The Bedford County area has some interesting rural scenes, such as this barn with an unusual star made from repurposed farm equipment.
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Bedford County Views
Two corn cribs for the price of one. Even more hay. I was surprised I saw so much this early in the season. This was a shock. There are bison behind that fence. -
From Bedord to Somerset
Travelling from Bedford to Somerset, one encounters a string of covered bridges. First up is the Herline Covered Bridge, which is a wooden covered bridge which is located in Bedford County. It crosses the Juniata River, and is one of fifteen historic covered bridges which are located in Bedford County. Built in 1902, this historic structure is a 136-foot-long (41 m), Burr Truss bridge with a medium pitched gable roof. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
Turners Covered Bridge is found off Route 31 in Bedford County. It is an 89 foot Burr Truss bridge, with low side panels and open sides. Construction date is believed to be approximately 1892. It spans the Raystown branch of the Juniata River. This half height style seems to have been popular in the area, as you will see in this post. The bridge is County owned and rests on stone abutments, reinforced with concrete.
I heard several killdeer calling from this field. They sounded like shorebirds, which makes sense since they are related to plovers. The Colvin Covered Bridge has recently been refurbished. It is a multiple king-post bridge rather than the familiar Burr arch truss, resting on concrete abutments. Built in 1894, it crosses Shawnee Creek. The bridge is county owned and is 66 feet long. It was built in 1880.
Our trip now takes us into Somerset County. The New Baltimore Bridge is a covered bridge which crosses the Raystown Branch of the Juniata Rive. The Queen Post truss bridge was built in 1879 and is 86 feet 6 inches (26.37 m) in length and 12 feet (3.7 m) wide. It is one of 10 covered bridges in Somerset County.
I found these markers at covered bridges in Somerset County. 
The Glessner Covered Bridge is a covered bridge in Somerset County near Shanksville. It was built in 1881, and is a 90-foot-long (27 m), multiple Kingpost truss bridge, with half-height plank siding and a tin covered gable roof. The bridge crosses Stonycreek River and is an interesting side trip if you are visiting the Flight 93 National Memorial. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980
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It’s a Breeze
Get ready – the upcoming posts contains a lot of covered bridges. We will also continue the two-per-week schedule of new posts.
I used the extended July Fourth holiday to take another trip to the Laurel Highlands. The trip started with an exit of the Pennsylvania Turnpike at Breezewood to see some covered bridges. The first stop of the trip was Jacksons Mill Covered Bridge, a wooden covered bridge located in Bedford County. It crosses Brush Creek and is a 91-foot-long (28 m), Burr Truss bridge, constructed in 1889. It is one of 15 historic covered bridges in Bedford County. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
There is also a very nice old mill building at this site. 
Nearby is Feltons Mill Covered Bridge, which is another wooden covered bridge located in Bedford County. It is a 105-foot-long (32 m), Burr Truss bridge with a medium pitched gable roof, constructed in 1892. It also crosses Brush Creek. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
I was not able to get a good photo of this bridge, as the entrance appears to be on private property. The access road had a rope across it and appears to terminate a short distance from the main road. The bridge might be viewable from the nearby main road bridge when the trees are not leafed out, However, this random haybale was sitting nearby, and you know I can’t resist a good haybale.
My drive around the Breezewood area also produced some other interesting sights, such as this interesting looking Church, with a very minimalist style.
More haybales of course. 
This old silo looked like a castle tower, if you squint. 
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A Nockamixon Summer
The Sheards Mill Covered Bridge is very close to Lake Nockamixon and its State Park. The trip to see the bridge allowed to make another visit to the park and the surrounding area.
A very patriotic tractor. 
This door … 
… belongs to this barn. 
The Weisel Farm House and Barn at the High Bridge trailhead of Nockamixon State Park. 
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An Inspirational Farm
The Kuerner Farm, also known as Ring Farm, is located in Chadds Ford. It is notable for its association with artist Andrew Wyeth, who created about one-third of his work, more than 1,000 paintings and drawings, on subjects he found there during a span of seventy-seven years.
In 1926, Karl Kuerner and his wife Anna rented the farm, which they bought in 1940. Karl had been a sheepherder near the Black Forest in his native Germany, and had been a machine gunner in the German Army during World War I. Andrew Wyeth’s first painting of the farm was completed in 1932, when Wyeth was just fifteen years old. The farm was listed in the National Register of Historic Places and declared a National Historic Landmark in 2011.The property abuts the Brandywine Battlefield, another National Historic Landmark. The farm is open to public tours, operated by the Brandywine River Museum.
I had a previous opportunity to photograph a wide shot of the farm , but I was recently able to get on one of the public tours. The first stop on the tour was the farmhouse,
A springhouse, perhaps, near the front door. 
Apparently, Mrs. Kuerner loved wallpaper. 
An example of the progression of Wyeth’s work. The left was painted at the farmhouse while Karl Kuerner was ill. 
This sink has appeared in Wyeth’s work. 
These cuties were a big hit, 
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Wild Vosburg Neck and Around
Vosburg Neck State Park has some lovely natural areas, in addition to the park facilities. Below are some more scenes from my visit. The birding was also very good here, and I had over 50 species during my trip here.
This flock of Turkeys was an unexpected surprise. 
Spring wild flowers. 
Finally, some farms along Vosburg Road. 
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It’s a Horse, Of Course (and Some Cows)
The Lancaster County livestock were out enjoying a lovely Sunday afternoon, including a couple of colts with their moms.
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Color is Budding Out All Over
Lancaster County on a lovely Spring day provides beautiful views of flowers and flowering trees. The tree buds in the local woodlands also create more color than one might expect.
The local farms are also getting into the swing of things for the upcoming growing season.
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Hibernia – There and Back, Part III
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.
I love the big star on this barn.
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Hibernia – There and Back, Part II
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.
This is a very nice old barn behind the mansion.
