The (Not so) Rural Pennsylvanian

Posts

  • More Somerset Covered Bridges

    Somerset County is one of the places in Pennsylvania that has done an excellent job of preserving its covered bridges. They make nice side trips if you are visiting for skiing or other outdoor activity, Driving south in the county, one comes to Barronvale Covered Bridge. This bridge, also known as Barron’s Mill Bridge, is a covered bridge in Middlecreek Township crossing Laurel Hill Creek. At 162 feet 3 inches (49.45 m) it is the longest remaining covered bridge in Somerset County. It is 13 feet 10 inches (4.22 m) wide. The Burr truss bridge was built in 1902 by Cassimer Cramer.

    The King’s Covered Bridge is in Middlecreek Township. It was built in 1802, and is a 127-foot-4-inch-long (38.81 m) Burr truss bridge, with an asbestos covered gable roof. The bridge also crosses Laurel Hill Creek and is easy to visit if you are also going to the Barronvale Bridge. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. There is a nice picnic area adjacent to the bridge.

    The Lower Humbert Covered Bridge, or the Faidley Covered Bridge, is an 126-foot-6-inch (38.56 m) Burr Arch truss covered bridge that crosses Laurel Hill Creek, in Lower Turkeyfoot Township. It was built in 1891 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 10, 1980. It has a more wooded setting in the base of a gorge.

  • About in the County

    This post is a sampling of some of the sites of Somerset County. The first stop is the Somerset Historical Center and Walters Mill Covered Bridge. The Center is a 150-acre rural history museum with exhibits, workshops, and educational programs dedicated to preserving the history of life in southwestern Pennsylvania from the region’s first farmers to the present day. It also serves as headquarters of the Historical & Genealogical Society of Somerset County. The Visitors Center houses permanent and changing exhibits as well as the Genealogical Research Library. I found it to be a good general source of information about the area, which was a life saver when my phone decided not to cooperate with me.

    The Walter’s Mill Covered bridge has been relocated to the property.

    The covered bridge was built in 1859 and originally crossed Coxes Creek, four miles south of the town of Somerset. Major repairs were made to the bridge in 1909, at which time laminated wood arches were added to the bridge’s original multiple kingpost truss system to accommodate heavier vehicles. Overtaken by developments and threatened with destruction, the bridge was moved to the Somerset Historical Center in the early 1960s. Extensively restored in 1986, the bridge remains open to pedestrian traffic.

    Nearby is the Quecreek Mine Rescue site. On July 24, 2002 coal miners at the Quecreek Mine in Lincoln Township, owned by Black Wolf Coal Company, accidentally dug into the abandoned, poorly documented Saxman Coal / Harrison #2 Mine, flooding the room and pillar mine with an estimated 75 million US gallons (280,000 cubic meters) of water. Both the Saxman Mine and Quecreek Mine are in the Upper Kittanning coal seam. Fortunately, all nine trapped miners were rescued using a metal capsule structure lowered into the mine through a drilled hole. The incident garnered national attention, especially in the wake of the September 11 disaster and the crash of Flight 93 nearby in Shanksville.

    The nearby Dormel Farm.

    Driving further north, one can visit the Trostletown Covered Bridge, a historic covered bridge in Quemahoning Township. It was built in 1845, and is a 104-foot-long (32 m) Kingpost truss bridge, with half-height plank siding and an asbestos shingled gable roof. The bridge crosses Stony Creek. It is one of 10 covered bridges in Somerset County. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

    The bridge is adjacent to an American Legion Post with an impressive display of hardware.

  • Somerset City

    The town of Somerset, with a population of around 6,000, is the county seat of Somerset County. It is close to the Pennsylvania Turnpike and is a good jumping off point for the many varied activities that the Laurel Highlands area has to offer. The county is a beautiful mix of mountainous and agricultural areas and small town charm.

    This is one of the more distinctive county courthouses in Pennsylvania, and it dominates the town skyline.
    The town contains some interesting late 19th and early 20th century architecture.
    I would take this building as an office.
    The Somerset Milling Co. is still a provider of feed and grain products.

  • Bedford County Views

    The Bedford County area has some interesting rural scenes, such as this barn with an unusual star made from repurposed farm equipment.

    Two corn cribs for the price of one.
    Even more hay. I was surprised I saw so much this early in the season.
    This was a shock. There are bison behind that fence.

  • From Bedord to Somerset

    Travelling from Bedford to Somerset, one encounters a string of covered bridges. First up is the Herline Covered Bridge, which is a wooden covered bridge which is located in Bedford County. It crosses the Juniata River, and is one of fifteen historic covered bridges which are located in Bedford County. Built in 1902, this historic structure is a 136-foot-long (41 m), Burr Truss bridge with a medium pitched gable roof. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

    Turners Covered Bridge is found off Route 31 in Bedford County. It is an 89 foot Burr Truss bridge, with low side panels and open sides. Construction date is believed to be approximately 1892. It spans the Raystown branch of the Juniata River. This half height style seems to have been popular in the area, as you will see in this post. The bridge is County owned and rests on stone abutments, reinforced with concrete.

    I heard several killdeer calling from this field. They sounded like shorebirds, which makes sense since they are related to plovers.

    The Colvin Covered Bridge has recently been refurbished. It is a multiple king-post bridge rather than the familiar Burr arch truss, resting on concrete abutments. Built in 1894, it crosses Shawnee Creek. The bridge is county owned and is 66 feet long. It was built in 1880.

