My Christmas post featured a look at an inn in the Maryland town of Havre de Grace back in November. Here are some the sites from this historic and picturesque town at the mouth of the Susquehanna.
The lighthouse at Concord Point Park is a signature feature of the town.
Bellefonte is the county seat of Centre County. It is approximately 12 miles northeast of State College, and the borough population was 6,187 at the 2010 census. It houses the Centre County Courthouse, located downtown on the diamond. Bellefonte has also been home to five of Pennsylvania’s governors, as well as two other governors. All seven are commemorated in a monument located at Talleyrand Park.
The town features many examples of Victorian architecture. It is also home to the natural spring, “la belle fonte,” bestowed by Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord during a land-speculation visit to central Pennsylvania in 1790, from which the town derives its name. The Bellefonte Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. Buildings on the National Register of Historic Places are: the Bellefonte Armory, Bellefonte Forge House, Brockerhoff Hotel, Centre County Courthouse, Gamble Mill, McAllister-Beaver House, Miles-Humes House, Pennsylvania Match Company, South Ward School, and the William Thomas House.
Boalsburg is an unincorporated community also in Centre County. It is also near State College, and rhe population was 3,722 at the 2010 census. The Pennsylvania Military Museum is located in the town, and it has a lot of intact Victorian architecture.
The name “Boalsburg” comes from the Boal family who settled the region after emigrating from County Londonderry, Ireland. The Boalsburg Historic District and Hill House were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. The Boal Mansion was added the following year. The village claims to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. However, that claim was brought into question by Bellware and Gardiner in their book, The Genesis of the Memorial Day Holiday in America, in 2014. In their book, Bellware and Gardiner point out that the Boalsburg story was first published in 1904, forty years after the fact with no indication that General Logan drew inspiration from any activities in Boalsburg and no evidence that it started the holiday.
The towns of Howard and Blanchard sit on or near the shores of Bald Eagle Lake in Centre County. I was able to capture some shots of the towns after a recent snowfall. First up on my trip was Howard.
I made my way north towards the dam and the Blanchard area.
I decided to celebrate a milestone birthday by taking a bucket list trip to stay at the Nature Inn at Bald Eagle State Park.
The 5,900-acre Bald Eagle State Park is in the broad Bald Eagle Valley in Centre County. The 1,730-acre lake laps the flanks of Bald Eagle Mountain, surrounded by forests, fields, and wetlands. With two campgrounds, boating, fishing, swimming, the Nature Inn, and diverse habitats that are excellent for wildlife watching, Bald Eagle State Park offers many diverse recreational opportunities.
I encountered some unusual early December snow on my trip. However, since I don’t get to photograph in these conditions very much, it made for some interesting pictures. The roads in the park were well-plowed, and I was able to reach even some of the more remote areas of the park.
A recent autumn drive towards Berks County led me into Birdsboro Preserve, a beautiful area just south of the town of the same name. It turned out to be a nice spot for fall color. The Birdsboro Preserve and Birdsboro Waters offer miles of hiking and biking trails and connect to the Schuylkill River Trail system.
I decided to swing through French Creek State Park on my way home.
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.
Tuscarora State Park sits in a valley north of Blue Mountain near coal mining regions of Pennsylvania. It is a lovely park, but one which has serious problems in terms of ADA access, especially to the lake and beach.
It was then on to Beltzville State Park to view a covered bridge I only recently realized was there.
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.
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.
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.
On my way to Sullivan County, I took the opportunity to visit a few covered bridges that I had not visited before or failed to photograph for the blog. Outside of Allentown, I took a look at the Bogert Covered Bridge. This area was busy on a sunny Monday holiday, so I took a few photos and got the neck out of there. Bogert Covered Bridge is a wooden covered bridge is a 145-foot-long (44 m), Burr Truss bridge, that was constructed in 1841. It has vertical plank siding and a gable roof. It was restored by the Allentown Parks Department
Moving on to Columbia County, the Sam Eckman Covered Bridge was the first of three that I know that I have seen before. The bridge is a wooden covered bridge located at Greenwood Township and Pine Township. It is a 65.1-foot-long (19.8 m), Warren Truss bridge constructed in 1876. It crosses Little Fishing Creek. It is one of the 28 historic covered bridges in Columbia and Montour Counties. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
Next was the Jud Christian Covered Bridge, a wooden covered bridge located at Jackson Township and Pine Township. It is a 63-foot-long (19 m), Queen post truss bridge constructed in 1876. It crosses the Little Fishing Creek. It was also listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. I remember some interesting cattle near this bridge when I visited before, but, sadly, they were no here on this day.
The diminutive Shoemaker Covered Bridge is another wooden covered bridge located at Pine Township. It was the lone new-to-me bridge in this bunch. is a 49-foot-long (15 m), Queen Post Truss bridge constructed in 1881. It crosses West Branch Run and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. It is all decked out for a picnic. It might be privately owned but is not posted.
Finally, the Wagner Covered Bridge is one of the relocated covered bridges in Pennsylvania. It currently sits near the entrance to a housing development. The Wagner Covered Bridge is a wooden covered bridge that was originally built in Locust Township. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The bridge was dismantled on March 23, 1981, and the pieces stored at Knoebels Amusement Resort until it was rebuilt at its current location in Hemlock Township. When built in 1856, this historic structure was a 56.5-foot-long (17.2 m), Queen Post Truss bridge with a tarred metal roof. It originally crossed the North Branch of Roaring Creek. When I first saw it years ago, it was covered in graffiti. It is looking much better today.
Worlds End State Park is situated in a narrow S-shaped valley of the Loyalsock Creek, just south of Forksville, Sullivan County. Surrounded by the Loyalsock State Forest, the 780-acre park offers visitors diverse recreational opportunities, such as hiking, fishing, camping, wildlife viewing and hunting, within a pristine natural environment. As evidenced by the Loyalsock Canyon Vista below, the rugged natural beauty of the Endless Mountains landscape provides many photo opportunities.
