• Bellefonte and Boalsburg

    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.

    Talleyrand Park

    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.

  • Twelfth Night

    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.

    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.
  • A Steamy Day in Scranton

    I ended my visit to northeastern Pennsylvania in Scranton. The Steamtown National Historic Site  is a railroad museum and heritage railroad located in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania, at the site of the former Scranton yards of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DL&W). Not all parts of the site were open to the public due to maintenance activities during my visit.

    The museum is built around a working turntable and a roundhouse that are largely replications of the original DL&W facilities; the roundhouse, for example, was reconstructed from remnants of a 1932 structure. The site also features several original outbuildings dated between 1899 and 1902. All the buildings on the site are listed with the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Yard-Dickson Manufacturing Co. Site.

    One of the steam locomotive around the parking area.
    …, and some more.
    Display locomotives around the turntable.

    A lot of looks at the turntable.

    Locomotives on display inside the Roundhouse.

    A look inside the museum at some of the exhibits.

    This is a working rail yard and train rides are available.
    A steam locomotive in action.
  • More Westward Ho

    Just west of Altoona, the Horseshoe Curve is a three-track railroad curve on Norfolk Southern Railway’s Pittsburgh Line in Blair County, Pennsylvania. The curve is roughly 2,375 feet (700 m) long and 1,300 feet (400 m) in diameter. Completed in 1854 by the Pennsylvania Railroad as a way to reduce the westbound grade to the summit of the Allegheny Mountains, it replaced the time-consuming Allegheny Portage Railroad, which was the only other route across the mountains for large vehicles. The curve was later owned and used by three Pennsylvania Railroad successors: Penn Central, Conrail, and Norfolk Southern.

    Horseshoe Curve has long been a tourist attraction. A trackside observation park was completed in 1879. The park was renovated and a visitor center built in the early 1990s. The Railroaders Memorial Museum in Altoona manages the center, which has exhibits pertaining to the curve. The Horseshoe Curve was added to the National Register of Historic Places and designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1966. It became a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 2004.

    When I visited the curve, I was lucky to have a train passing. The building at the top of the funicular can be seen in front of the train.
    The Visitor Center complex.

    Heading north from the Altoona area, Prince Gallitzin State Park sits in the forested hills of the Allegheny Plateau surrounding sprawling Glendale Lake. Vistas offer scenic views of the 1,635-acre lake with its 26 miles of shoreline, which is a favorite of anglers and boaters. Campers flock to the large campground and also enjoy hiking and other outdoor activities. The varied habitats of the park make it a home for many types of wildlife, and a rest stop in the spring and fall migrations. One of the more developed parks, it boasts a marina along with its other facilities. A state game lands is adjacent. Here I saw two clueless ring necked pheasants just standing there and enjoying the view of the traffic on Beaver Valley Road.

    Some of the camping cottages.

    The 2,981-acre Yellow Creek State Park is in Indiana County along one of the first “highways” in the state, the Kittanning Path. This trail was used by the Delaware and Shawnee nations and by early settlers. Today, visitors enjoy the sand beach, picnicking, and educational and recreational programs. The 720-acre Yellow Creek Lake is a destination for boaters and anglers. The lake and park are an important rest stop for migrating birds. The park is named for Yellow and Little Yellow creeks, which flow into the lake. Both creeks contain yellow clay in their banks and bottoms.

    A great group of horses chilling after a ride.
    One of the state park yurts.

  • A Historic Town

    Christiana is a borough in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. Present-day Christiana was once known as Nobleville. The present name is after Christiana Noble, the wife of a first settler. It is notable as the site of the Christiana railroad depot, constructed by the Pennsylvania Railroad.

    In 1851, the town was the site of the Battle of Christiana, also called the Christiana riot. On September 11, 1851, Christiana was the site of the Battle of Christiana (also called the Christiana Riot), in which the local residents defended with firearms a fugitive slave, killing the slaveowner. Southerners demanded the hanging of those responsible, who were accused of treason and making war on the United States, but after the first defendant was acquitted, the government dropped the case. The trial was the first nationally covered challenge to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Today, the town is the sight of the Christiana Underground Railway Center.

    Underground Railroad Center – hours are seasonal so check before heading out.

    Some other views from the town and the surrounding area:

  • Rambling Along

    There are lots of sights to behold on a drive through southern Chester County.

    Cattle quietly grazing on the tall grass.
    Sadly, a sight sometimes seen in Pennsylvania.
    A barn with a great weathered look.
    This scene could be almost anywhere in the state.
    Trains to nowhere. A bet a lot of people will recognize where this is.
  • A Little Bit of Christmas This and That

    Here is a look at some of the Christmas season scenes around my neck of the woods.

    This enormous wreath was at Jenkins Arboretum.
    Where these leaves were still looking especially colorful.
    The door display over a local business.
    The local bakery is in the Christmas spirit.
    Devon Station was looking good in the afternoon golden hour.
  • In Black and White

    Here are some black and white views of subjects in previous posts.

     

    Graveyard in the fields near my grandparent’s home.

     

    Train bridge near the Rupert covered bridge in Columbia County.

  • The Bridges of Columbia County

    Pennsylvania has 219 covered bridges, the most of any state in the US. The bridges were covered to protect the wooden structural supports and allow them to last longer. The also provided shelter for pedestrians and vehicles in bad weather. Columbia County has one of the largest concentrations of covered bridges in Pennsylvania. I photographed some of them on a recent trip.

     

    The Rupert covered bridge. I like the juxtaposition of the train line and the old covered bridge.

     

    A marked bike trail crosses the bridge.

     

    I love the bridges with windows.

     

    The train bridge adjacent to the Rupert covered bridge.

     

    The Wanich covered bridge.

     

    The Creasyville covered bridge.

     

    The Patterson covered bridge with some detail.

     

     

     

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