The trip home was made by a different route. I headed north through Chester County toward Elverson from Hibernia County Park and then across Route 23.
Interesting pavilions at a park in Elverson.
This is a lovely area called Coventryville that I have photographed before. Coventryville was founded as an iron forge in 1717 by Englishman Samuel Nutt, an early American industrialist and member of Pennsylvania’s Assembly in 1723–26. Coventry was the first forge in Chester County and was located at the confluence of the north and south branches of French Creek, a short distance from rich iron deposits. Nutt went on to own two additional furnaces in partnership with Mordecai Lincoln and William Branson.
The village today consists of structures dating from the early 18th century until the mid 19th including workers housing, the Inn, the ironmaster’s house (Coventry Hall) and the mid 19th century Methodist church. The Coventryville Historic District remains an intact concentration of original eighteenth and nineteenth century structures. The community was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
Arriving at Hibernia County Park, I approached the main park area via Lyons Head Drive, a route I had never used before. There are some interesting older cottage style houses along this road, most of which are either off limits due to disrepair or privately occupied. At the top of the hill, I reached the Hibernia Mansion. The mansion is the former abode of local iron masters and a wealthy Philadelphia lawyer. It has expanded in the over the 200 years of its existence to meet the needs of its occupants.
On my way to visit Hibernia County Park in Chester County, I was finally able to photograph this barn and the adjacent house near Coatesville that I had long wanted to get a picture of.
I also finally made a trip to the Coatesville Reservoir, another place I had never visited before.
Here are some other interesting sights in the area of Wagontown, Chester County.
The Birmingham-Lafayette Cemetery in Chester County is a fascinating property. It lies near the Brandywine Battlefield historic site. It contains some interesting grave marker and memorials, including memorials to Generals Lafayette and Pulaski.
The Brandywine Valley is an iconic area of southeastern Pennsylvania thanks to the artwork of the Wyeth family and other artists. I hadn’t visited the area in a while, but broke down an bought a membership to the Brandywine Conservancy so I could visit the artist studios and the Kuerner farm property. I did not photograph anything at the Brandywine Museum of Art, but I did take some photos of the surrounding area in Chadds Ford.
The Kuerner Farm was adjacent to the Wyeth property. For more than 70 years, the the farm and its inhabitants were a major source of inspiration to Andrew Wyeth. The early 19th-century farmhouse and the red barn are the focus of the property. Karl Kuerner, a German immigrant and World War I veteran, in particular fascinated Andrew Wyeth. I am planning to go back on a tour to get a better look at the property.
The Chadds Ford Village and Barn Shops is a quaint shopping area.
The historic site known as Archie’s Corner is nearby. It features the Bullock Octagonal School, which was constructed in 1838 on land purchased from Robert Bullock. The eight-sided plan where the design placed the teacher at the center of the room, allowing oversight of the full class. The school was sold in 1875 and a new schoolhouse was built on neighboring property.
After the sale of the school, Linda A. Archie, a Black preacher, bought the property and set about building a church on the site in 1891. “Mother” Archie’s African Union Methodist Protestant congregation met in this church until some time after her passing in 1932. A cemetery stands near the ruins of the octagonal building, but only some of the markers for the gravesites that once existed are still visible at the site.
The name Archie’s Corner is derived from a 1953 drawing of the site by famed realist painter and artist Andrew Wyeth, a native of Chadds Ford who frequently visited the site.
It now feels more like Spring in Chester County, although the calendar still says it’s Winter. The weather, however, can’t seem to make up its mind. We start with a few scenes around Kimberton.
French CreekFurther east, I’m not sure what these critters are. They may be llamas or alpacas.I loved the golden hour glow on this house.At this house, it is apparently still Christmas.
Early Spring has sprung in my section of Pennsylvania. Here are some of the forsythia and daffodils on display in mid March in Chester County.
Daffodils are a popular edition to the mailbox.This reminds me of the Spring version of the lamppost in Narnia for some reason.This is what a mature forsythia should look like, not forced into some meatball-like form like a boxwood,
Heading south from Blue Knob, I visited several covered bridges in Bedford County. First up is the Osterburg Bowser Covered Bridge, a wooden covered bridge at East St. Clair Township. It is a 90-foot-long (27 m), Burr Truss bridge with a shallow gable roof. It crosses Bobs Creek, and it is one of 15 historic covered bridges in Bedford County. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. It is an example of the bridges in this area that do not have complete sides.
The Osterburg Bowser Covered Bridge
I next made my way to Snooks Covered Bridge, a historic wooden covered bridge also located in East St. Clair Township Township. Built in 1883, it is a 75-foot-long (23 m), Burr Truss bridge with a shallow gable roof. It crosses Dunning Creek. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in (you guessed) 1980.
Snooks Covered Bridge
The Ryot Covered Bridge is wooden covered bridge that is located in West St. Clair Township. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. This bridge is a low to medium Burr Truss bridge with a shallow gable roof. It was damaged by fire in 2002, and reconstructed. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
A request to remove the bridge from the National Register was submitted after it was badly damaged by a fire in 2002. The bridge was set on fire by teenage arsonists in 2002. Most of the wooden parts of the bridge were badly damaged. The Ryot Bridge was rehabilitated only seven years earlier, so most of the added steel supports remained intact, along with the stone abutments. The bridge was restored by P. Joseph Lehman, Inc., at a total cost of $300,000.
The Ryot Covered Bridge
The Cuppett’s Covered Bridge, which was built by Cuppett brothers William & Philip on September 14, 1882, is a historic covered bridge that is located in Napier Township. Privately owned by the Cuppett family from the day it was built, the bridge took just five months to build for a total cost of $780. John Wayde did the masonry work, and Jeremiah Thompson completed the carpentry. Crossing Dunnings Creek, the 70-foot-long (21 m) bridge is a unique design with unusually low arches and low side walls which highlight the patented Burr Arch Truss system. The Cuppett’s Covered Bridge was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1980 by the United States Department of the Interior. The bridge was quite a popular spot for family photos when I was there.
The Cuppetts Covered Bridge, decorated for the season.
The Knisley Covered Bridge is a historic wooden covered bridge located at West St. Clair Township. It is an 80-foot-long (24 m), medium Burr Truss bridge with a shallow gable roof. It crosses Dunning Creek. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
Here are some photos of my November trip through west central Pennsylvania. Although the trip was primarily taken to view some state parks, there are always other interesting sights along the way. Featured are subjects in Blair, Bedford, Cambria, Indiana and Huntingdon counties.
Blue Knob State Park offers year-round wilderness adventures on 6,128 acres of woodland. The park is best know for the ski area of the same name, which is on the tallest mountain used for skiing in the state. The park is in the northwestern tip of Bedford County, west of I-99. The elevation of the park can cause air temperatures to be several degrees cooler than the surrounding cities. The annual snowfall averages about 12 feet. One of the unique features of the park is the solitude it provides the visitor. There are many opportunities to enjoy the quiet and refreshing serenity of the mountains and streams. There is camping, hunting, and fishing here (along with the skiing). There is also a golf course at the base of the ski resort.
The park office.I wasn’t expecting to find a swimming pool here.An old barn that looks like it is now being used for storage.Blue Knob is actually a massif with subsidiary peaks.The ski lodge.More views of the ski area.
