The Twelve Days of Christmas refer to the period between Christmas and Epiphany. Since it is still ’tis the season, I thought I’d share some photos of Christmas at the Brandywine Museum of Art.
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Twelfth Night
They are known for ornaments made from natural materials. Some works from the Brandywine River School. A special display of miniatures, including this train set. One of the dollhouses. The star attraction – a beloved, and large, model train display. -
The Daniel Boone Homestead
Here is a look around the property of the Daniel Boone Homestead. I visited this property as a child, and it has changed a lot. I will be back in warmer weather for another view of the main buildings. In the meantime, autumn was on full display when I visited the extensive grounds.
In 1730, Squire Boone, Daniel Boone’s father, built a log cabin in the Oley Valley in what is now Berks County. Daniel Boone was born in the one and a half story log house. One wall was built of native stone. The basement of the house served as a spring house.
Squire Boone expanded his property in 1741 when he purchased 25 acres (100,000 m2) of land for use as a pasture for his dairy cattle. Squire Boone was a blacksmith and weaver. The responsibility for tending the cattle was given to Daniel. During the summer months he stayed in a rustic cabin at the edge of the pasture. From there he was able to protect the cattle from predators such as the black bear, bobcat, and mountain lions.
The Wayside Lodge is also part of this property.
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Morlatton Village
Morlatton Village, in Berks County, is an early Swedish settlement begun in the early 1700’s. Structures constructed slightly later in the 1760s are also part of the village. During colonial times, the area became a center of commerce for the region as a routing center for refined iron from Pennsylvania’s earliest furnaces and for grains from the Oley Valley heading downriver to Philadelphia. Morlatton’s importance grew as roads leading to Tulpehocken, Oley, Reading, and Philadelphia all intersected in this area.
Mouns Jones House (1716)
Built by early Swedish settler Mouns Jones and his family, the house is the oldest documented dwelling in Berks County and considered to be the oldest extant structure ever built in the county. It is a two-and-a-half story sandstone structure containing two chimneys. The corner chimney is derived from Swedish architectural traditions.
Bridge Keepers House (1730 or 1830)
The Bridge Keepers house is a one-and-a-half story sandstone structure with a single interior chimney. It is a one room building with a relatively large, open attic space. The Bridge Keepers House is adjacent to the Mouns Jones House on the banks of the Schuylkill River.
George Douglass Mansion (1763)
The George Douglass Mansion is two-and-a-half story mansion that was one of the first full-blown Georgian structures in the region. The building is a central passage, double pile, Georgian-type structure with five bays. The exterior consists of fine cut sand-stone, a plaster cove cornice, and evidence of a pent roof. The interior of the building is currently under restoration.
White Horse Inn (circa 1762)
The White Horse Inn is of Georgian Style, and its principle façade is constructed of dressed sandstone. Built around 1727 by Marcus Huling and later enlarged by George Douglass, the building served as a tavern during colonial times. The White Horse has undergone significant restoration since. Today, the building is fully restored, including the addition of an adjoining kitchen.
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Eastern Lycoming County and Muncy Valley
I made my way into Lycoming County back in September. Before we head there, here are some remaining shots of Sullivan County, featuring the town of Muncy Valley. This particular house, on a sharp turn on Route 42, is always decked out with lots of flowers, in season.
The view from the firehouse across the road. I travelled into Lycoming County on this trip because I specifically wanted to see Rose Valley Lake, which is known as a birding area. The lake is a reservoir that covers 389 acres (1.57 km2) in Gamble Township. The three-hundred-and-sixty-acre artificial lake is owned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and was given its name, “Rose Valley Lake,” in May 1973 by the Pennsylvania Fish Commission, following approval by the commonwealth’s Geographic Names Committee. Created by the Pennsylvania Fish Commission, via the construction of a twenty-five-foot-high, four-hundred-and-ten-foot-long earthen dam on Mill Creek in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, Rose Valley Lake is a three-hundred-and-sixty-acre artificial body of water. The most common game species of fish in the lake are largemouth bass, bluegill, black crappie, muskellunge, yellow perch, chain pickerel, pumpkinseed and walleye.
The area around the lake is quite scenic. 
A small church in Lycoming County. 
A valley farm. 
Another interesting old church. 
Mt. Zion Lutheran Church. A lot of ancestors and relatives are buried here. 
Eating lunch at the Lairdsville Cornerstone Restaurant. 
An interesting player piano. 
And an old stove. Finally, the Lairdsville Covered Bridge is a wooden covered bridge over Little Muncy Creek in Moreland Township, Lycoming County. It was built in 1888 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. It is also known as the Frazier Covered Bridge. The window with the exposed beams is a unique feature.
