franklin” TV series on Apple TV+ which mentions the injury to the Marquis de Lafayette during the Battle of Brandywine. Coincidentally, I had visited part of the battlefield site a few weeks before.
The Brandywine Battlefield Historic Site is a National Historical Landmark which is owned and operated by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, on 52 acres (210,000 m2), near Chadds Ford, Delaware County. This area is a partial site of the Battle of Brandywine, which was fought on September 11, 1777. The battle was a decisive victory for the British and cleared a path directly to the capital in Philadelphia.
Brandywine Battlefield Park became a Pennsylvania State Park in 1949 and a National Historic Landmark in 1961. Although the battle area covered more than ten square miles, or 35,000 acres, the modern park only covers the fifty acres that served primarily as the Continental encampment during the two days prior to the battle. To the north, another part of the battlefield is maintained by Birmingham Township, Chester County as “Battlefield of the Brandywine Park,” or “Sandy Hollow Heritage Park.” Much of the afternoon’s fighting took place between Birmingham Friends Meetinghouse and the William Brinton 1704 House near Dilworthtown. A subsequent engagement occurred during the Battle of Paoli. The Paoli Battlefield Historical Park and Paoli Memorial Grounds are located in Malvern.
The site is operated under an agreement between the PHMC and Chadds Ford Township with the Brandywine Battlefield Associates, or “Friends of Brandywine Battlefield” who now operate the site with staff and volunteers. If you wish to visit this site, please check hours before going. I have frequently passed by the gates here, and they have been closed. This was a brief visit, as I was stopping by after a visit to the Brandywine River Museum, and I plan to return in the future.
Some views of the Gideon Gilpin Homestead. The home here is believed to have been used by Lafayette.The Benjamin Ring House, said to haven been used a headquarters by George Washington.Brandywine Baptist Church sites at the edge of the site.One of many United States flags on the site.
Lancaster County on a lovely Spring day provides beautiful views of flowers and flowering trees. The tree buds in the local woodlands also create more color than one might expect.
The local farms are also getting into the swing of things for the upcoming growing season.