The (Not so) Rural Pennsylvanian

  • Mid State Musings

    A short trip to some state parks north of Harrisburg made for an interesting day out. Boyd Big Tree Preserve and Joseph E. Ibberson State Conservation Area are located in Dauphin County and occupy a distinctive niche in the state park system.They would be of particular interest to hikers.

    The 1,025-acre Boyd Big Tree Preserve Conservation Area straddles Blue Mountain and is the habitat of large trees of numerous species, which are homes for deep forest birds, especially warblers. During the summer and fall, the old field is filled with blooming wildflowers like butterfly weed, In late July and early August, the flowers attract field birds and many varieties of butterflies. There is also a trail network here and opportunities for wildlife viewing.

    The extensive meadows at the Preserve.
    The chestnut tree plantation.
    A lone bluebird nest box.
    The view over the valley.

    Straddling Peters Mountain, the 803-acre Joseph E. Ibberson Conservation Area is dominated by large hardwood trees. This large block of nearly unbroken forest is a haven for wildlife like forest warblers and other deep woods animals. A main attraction of the conservation area is the elaborate trail system which connects to the Appalachian Trail on the northern slope of Peters Mountain.

    A pavilion at the park.
    The beautiful countryside near the park.
    A nearby farm.

  • Berks Perks

    Berks County is the home to a few covered bridges and some very picturesque spots. Greisemer Covered Bridge is one of few I have seen with a hex sign. The oak design is one of my favorite hex signs. Here are a few views of the bridge. You will note the common Burr arch truss design.

    A lovely church property stands between the two bridges featured in this blog. This is Salem United Church of Christ in Oley and its churchyard. The view toward the hills beyond is really lovely.

    A nice view with the farm in back.
    These cows were across the road from the church.
    The Pleasantville Covered Bridge

    The Pleasantville Covered Bridge is on more busy stretch of the appropriately named Covered Bridge Road and more difficult to photograph. As a white bridge, it provides a nice contrast with the red Greisemer Bridge. It is interesting that, although I see barn stars everywhere, I tend to see hex signs more often in Berks County.

    Headed home, I came across this fantastic barn with hex signs.
    Looks like soybean at this farm.

  • A Very Grassy Land

    Below are a few photographs of a favorite corner of northwestern Chester County. I go here in hopes of finding some grassland species of birds that sometimes frequent farmers fields. So far I have just found horned larks, but there have been snow buntings, eastern meadowlarks and others spotted in the area, so you never know ….

    I have better luck with ponies and goats.
    One of the many beautiful farms.
    I love the trees around this farmstead.
    A subject you may have seen here before …
    and another view.
    Another impressive farm.

  • A Few Covered Bridges Then Home

    Lycoming County has a total of four covered bridges. I visited two of them on my way home from Potter County.

    The Buttonwood Bridge (also known as the Blockhouse Bridge) was built in 1898 with the structure spanning Blockhouse Creek. It uses a queen post with king post truss and is 74 feet 2 inches (22.6 m) long. The bridge is in good condition with a new wood shingled roof and pressure treated floor. The structure is open to traffic all year long. The bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 and had a major restoration in 1998. It is the shortest and most heavily used of the three covered bridges remaining in Lycoming County.

    A couple of looks inside the bridge.
    An interesting sawmill operation near the bridge.
    Very nice looking barn.
    Anther pretty barn shot.

    The next bridge to the south was the Cogan House Bridge. This bridge was built in 1877 of the Burr Arch design with a structure length of 94 feet crossing Larry’s Creek. Cogan House bridge is open to traffic, and leads to a dead end private drive near the game lands. The bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, and had a major restoration in 1998. The Cogan House bridge is named for the township and village of Cogan House, and is also known by at least four other names: Buckhorn, Larrys Creek, Day’s, and Plankenhorn.

    The Cogan House Covered Bridge was constructed by a millwright who assembled the timber framework in a field next to the sawmill, before it was reassembled at the bridge site. It was the only bridge on Larrys Creek that survived the flood of June 1889, and one of only a handful that were left intact in the county. Although the bridge used to carry a steady flow of tannery and sawmill traffic, the clearcutting of the surrounding forests meant the end of those industries by the early 20th century.

    The route to the bridge.
    The other side.
    A look inside.
    Cattle on a hill en route to the bridge.

  • 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 Preserved Farm … and a Park

    Springton Manor Farm is a county park located in Glenmoore, Chester County. Within the farm’s historic landscape of fenced fields, stone walls and misty morning vistas is a preserved patchwork of colonial plantation, Industrial Revolution era scientific farm, Victorian tenant farm, and gentleman’s country estate. The Manor House and Carriage House overlook 300 acres of centuries-old sugar maples, open pastures and stately Penn Oaks, which grace the lower pond. The Manor House is not open to the general public.

