The (Not so) Rural Pennsylvanian

  • 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.

  • Around Bald Eagle Lake

    The towns of Howard and Blanchard sit on or near the shores of Bald Eagle Lake in Centre County. I was able to capture some shots of the towns after a recent snowfall. First up on my trip was Howard.

    I made my way north towards the dam and the Blanchard area.

    PFC Foster Joseph Sayers Statue and War Memorial

  • A Well Preserved Historic Site

    Curtin Village and Eagle Ironworks is a historic district composed of buildings and structures related to an ironworks dating back to 1810. The village was founded by Roland Curtin, Sr., father of Pennsylvania’s Civil War-era governor Andrew Gregg Curtin, and Miles Boggs. It includes an iron master’s mansion (1830), a late-19th century Victorian style dwelling, the Eagle Furnace stack (1847), the remains of a grist mill, a number of worker’s houses, and an overgrown canal basin. The Eagle Ironworks closed in 1921.

    Owned by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, it is operated as the Curtin Village at Eagle Ironworks Historical Site by the Roland Curtin Foundation. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

    The iron works is quite a large facility, at least compared to other iron furnaces that I have seen in the state. It’s amazing that this operated until 1921.

  • 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.

  • The Daniel Boone Homestead

    Here is a look around the property of the Daniel Boone Homestead. I visited this property as a child, and it has changed a lot. I will be back in warmer weather for another view of the main buildings. In the meantime, autumn was on full display when I visited the extensive grounds.

    In 1730, Squire Boone, Daniel Boone’s father, built a log cabin in the Oley Valley in what is now Berks County. Daniel Boone was born in the one and a half story log house. One wall was built of native stone. The basement of the house served as a spring house.

    Squire Boone expanded his property in 1741 when he purchased 25 acres (100,000 m2) of land for use as a pasture for his dairy cattle. Squire Boone was a blacksmith and weaver. The responsibility for tending the cattle was given to Daniel. During the summer months he stayed in a rustic cabin at the edge of the pasture. From there he was able to protect the cattle from predators such as the black bear, bobcat, and mountain lions.

    The Wayside Lodge is also part of this property.

  • Morlatton Village

    Morlatton Village, in Berks County, is an early Swedish settlement begun in the early 1700’s. Structures constructed slightly later in the 1760s are also part of the village. During colonial times, the area became a center of commerce for the region as a routing center for refined iron from Pennsylvania’s earliest furnaces and for grains from the Oley Valley heading downriver to Philadelphia. Morlatton’s importance grew as roads leading to Tulpehocken, Oley, Reading, and Philadelphia all intersected in this area.

    Mouns Jones House (1716)
    Built by early Swedish settler Mouns Jones and his family, the house is the oldest documented dwelling in Berks County and considered to be the oldest extant structure ever built in the county. It is a two-and-a-half story sandstone structure containing two chimneys. The corner chimney is derived from Swedish architectural traditions.

    Bridge Keepers House (1730 or 1830)
    The Bridge Keepers house is a one-and-a-half story sandstone structure with a single interior chimney. It is a one room building with a relatively large, open attic space. The Bridge Keepers House is adjacent to the Mouns Jones House on the banks of the Schuylkill River.

    George Douglass Mansion (1763)
    The George Douglass Mansion is two-and-a-half story mansion that was one of the first full-blown Georgian structures in the region. The building is a central passage, double pile, Georgian-type structure with five bays. The exterior consists of fine cut sand-stone, a plaster cove cornice, and evidence of a pent roof. The interior of the building is currently under restoration.

    White Horse Inn (circa 1762)
    The White Horse Inn is of Georgian Style, and its principle façade is constructed of dressed sandstone. Built around 1727 by Marcus Huling and later enlarged by George Douglass, the building served as a tavern during colonial times. The White Horse has undergone significant restoration since. Today, the building is fully restored, including the addition of an adjoining kitchen.

  • Eastern Lycoming County and Muncy Valley

    I made my way into Lycoming County back in September. Before we head there, here are some remaining shots of Sullivan County, featuring the town of Muncy Valley. This particular house, on a sharp turn on Route 42, is always decked out with lots of flowers, in season.

    The view from the firehouse across the road.

    I travelled into Lycoming County on this trip because I specifically wanted to see Rose Valley Lake, which is known as a birding area. The lake is a reservoir that covers 389 acres (1.57 km2) in Gamble Township. The three-hundred-and-sixty-acre artificial lake is owned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and was given its name, “Rose Valley Lake,” in May 1973 by the Pennsylvania Fish Commission, following approval by the commonwealth’s Geographic Names Committee. Created by the Pennsylvania Fish Commission, via the construction of a twenty-five-foot-high, four-hundred-and-ten-foot-long earthen dam on Mill Creek in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, Rose Valley Lake is a three-hundred-and-sixty-acre artificial body of water. The most common game species of fish in the lake are largemouth bass, bluegill, black crappie, muskellunge, yellow perch, chain pickerel, pumpkinseed and walleye.

