Life Down on the Farm, in Small Towns and in the Great Outdoors
The 407-acre Hills Creek State Park, located in scenic Tioga County, contains abundant wildlife such as osprey, loon, and waterfowl which visit the lake that contains a variety of warmwater fish species. Camping, cabins, swimming, and picnicking make this an ideal spot for a day trip or family vacation. Hiking, fishing and hunting are also available.
The area around the French Azilum historic site is lovely. It is just one more reason to visit the area. I think these pictures speak for themselves, so I will leave this as a picture blog.
Berks County is the home to a few covered bridges and some very picturesque spots. Greisemer Covered Bridge is one of few I have seen with a hex sign. The oak design is one of my favorite hex signs. Here are a few views of the bridge. You will note the common Burr arch truss design.
A lovely church property stands between the two bridges featured in this blog. This is Salem United Church of Christ in Oley and its churchyard. The view toward the hills beyond is really lovely.
The Pleasantville Covered Bridge is on more busy stretch of the appropriately named Covered Bridge Road and more difficult to photograph. As a white bridge, it provides a nice contrast with the red Greisemer Bridge. It is interesting that, although I see barn stars everywhere, I tend to see hex signs more often in Berks County.
A November trip to Valley Forge National Historical Park produced better shots than expected due to some late fall color. The hay, culled from the park’s extensive meadows, had just been baled. The park was showing a lot of beautiful gold tones in the trees at this time.
The Autumn color seemed to arrive late this year, even extending well into November in the southern tier of Pennsylvania. Valley Forge National Historical Park was still wearing its Autumn color when I visited. The Park had recently cut back some its extensive meadows. Valley Forge has one of the most extensive meadow habitats along the Northeast Corridor. In additional to occasional mowing, the Park also uses prescribed burns to rejuvenate the habitat from time to time. Let’s let Christmas wait a few more weeks.
I don’t make it to Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area in Lancaster and Lebanon counties all that often during the Summer. Here are a few shots from around the property.
Driving around locally usually produces more images of farms, even if I am mainly looking for covered bridges. The farms in Chester and Lancaster County are really visually interesting and varied, so I can’t help myself.
Plenty more covered bridge photos are upcoming, too.
The Pawling Farm is part of Valley Forge National Historical Park and sits on the Perkiomen Peninsula, which is created by a bend in the Schuylkill River near its confluence with the Perkiomen Creek. This area played a critical role in the winter encampment of George Washington’s troops in 1777-78. It was a strategically important avenue of approach from the north to the encampment on the south side of the river and also served as the site of a commissary function that saved the troops from starvation. The National Park Service brochure on the area can be found here.
Currently the property’s main buildings include an old barn, a small home (which currently appears to be in use), a privy building, and the remains of the old mansion. The mansion was lost to fire in 1967 and is now a ruin. There are hiking trails which connect to the rest of the Valley Forge system and a mix of habitats including meadow, forest, wetlands, and vernal ponds.
Here are some overview shots and other views of the farm.
Adrossan Farms and the Ardrossan Estate were once part of a 800 plus acre estate in Radnor Township, Delaware County. The estate was built by banker Robert Leaming Montgomery and features 50 room Georgian revival mansion designed by architect Horace Trombauer in 1911. Parts of Ardrossan have been subdivided over the years, and now the bulk of the estate is in the process of succumbing to this fate. The play and film The Philadelphia Story was inspired by the stories of the Montgomerys.
Part of the estate was, and still is for now, a working farm with cattle and hay and corn fields. The farm was also was set this section of Radnor Township apart from surrounding suburbia. It made travel along Darby Paoli Road a treat, rather than a chore.
Pennsylvania’s first ever Farm Bill was recently signed into law and provides $24 million in funds to support the agricultural industry. It is designed to increase opportunities in areas such as dairy, hemp and organics and remove barriers for young farmers’ entry into the profession. The bill also decreases some regulatory burdens on farmers.
The bill is comprehensive, so I thought it might be helpful to highlight some of the areas that might be of most interest or immediately helpful. Here are some of the most interesting parts of the bill:
There is a lot to take in with this bill, and we will see what the future brings in terms of implementation. In the meantime, more information can be found here:
Governor Wolf’s statement on the PA Farm Bill https://www.governor.pa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/021319-farm-bill.pdf
Information from the PA Department of Agriculturehttps://www.agriculture.pa.gov/Pages/PA-Farm-Bill.aspx