Chester County – The Rural Pennsylvanian

Even More Bridges of Chester County

October 25, 2020October 6, 2020 rshaner

My goal of viewing all the bridges in Chester County is (almost) complete. I was unable to view the the Hayes Clark and Speakman II (Mary Ann Pyle) covered bridges because they sit inside the Laurel Preserve, which is owned by the Brandywine Conservancy. You must be a conservancy member to access the property. As you will see below, it was also a rainy day when I went out to see the remaining bridges, and I was on a tight schedule. I will have to come back to see these at some later date.

The first bridge of the day was the Speakman I bridge south of Coatesville. If you are interested in learning more about these bridges, or would like to find your own local covered bridges, I suggest this site.

The next stop (after the aborted Laurel Preserve visit) was a cluster of bridges near the Maryland border. I often find that covered bridges come in clusters, which is very convenient when trying to visit them. These three all sit across Elk Creek.

The next bridge is the impressive Pine Grove Covered Bridge over Octoraro Creek. It is 198 feet long and the longest covered bridge in Chester or Lancaster counties.

Open to traffic, it is a well-maintained bridge.

I had to sneak in this shot in Oxford:

The view outside the Miss Oxford Diner. I liked the trains and cars in front of this old silo.

The final stop was in Lancaster County, because, well, it was nearby and ticks off another bridge.

The Covered Bridges of French Creek

October 18, 2020October 7, 2020 rshaner

Chester County still has a fair number of covered bridges, with 15 still in existence. Many of them are open to traffic. It also continues to share some bridges with surrounding counties (Bartram, Pine Grove, and Mercers Mill, for example). A cluster of bridges span French Creek in the northeastern section of the county, west of Phoenixville.

Heading east, we encounter the bridges, beginning with Rapps Dam Covered Bridge.

Interesting that these bridges have white ends and red sides.

We come upon Kennedy Covered Bridge next.

The western most is Sheeder Hall Covered Bridge.

You have a good view of the side of this one and the creek.

The covered bridge saga continues next week.

The Bridges of Chester County, Part I

October 4, 2020October 2, 2020 rshaner

This post is just the beginning of the promised photos of covered bridges. I set out on a mission to view and, in most cases, photograph my local covered bridges. For those of you interested in finding these bridges for yourself, I recommend this site. A view of the Knox (Valley Forge) covered bridge can be found in my earlier post.

Covered bridges were sometimes called “kissing bridges” because they provided some privacy for travellers to sneak a kiss. While at the Mercer’s Mill Covered Bridge, I met a guy who used to bring his girlfriend there from Delaware in the 1980s. So it seems the tradition of young lovers being drawn to covered bridges extended well into the twentieth century.

The Bartram covered bridge straddles the border with Delaware County on Crum Creek. It would make one end, at least, Delaware County’s only covered bridge.

The Gibson covered bridge sits along side a busy road. Traffic through the bridge is only one way. The eastern side has a parking area for access to local hiking in the Brandywine Meadows Preserve.

The Larkin Covered Bridge – sadly out of use, but it has a walking path nearby.

More Chester and Lancaster County Farms

September 27, 2020September 18, 2020 rshaner

Driving around locally usually produces more images of farms, even if I am mainly looking for covered bridges. The farms in Chester and Lancaster County are really visually interesting and varied, so I can’t help myself.

I love the distressed paint and stone fence here.

This is nice looking complex of buildings.

Plenty more covered bridge photos are upcoming, too.

A Little Bit of This and That

May 31, 2020July 16, 2020 rshaner

Sometimes you just encounter some fun or interesting stuff while out with your camera.

You can’t make this stuff up. I wonder what the origin of the name is. Does the groundhog sleep in on February 2?

I loved the shrub in front of this home.

The Animals Are Just Chilling

May 24, 2020July 16, 2020 rshaner

While the world goes crazy around them, the animals of rural Pennsylvania seem to be doing just fine …

May Has Had a Split Personality

May 18, 2020July 16, 2020 rshaner

This month has certainly seen some wild changes in the weather. We recently went from sunny and low eighties to low thirties within a 24 hour period. It is a relief to get outdoors whenever one can. I took some time to go in search of a trumpeter swan on Octoraro Lake. I didn’t see the swan, but the farms around this area are some of my favorite to photograph.

On my travels, I’ve noticed a lot of fallow fields and newly plowed fields in mid-May. This seems late to me for planting. Is it the weather, or something else?

Here is a sampling of the photographs.

There seems to be one picture perfect farm after another.

A really nice, rustic bank barn. I’m seeing barns of this style all over the place now I know what they are.

I love the gray grasses in the foreground.

White really seems to be the color of choice for barns around here.

The Groundhog Sticks Her Head Out of the Her Hole

April 28, 2020April 28, 2020 rshaner

It shouldn’t come as a surprise, that due the corona virus lock down, I haven’t been out much doing photography. I did manage to drive around my local community getting some photos of the spring flowers and flowering trees. I also checked up on two of my local state parks, which were well attended by people glad to get out of the house while maintaining a safe distance from others.

This pony at Ridley Creek State Park finds things greener on the other side of the fence.

These horses aren’t bothered by Covid 19.

I love this barn at Hope Springs Farm at Marsh Creek State Park.

The horses were enjoying a day in the pasture.

Down at the West Launch a kayaker is getting ready to shove off.

Someone else has a faster way to get around.

Socially distant dispersed outdoor recreational fun was had by all.

A Little Lancaster County Christmas Closer to Home

December 29, 2019December 17, 2019 rshaner

Here is a look around the Lancaster County Farmers Market in Strafford. It’s not in Lancaster County, so I suspect the name has more to do with the origin of some of the vendors. This is a great place no matter.

A little holiday decor with your produce.

Now, this is my kind of holiday display.

A little coffee to go with those sweets.

A little assistance for a boy at the candy counter.

A Black and White Christmas

December 9, 2019December 9, 2019 rshaner

I am experimenting taking some black and white images from around my local area and in my church this holiday season. This is still a work in progress. Check back for more later this month.