The colonial Fort Loudoun was built in 1756 during the French and Indian War as a supply depot. A replica of the fort, built in 1993, stands at the corner of US 30 and Brooklyn Road North, at the southeastern corner of the CDP. There are events anb workshops held at the site, although hours for tours can be variable. The exterior of the property and access to Conococheague Creek for fishing is available from sunup to sundown. Please check the fort’s website for more informaiton.
Cowans Gap State Park has 201 campsites in two loops. The camping area is open from mid-April until mid-December. The campsites can accommodate campers from a small tent to a large motor home, with seven walk-in tent sites are adjacent to Camping Area B. There is also a rutic cabin colony, built by the CCC. Here is a look at one of the cabins I stayed in.
The fireplace, mantel, some of the chairs, benches and bunks seem to be original, in addition to the outer structure of the cabin. Forgive the sight of my stuff strewn around, I forgot to take photos first.
This cabin had an interior wall separating the sleeping area into two rooms.
Cowans Gap State Park is a 1,085-acre (439 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Fulton County. The park is largely surrounded by Buchanan State Forest in Allens Valley just off Pennsylvania Route 75 near Fort Loudon. The park is lovely, and although I have visited before, I was happy to be back.
The Civilian Conservation Corps provided work for the unemployed from throughout the United States. A CCC camp, Richmond Furnace Camp PA-SP-54, was built at the site of Cowans Gap State Park. At first the young men lived in tents, but they soon built cabins (which are still in use at the park). The young men of the CCC also planted thousands of acres of new trees, built four bridges, 30 miles (48 km) of state roads, 32 miles (51 km) of fire trails, and 11 miles (18 km) of telephone lines. In addition, the CCC also cleared the forests and streams of brush, built pavilions, and constructed the dam that created Cowans Gap Lake. The park opened to the public in 1937.
More of the day use area.
Big Mountain Overlook sits near the border of Franklin and Fulton counties. It makes for a nice, quick side trip from Route 30. It has spectacular views in the Autumn but is lovely an time of year. The Tuscarora Trail passes nearby,
I first needed to make a quick pitstop for lunch and groceries in Spring Run after exting the turnpike at Willow Hill. This partial log cabin home was an interesting site nearby. I wonder if the log section is old.
The overlook was the first official stop on my trip. I had been on the access road before but managed to miss the overlook. This overlook it not to far from the parking area at the end of the cul de sac on Tower Road.
The Spring birding season led to another trip to Marsh Creek State Park in Chester County. The park was active with boaters getting ready for the season in relatively nice weather for May.
Kuster Mill, also known as Custer’s Fulling Mill and Skippack Creek Farm, is a historic fulling mill in Evansburg State Park on Skippack Creek in Montgomery County. The complex includes three contributing buildings and one contributing structure. They are the original mill, mill race, a stone house, and a Dutch bank barn. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.
Today, the area is popular with fishermen and walkers in Evansburg State Park. I visited on a day in April when trout season was underway. The weather was grim, but that was not much of a deterrent to those enjoying the park.
The great blue heron is one of my favorite birds, due in no small part to the fact there is a rookery near where I live. Here is a shot of one in action at the Octoraro Lake in Chester County. Note the bonus great blues in the background, as well as a faint great egret.
The great blue heron (Ardea herodias) is a large wading bird in the heron family (Ardeidae), common near shores of open water and wetlands over most of North and Central America, as well as Northwestern South America, the Caribbean, and the Galápagos Islands. It is occasionally found in the Azores and is a rare vagrant to Europe.
They are fairly easy to find in Pennsylvania if you know where to look. Coupled with their majestic, but positively prehistoric looks, the great blues are a favorite.
Springton Manor Farm is part of the Chester County park system. Within its historic landscape of fenced fields, stone walls and misty morning vistas is a preserved patchwork of colonial plantation, Industrial Revolution era scientific farm, Victorian tenant farm, and gentleman’s country estate. The Manor House and Carriage House overlook 300 acres of centuries-old sugar maples, open pastures and Penn Oaks, which surround the lower pond. The Manor House is not open to the general public.
Initially part of a William Penn Manor, Springton Manor has been in agricultural use since the early 1700’s. On this demonstration farm, one can meet the animals and learn about Chester County’s farming history. The barn complex consists of the Great Barn, sheep shed, goat shed, a roost and equipment shed. You may see horses, donkeys, rabbits, calves, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens and peacocks. The Family Farm Museum, located within the Great Barn, contains seasonal tools and apparatus used on Chester County farms from the 1700’s to the 1900’s.
This visit focuses on the exterior of the property and the manor house. I visited this property previously. You can view that post here. That post has views of the farm buildings. I intend to return earlier in the day to try to photograph some of the animals. which now seem to include llamas or alpacas.
The Duportail House in eastern Chester County is a frequent feature on this blog. Today we look at some of the Spring flowering trees on the grounds.
In 1740, a Welsh Quaker named John Havard, Jr. built a stone farmhouse on a large William Penn land grant in Chester County’s Great Valley. During the Continental Army’s encampment at Valley Forge in 1777-78, the Havard family played host to a guest from France, General Louis Lebègue Duportail. Recruited by Benjamin Franklin, Duportail served as the army’s Chief Engineer, designing fortifications at Valley Forge that could enable Washington’s troops to hold off a potential attack by the British army, which was encamped in nearby Philadelphia. The house is now used as an event venue, and the surrounding property is a park.
Waterloo Mills Preserve in Chester County is a property owned by the Brandywine Conservancy. On 170 acres, the site contains an 18th century village, mill race remnants, wildflower meadows, fertile marshes, mature woods and over a mile of the upper reaches of Darby Creek. Members of the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art can walk the trails through the property. Stepping stones and a puncheon log allow visitors to ford small streams and Darby Creek. The property offers a variety of wildlife ranging from whitetail deer to turtles to migratory birds, as well as many varieties of plants.
The village of Waterloo Mills, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, includes an old gristmill, a barn, a wheelwright and blacksmith’s shop, and two houses. Here are some views of the outdoor sections of the property.
A few of the old mill and farm buildings in the Historic District remain.