    Our trip now takes us into Somerset County. The New Baltimore Bridge is a covered bridge which crosses the Raystown Branch of the Juniata Rive. The Queen Post truss bridge was built in 1879 and is 86 feet 6 inches (26.37 m) in length and 12 feet (3.7 m) wide. It is one of 10 covered bridges in Somerset County.

    I found these markers at covered bridges in Somerset County.

    The Glessner Covered Bridge is a covered bridge in Somerset County near Shanksville. It was built in 1881, and is a 90-foot-long (27 m), multiple Kingpost truss bridge, with half-height plank siding and a tin covered gable roof. The bridge crosses Stonycreek River and is an interesting side trip if you are visiting the Flight 93 National Memorial. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980

  • In and Around Bedford

    The town of Bedford contains some interesting sights for the traveler. The Bedford Village Archeological Site is an archaeological site was once occupied by a Monongahela culture village. Today, the site is the location of Old Bedford Village, an open-air museum, containing a variety of historic structures transported to the site from the surrounding towns of Bedford, Everett, and Rainsburg.

    Some of the structures at Old Bedford Village.
    It was a nice surprise to see this lovely horse and pony.

    Adjacent to Old Bedford Village is the Claycomb Covered Bridge. It was was built in 1880 in Reynoldsdale and was moved to its present location in 1975. It is a burr truss design, 126 feet long, which has been reinforced with steel to support bus traffic that frequents Old Bedford Village. The structure is unpainted and the roof is constructed of Cedar shakes. The deck consists of crossboard planks and the sides are totally enclosed. It sits on poured concrete abutments.

    Near the entrance to Old Bedford Village, I couldn’t resist a stop at the Penguin, which has a large menu of hard and soft ice cream and other treats.

    Finally, one of Bedford’s iconic sites is the Coffee Pot.

  • It’s a Breeze

    Get ready – the upcoming posts contains a lot of covered bridges. We will also continue the two-per-week schedule of new posts.

    I used the extended July Fourth holiday to take another trip to the Laurel Highlands. The trip started with an exit of the Pennsylvania Turnpike at Breezewood to see some covered bridges. The first stop of the trip was Jacksons Mill Covered Bridge, a wooden covered bridge located in Bedford County. It crosses Brush Creek and is a 91-foot-long (28 m), Burr Truss bridge, constructed in 1889. It is one of 15 historic covered bridges in Bedford County. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

    There is also a very nice old mill building at this site.

    Nearby is Feltons Mill Covered Bridge, which is another wooden covered bridge located in Bedford County. It is a 105-foot-long (32 m), Burr Truss bridge with a medium pitched gable roof, constructed in 1892. It also crosses Brush Creek. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

    I was not able to get a good photo of this bridge, as the entrance appears to be on private property. The access road had a rope across it and appears to terminate a short distance from the main road. The bridge might be viewable from the nearby main road bridge when the trees are not leafed out, However, this random haybale was sitting nearby, and you know I can’t resist a good haybale.

    My drive around the Breezewood area also produced some other interesting sights, such as this interesting looking Church, with a very minimalist style.

    More haybales of course.
    This old silo looked like a castle tower, if you squint.

  • A Ramble Through the Township

    A nice summer day called for a trip through some of the more rural areas of my hometown, as well as its center.

    The Diamond Rock Schoolhouse has been featured on this blog before. It is an historic octagonal one-room school which is located at the foot of Diamond Rock Hill in Tredyffrin Township, near Valley Forge National Historic Park. The Diamond Rock Schoolhouse was used as a school between 1818 and 1864. As the population of the area grew during the mid-1800s, the school eventually became too small, and it closed in 1864 when students were reallocated to other nearby schools. After 1864, the old schoolhouse fell into disrepair but was eventually restored in 1909 by the Diamond Rock School Old Pupils Association, a group of former students who saw great value in preserving their former school for future generations.

    Some farm properties along Yellow Springs Road.
    Into Berwyn, a local church and the train station.

  • Up, Up and Away

    Valley Forge National Historical Park is home to a model airplane field, a well-groomed grass runway (475 x 125) with a flight line that provides a beautiful view of the park. The field is used by the Valley Forge Signal Seekers (VFSS) Radio Controlled Model Airplane Club. VFSS is one of the largest and oldest clubs of its kind in the United States. Founded in 1959, with over 120 members. The club flies electric, gas, and glow-fuel powered planes and rotorcraft, as well as gliders and turbine powered jets.

    I stopped by a recent event to get some practice shooting fast moving, flying objects, something I don’t get a chance to do very often. We’ll start with a close look at some of the planes on the ground. I am always surprised by how some of these large planes look so much smaller when in flight.

    Now up in the air.

    Love the purple on this one.
    Keeping up with the pros.
    There was some fancy helicopter flying here.

  • A Nockamixon Summer

    The Sheards Mill Covered Bridge is very close to Lake Nockamixon and its State Park. The trip to see the bridge allowed to make another visit to the park and the surrounding area.

    A very patriotic tractor.
    This door …
    … belongs to this barn.
    The Weisel Farm House and Barn at the High Bridge trailhead of Nockamixon State Park.

Latest Posts

Search

West Chester, PA
52°

Partly Cloudy
7:19 am6:14 pm EDT

Feels like: 52°F
Wind: 1mph NNE
Humidity: 100%
Pressure: 29.74"Hg
UV index: 0

West Chester, PA weather forecast ▸
error: Content is protected !!