    The area around the lake is quite scenic.
    A small church in Lycoming County.
    A valley farm.
    Another interesting old church.
    Mt. Zion Lutheran Church. A lot of ancestors and relatives are buried here.
    Eating lunch at the Lairdsville Cornerstone Restaurant.
    An interesting player piano.
    And an old stove.

    Finally, the Lairdsville Covered Bridge is a wooden covered bridge over Little Muncy Creek in Moreland Township, Lycoming County. It was built in 1888 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. It is also known as the Frazier Covered Bridge. The window with the exposed beams is a unique feature.

  • Forksville and Hillsgrove

    The town of Forksville is not far from World’s End State Park. It features the Forksville Covered Bridge, a Burr arch truss covered bridge over Loyalsock Creek. It was built in 1850 and is 152 feet 11 inches (46.61 m) in length. The bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The Forksville bridge is obviously named for the borough it is in, which in turn is named for its location at the confluence or “forks” of the Little Loyalsock and Loyalsock Creeks. The Forksville bridge is a Burr arch truss type, with a load-bearing arch sandwiching multiple vertical king posts, for strength and rigidity. The building of the Forksville bridge was supervised by the 18-year-old Sadler Rogers, who used his hand-carved model of the structure. It served as the site of a stream gauge from 1908 to 1913 and is still an official Pennsylvania state highway bridge. The bridge was restored in 1970 and 2004 and is still in use.

    The post office and a look around the town.
    Eating lunch at the Forskville Inn and Tavern.
    Plenty of taxidermy to see here.

    Also in Sullivan County is the Hillsgrove Covered Bridge, a Burr arch truss covered bridge over Loyalsock Creek in Hillsgrove Township. It was built circa 1850 and is 186 feet (56.7 m) long. In 1973, it became the first covered bridge in the county to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The bridge is named for the township and nearby village of Hillsgrove, and is also known as Rinkers Covered Bridge for an adjoining farm. It was built by Sadler Rodgers, who also constructed the nearby Forksville Covered Bridge in the same year, with a similar design. The bridge is the longest of three covered bridges remaining in Sullivan County, and served as a landing site for lumber rafts on the creek between 1870 and 1890. Restoration work was carried out in 1963, 1968, 2010, and again in 2012 after serious flood damage.

  • Around the Loyalsock Forest and Laporte

    Travelling east over Route 154, turn north on Rock Run Road. You will soon come down to the Loyalsock Creek where you can cross via this interesting bridge.

    I had to sneak the Sonestown covered bridge in here as it was on my route that day. The Sonestown Covered Bridge is a covered bridge over Muncy Creek in Davidson Township, Sullivan County built around 1850. It is 110 ft (34 m) long and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1980. It is also known as the Davidson Covered Bridge. It was built to provide access to a grist mill which operated until the early 20th century.

    The Sonestown bridge is a Burr arch truss type with a load-bearing arch sandwiching multiple vertical king posts for strength and rigidity. The bridge construction is cruder than the other two surviving covered bridges in Sullivan County, with each Burr arch formed from six straight beams set at angles instead of a smooth curve. The bridge was repaired in 1969 and after flood damage in 1996, 2005, 2013, and 2020. It was also restored in 2001.

    The Sullivan County courthouse in Laporte, the county seat.
    I like the cardinal decor on this house in Laporte.
    Into the Loyalsock State Forest, we come to Dry Run Falls.
    There is a picnic area along Dry Run Road.
    As well as a Ranger Station.
    Best sign in the Forest. I’ve heard Shanerburg was a logging camp. If anyone knows anything about it, please comment.

  • Eagles Mere

    Eagles Mere is a borough in Sullivan County with a population of 151 at the 2020 census (full time residents). Eagles Mere was laid out in 1877 and incorporated in 1899. The Eagles Mere Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. Eagles Mere’s name literally means “the eagle’s lake”, the word “mere” being a poetic synonym of “lake”. The town has an extensive history of tourism, having been developed as a resort town and was once served by a narrow gauge railway. My family has visited the area since I was a child.

    Some of the summer sailboat fleet.
    The clubhouse at the lake with a swimming beach.
    St. John of the Wilderness Episcopal Church.
    The Eagles Mere Inn.

    One of the large Victorian style homes.

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