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Forksville and Hillsgrove
The town of Forksville is not far from World’s End State Park. It features the Forksville Covered Bridge, a Burr arch truss covered bridge over Loyalsock Creek. It was built in 1850 and is 152 feet 11 inches (46.61 m) in length. The bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The Forksville bridge is obviously named for the borough it is in, which in turn is named for its location at the confluence or “forks” of the Little Loyalsock and Loyalsock Creeks. The Forksville bridge is a Burr arch truss type, with a load-bearing arch sandwiching multiple vertical king posts, for strength and rigidity. The building of the Forksville bridge was supervised by the 18-year-old Sadler Rogers, who used his hand-carved model of the structure. It served as the site of a stream gauge from 1908 to 1913 and is still an official Pennsylvania state highway bridge. The bridge was restored in 1970 and 2004 and is still in use.
The post office and a look around the town. 
Eating lunch at the Forskville Inn and Tavern. 
Plenty of taxidermy to see here. Also in Sullivan County is the Hillsgrove Covered Bridge, a Burr arch truss covered bridge over Loyalsock Creek in Hillsgrove Township. It was built circa 1850 and is 186 feet (56.7 m) long. In 1973, it became the first covered bridge in the county to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The bridge is named for the township and nearby village of Hillsgrove, and is also known as Rinkers Covered Bridge for an adjoining farm. It was built by Sadler Rodgers, who also constructed the nearby Forksville Covered Bridge in the same year, with a similar design. The bridge is the longest of three covered bridges remaining in Sullivan County, and served as a landing site for lumber rafts on the creek between 1870 and 1890. Restoration work was carried out in 1963, 1968, 2010, and again in 2012 after serious flood damage.
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Around the Loyalsock Forest and Laporte
Travelling east over Route 154, turn north on Rock Run Road. You will soon come down to the Loyalsock Creek where you can cross via this interesting bridge.
I had to sneak the Sonestown covered bridge in here as it was on my route that day. The Sonestown Covered Bridge is a covered bridge over Muncy Creek in Davidson Township, Sullivan County built around 1850. It is 110 ft (34 m) long and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1980. It is also known as the Davidson Covered Bridge. It was built to provide access to a grist mill which operated until the early 20th century.
The Sonestown bridge is a Burr arch truss type with a load-bearing arch sandwiching multiple vertical king posts for strength and rigidity. The bridge construction is cruder than the other two surviving covered bridges in Sullivan County, with each Burr arch formed from six straight beams set at angles instead of a smooth curve. The bridge was repaired in 1969 and after flood damage in 1996, 2005, 2013, and 2020. It was also restored in 2001.
The Sullivan County courthouse in Laporte, the county seat. 
I like the cardinal decor on this house in Laporte. 
Into the Loyalsock State Forest, we come to Dry Run Falls. 
There is a picnic area along Dry Run Road. 
As well as a Ranger Station. 
Best sign in the Forest. I’ve heard Shanerburg was a logging camp. If anyone knows anything about it, please comment. -
Eagles Mere
Eagles Mere is a borough in Sullivan County with a population of 151 at the 2020 census (full time residents). Eagles Mere was laid out in 1877 and incorporated in 1899. The Eagles Mere Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. Eagles Mere’s name literally means “the eagle’s lake”, the word “mere” being a poetic synonym of “lake”. The town has an extensive history of tourism, having been developed as a resort town and was once served by a narrow gauge railway. My family has visited the area since I was a child.
Some of the summer sailboat fleet. 
The clubhouse at the lake with a swimming beach. 
St. John of the Wilderness Episcopal Church. 
The Eagles Mere Inn. 
One of the large Victorian style homes.
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Allentown Area Covered Bridges
I used my trip to the Poconos to stop and visit some historic covered bridges in the Allentown area.
My first stop was the Wehr Covered Bridge, a wooden covered bridge located in Lehigh County. It is a three span, 117-foot-long (36 m) Burr Truss bridge, constructed in 1841. It has horizontal siding and gable roof. It crosses Jordan Creek. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. There is and adjacent park, appropriately named Covered Bridge Park and a dam across Jordan Creek forming a small waterfall.
Another interesting bridge with a nice setting is Manasses Guth Covered Bridge. It is a wooden covered bridge near the Wehr Covered Bridge. It is a 108-foot-long (33 m) Burr Truss bridge, constructed in 1858, and rebuilt in 1882. It has vertical siding. It also crosses Jordan Creek and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. There is some interesting architecture near the bridge.
The Geiger Covered Bridge is a is a 112-foot-long (34 m) Burr Truss bridge, constructed in 1860. It has vertical plank siding and an entry portal of stepped square planks. It also crosses Jordan Creek within the Trexler Nature Preserve. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
Finally, the Schlicher Covered Bridge is a wooden covered bridge that is 108-foot-long (33 m) Burr Truss bridge, constructed in 1882. It has vertical plank siding and a gable roof. It crosses Jordan Creek near the Lehigh Valley Zoo. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980
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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. 