The (Not so) Rural Pennsylvanian

  • The Birth of the Banana Split and Fred Rogers

    Latrobe is a city in Westmoreland County, with a population of 8,060 as of the 2020 census. Latrobe was incorporated as a borough in 1854, and as a city in 1999.

    Latrobe is known as the home of the Latrobe Brewery, the original brewer of Rolling Rock beer. Latrobe was also the birthplace and childhood home of children’s television personality Fred Rogers and former professional golfer Arnold Palmer. The nearby airport is named after Palmer.

    The banana split was invented in Latrobe by David Strickler in 1904. The city is also home to the training camp of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Latrobe was long recognized as the site of the first professional American football game in 1895 until research found an 1892 game with paid players.

    The banana split is claimed to have been invented in 1904 in Latrobe by David Evans Strickler at the pharmacy that later became named Strickler’s Drug Store. In 2004, the National Ice Cream Retailers Association certified Latrobe as the birthplace of the banana split. The town holds an annual festival in honor of the dessert.

    The train station, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
    Latrobe Presbyterian Church.

  • A Cascading Stream

    It’s hard to imagine that the area that is now Linn Run State Park was once a clear cut wasteland. It is now covered by second -growth forest, which frames the tumbling and cascading Linn Run.

    Near the Fish Run trail head, there is some signage recording the logging history of the area. The Pittsburgh, Westmoreland and Somerset Railroad traversed Laurel Mountain to service logging activities there. The route taxed the limits of the steam locomotives, which could refill their boilers at a water station, which was created by diverting the creek to form a pond. There was also a siding in this area to slow down run-away trains.

    The pond.
    A memorial bench in a lovely spot.

  • Loafing Around Ligonier

    The town of Ligonier makes a great homebase or stopover for food or drinks when exploring the Laurel Highlands. I stopped by during my recent trip to the area for some lunch and to see the town, which is also home to historic Fort Ligonier.

    This gazebo sits in the middle of the town square.
    I couldn’t resist photographing this birdhouse.
    My kind of store. Coffee shops and ice cream are also to be had in the heart of town.
    The post office.
    Can you tell what is sold in the red brick building?
    An old train station just outside of downtown.

  • Warwick Furnace Farms – Something Smells Wonderful Here

    The Warwick Furnace Farms is a historic district that is located in northern Chester County that includes the ruins of an early iron furnace that was owned by Anna Rutter Nutt, widow of Samuel Nutt. The iron furnace was previously featured here. I wanted to return to visit the farm and was able to do so when I had the day off for Good Friday.

    Anna Rutter Nutt was the daughter of Thomas Rutter, who erected the first ironwork in Pennsylvania at Pine Forge Mansion and Industrial Site. Samuel Nutt bought the original tracts of land for the Coventry area with partners William Branson and Mordecai Lincoln, the great-great grandfather of Abraham Lincoln. The 786-acre historic district was listed by the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. The related village of Coventryville can be seen here.

    In 2015, the French & Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust permanently protected the 553-acre Warwick Furnace Farm through conservation easements and the acquisition of 108 acres, which will be the future home of a public preserve.

    The ironmaster’s house and workers’ houses, the historic farmhouse and the barns in this historic district are currently used in the operation of a working farm, which produces lavender and lavender products. The farm has a shop and which sells the wonderful local lavender products. Check the web site for information, hours, special events and to purchase online.

    A look toward the main house.
    The extensive barns.
    The shop tucked into the corner.
    The color in the budding trees in Spring always amazes me.

  • Historic Yellow Springs

    Yellow Springs Village is a historic village in West Pikeland Township in Chester County, Pennsylvania. The community includes historic churches, established in the 1770s by German Reformed and Lutheran members. It has been a location for a boys’ school, the country school of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fiine Arts, a restaurant, an inn and many other uses. Today it is a haven for artists and hosts special events.

    The village was busy the day I visited, so I concentrated on the peripheral areas. The early Spring color was still in evidence. You can learn more here.

  • Happy Easter

    I will be taking a break this week to celebrate the holiday and regroup from a colder than average winter that largely kept me cooped up inside.

    In the meantime, enjoy some shots from Springtimes past.

    A view of the flower garden at Chenoa Farm Sanctuary.
    Blooming in Mercer County.
    Nay Aug Park in Scranton.

  • An Unusually Warm Day in March

    I took advantage of some nearly 80 degree weather to go to the Brandywine Museum of Art before my annual pass ran out. While I was having some mushroom soup in the cafe, I noticed a few fisherman in Brandywine Creek. I’m not sure what they were fishing for in March, maybe panfish.

    I made a few stops on the way home to get some RAW files to test new photo editing software that I am using (goodbye Adobe). These shots, as well as the forsythia from last week, are the result.

    First a some exterior shots of the Goshenville historic site on Route 352.

    I am never sure that this is the front of this cute, but unassuming, building.

    This is the blacksmith shop. It was open when I visited another time.

    The next stop was the Thornbury CSA even though it is a bit early for local produce.

    You have to love the sense of humor here.

  • A Piece of History for Your Next Party

    The Duportail House and Federal Barn lie within the Chesterbrook development in Chester County and date back to colonial times. A history of these properties can be found at https://duportailhouse.com/history/. It is a location that I photograph often, if not for the pages of this blog. The house is on the National Register of Historic Places and can be rented for weddings or other events.

    Here is a look at the property after a January snowfall.

  • More Looks Around Havre de Grace

    My Christmas post featured a look at an inn in the Maryland town of Havre de Grace back in November. Here are some the sites from this historic and picturesque town at the mouth of the Susquehanna.

    The lighthouse at Concord Point Park is a signature feature of the town.

    The lightkeeper’s house.
    The Maritime Museum.
    Is this a houseboat?
    The Decoy Museum. I love the sculpture out front.
    The Havre de Grace Colored School has been converted in to a museum and cultural center.
    The Moore Family Homestead.
    A lighthouse playground at Millard E. Tydings Park.
    What a great house near the main shopping district.
    Havre de Grace is known for its murals and other public art.

  • The Historic Boal Mansion

    Boal Mansion is a historic home located at Boalsburg, Centre County. The original pioneer cabin was built in 1809 as a simple one and a half story stone house. It was incorporated as the kitchen and kitchen hall when the house was expanded. The expansion is a two-story stone house in the Georgian style which measures 30 by 50 feet (9.1 by 15.2 m) and has a side hall plan. The house was expanded again between 1898 and 1905 by Theodore Davis Boal and introduced some Beaux-Arts style design. The main façade was expanded from three to five bays.

    Also on the property is the 16th century Columbus Chapel, which was imported from Spain in 1909, an 1898 hipped-roof carriage house, a silo and Boal Barn (previously a summer theater), a stone smoke house, and two outdoor fireplaces. The house, open as a historic house museum, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

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