The (Not so) Rural Pennsylvanian

  • The Mansion at King’s Gap

    James McCormick Cameron erected the stone mansion at the present King’s Gap Environmental Educaiton Center as a summer home around 1908. The mansion is approximately 200 feet long and is built of native Antietam quartzite quarried from a nearby ridge.

    The 32-room house was designed to resemble an Italian villa with its flat roof, huge windows and flagstone terrace. The use of steel-reinforced concrete for the internal structure of the building is believed to be one of the first such applications in local construction. The materials used in the construction were intended to make the mansion as fireproof as possible. Nevertheless, Mr. Cameron only lived at Kings Gap from May through October, when fire danger is at its lowest. Other structures include an ice house, garden, water tower, carriage house, generator building and the caretaker’s house.

    I stayed at the Mansion for two nights in June.

    Here is a look at the first floor public areas.

    Here is my room. It is an accessible room and one of the best I have ever stayed in.

  • King’s Gap Celebrates Juneteenth

    According to it swebsite, Kings Gap Environmental Education Center has “mountainous terrain, extensive forest, and panoramic views, which may be experienced while driving the winding road to the mansion area, or while hiking the trails. The sweeping view of the Cumberland Valley from the Cameron-Masland Mansion is impressive at any time of the year.” I concur with this assessment.

    Kings Gap consists of 2,531 acres of forest on South Mountain, with more than 25 miles of hiking trails, a permanent orienteering course, picnicking, hunting, and other recreational and educational opportunities.

    The mansion provides facilities for breakfast and overnight lodging on a seasonal basis, and may be reserved for meetings, weddings, receptions, and similar functions.

    Kings Gap is one of several state parks specifically dedicated to provide environmental education and recreational programs to the citizens of Pennsylvania. A variety of programs are available for children, teachers, and the general public to increase knowledge and awareness of the values and function of our natural resources.

    I previously visted the park, which I documented here.

    A view from the access road.
    a view of the water tower on the grounds.
    The park office and education center,.
    Hummingbird feeders on the deck.
    The King’s Gap General Store at the base of the access road.
    Some tiger lillies at the Irish Gap access .

  • A Quick Visit to Some State Parks

    It is one of my goals to try to visit every state park in Pennsylvania. I’ve made pretty good progress so far, but I think some the parks in the western part of the state will be a challenge due to distance. This May I was able to stop by Colonel Denning State Park and Fowlers Hollow State Park.

    Colonel Denning State Park in Newville, PA is named after a William Denning, a sergeant in the Continental Army, who made wrought iron cannon for the Army. He was never actually a Colonel. His namesake park hosts hiking, camping, boating, skating, cross country skiing and a swim beach and all the usual picnicking, fishing, hunting and wildlife watching.

    The lake at Colonel Denning State Park.
    A lovely pavilion next to the dam spillway.

    I also made it to Fowlers Hollow State Park, a small state park in Blain, PA in the valley of Fowler Hollow Run. One can hike, fish, picnic, hunt, horseback ride, mountain bike, cross country ski and snowmobile at the park. There is also a small campground. Its trail system connects with the trails in the Tuscarora State Forest.

    A nice, shady picnic area.
    A group of equestrians was on the move.
    A view of Fowler Hollow Run.
    And finally, a view from Hemlocks Road in the Tuscarora State Forest.

  • The Lovely Cumberland Valley

    Nestled between South Mountain and the Blue Mountain ridge line lies the Cumberland Valley, an area known for fertile farms, world famous fly fishing, and an annual classic car show. I explored the farm country in the northern part of the valley.

    The farms are nestled into the backdrop of South Mountain.
    Love the goats in the small pasture.
    Best cow shot of the day.

    The Valley is not all about farms, however …

    The Williams Grove Speedway.
    I don’t know what this house used to be, but it looked like a great renovation job.
    The ducks and geese at LeTort Spring Run Park in downtown Carlisle.
    A Mallard couple out for a walk.

  • An Appalachian Trail Town

    The town of Boiling Springs in Cumberland County is one of Pennsylvania’s Appalachian Trail towns. It is known for its beautiful scenery and world-famous fly fishing. Founded in 1845, but settled prior to 1737, Boiling Springs is a village that surrounds the Children’s Lake. The town hosts the regional office of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.  The Memorial Clock Tower, erected in 1956 and the Boiling Springs (Grist) Mill, on record as early as 1785, are two landmarks in the village.  Boiling Springs was also a site for the underground railroad before the civil war and a tourist destination in the early 1900’s. It is now a location for small shops, art galleries, cafes and restaurants, recreation and relaxation and is the home of the Allenberry Resort.

    Boiling Springs gets its name from natural artesian well springs located around the town. The well known trout streams in the area are the Yellow Breeches Creek, Mountain Creek, Big Spring Creek, and LeTort Spring Run. The waters are kept cool by the limestone springs which feed them.  Part of the Yellow Breeches Creek is maintained for catch and release, artificial lures only, fishing.

    Let’s take a look around town.

    A view of Children’s Lake and the Grist Mill.
    The Memorial Clock Tower.
    An old artillery piece near the Clock Tower.
    The park is a great place for some family time.
    One of the beautiful homes overlooking the lake.
    This Mallard duck family have some prime real estate.
    The Grist Mill, close up.
    Let’s go fishin’
    A view down Front Street.

  • A Salute to Memorial Day

    This Memorial Day weekend, I traveled to the Cumberland Valley and Michaux State Forest. The Carlisle area is home the U.S. Army War College and the Army Heritage and Educational Center. I was not able to visit the exhibits at the Heritage Center due to it being closed because of “the situation,” but was able to visit some of the outside exhibits. More about the Heritage Center can be found here.

    I liked this mural on the side of the building.
    An old artillery piece on display.
    A great statue memorializing out veterans.
    One of the tanks near the main entrance.

    The Heritage Center also hosts the Army Heritage Trail, which serves as an outdoor museum. It covers about one mile and highlights nearly every era of Army history with different exhibits and large artifacts. The Trail also serves as a stage for living history presentations by historians serving as interpreters.

    Fourteen individual exhibits include full scale reconstructions of a French and Indian War way station, Redoubt Number 10 from the Revolutionary War siege of Yorktown, a section of the Antietam battlefield, a Civil War winter encampment with cabins, a WWI trench system, a WWII company area, a replicated Normandy Bocage scene from World War II, a Current Operations HESCO Bastion barrier checkpoint, and an interpretation of the Vietnam helicopter air assault at Ia Drang that includes a period Fire Support Base. Additionally, there are numerous smaller exhibits featuring armor, aircraft, and artillery from several different eras of U.S. Army history.

    A view of the Heritage Trail.
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