    Initially part of a William Penn Manor, Springton Manor has been in agricultural use since the early 1700’s. On this demonstration farm, you can meet the animals and learn about Chester County’s farming history. The barn complex consists of the Great Barn, sheep shed, goat shed, a roost and equipment shed. You may see horses, donkeys, rabbits, calves, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens and peacocks. The Family Farm Museum, located within the Great Barn, contains seasonal tools and apparatus used on Chester County farms from the 1700’s to the 1900’s.

    The Manor House
    A view to the Great Barn
    Additional buildings near the Great Barn
    Interesting structure. Not sure what it is …
    Can you see the house finch? They were nesting in crevices in the stone walls.
    Another building with a star …

  • Some Horses and a Vulture Convention

    A trip tp eastern Lancaster County provided a look at the following scenes:

    A group of vultures found something dead and furry by the side of the road. There was one black vulture and several turkey vultures.

    Who’s the other guy?
    When I circled back around, the turkey vultures had decided to show off the interloper. More vultures were in the air.

    There were also plenty of horses enjoying their Sunday off. I think almost everyone likes horses.

    A peaceful browse.
    Now I don’t know know what this one is trying to say, but he doesn’t seem happy with me.
    Some more horses off in the distance.
    A bonus shot of an Amish buggy.

  • A Northern Visitor

    The presence of a snowy owl in the area causes great excitement. Even the local news take notice. A bird in eastern Lancaster County recently created the expected onslaught of birders. I set out one Saturday to have a look as well. Note to self: don’t go looking for an owl without your “good” camera.

    The bird was close to the road but not in front of the most photogenic backdrop. The online consensus is that it is a “she,” but I’m not sure how you tell juveniles from females.

    On a porch roof.
    Grainy close up courtesy of phone camera.
    Is the bird thinking “There are so many, but are they edible?”
    One of the benefits of an owl on your porch roof is that everyone can see your laundry drying.
    The farm across the road.
    The area is full of lovely farms.
    The hay obsession continues. This is quite a pile.
    Horses had clearly been using this hitching post at Hayloft Ice Cream.
    The Willows Covered Bridge along busy Route 30. Probably one of the saddest covered bridges in the state.

  • It’s Very Early Fall in Lancaster County

    An unusually bright and sunny day greeted me in late September in Lancaster county. The sky was so blue and the white so white that it almost hurts my eyes. I’m not used to this here in Pennsylvania. As it was a Sunday, the buggy traffic was out in force, and the field horses were grazing in the fields.

    Buggies are upcoming in the next episode!

  • That’s a Lot of Concrete (and a bonus park)

    Looming over the town of Nicholson, Pennsylvania is the Tunkhannock Creek Viaduct, a railroad bridge completed in 1915. It is a concrete deck arch bridge on the Nicholson Cutoff rail segment of the Norfolk Southern Railway Sunbury Line that spans Tunkhannock Creek. Measuring 2,375 feet (724 m) long and 240 feet (73.15 m) tall when measured from the creek bed (300 feet (91.44 m) from bedrock), it was the largest concrete structure in the world when completed in 1915 and still merited “the title of largest concrete bridge in America, if not the world” 50 years later. Built by the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, the bridge is owned today by Norfolk Southern Railway and is still used daily for regular through freight service. Apparently almost half of the bulk of this behemoth is underground, in the form of bridge pillars up to 138 feet (142 m) below ground.

    The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 11, 1977. In 1975, the American Society of Civil Engineers or ASCE designated the bridge as a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. ASCE recognized the bridge as “not only a great feat of construction skill” but also a “bold and successful departure from contemporary, conventional concepts of railroad location in that it carried a mainline transversely to the regional drainage pattern, effectively reducing the distance and grade impediments…”

    The bridge towers over the town of Nicholson.
    A view further upstream.
    The cows don’t seem to notice the vast structure.

    I also swung by Lackawanna State Park on my way back from the bridge. The 1,445-acre park is ten miles north of Scranton. The focus is the 198-acre Lackawanna Lake, which is surrounded by picnic areas and multi-use trails winding through forest. Boating, camping, fishing, mountain biking, and swimming are popular recreation activities here.

    I’ve always wanted a canoe mooring on a lake.
    At least these geese don’t mind the weather.
    Another rainy late spring day ….
    Great spot for a picnic and a boat trip.

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