The (Not so) Rural Pennsylvanian

  • 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.

  • Allentown Area Covered Bridges

    I used my trip to the Poconos to stop and visit some historic covered bridges in the Allentown area.

    My first stop was the Wehr Covered Bridge, a wooden covered bridge located in Lehigh County. It is a three span, 117-foot-long (36 m) Burr Truss bridge, constructed in 1841. It has horizontal siding and gable roof. It crosses Jordan Creek. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. There is and adjacent park, appropriately named Covered Bridge Park and a dam across Jordan Creek forming a small waterfall.

    Another interesting bridge with a nice setting is Manasses Guth Covered Bridge. It is a wooden covered bridge near the Wehr Covered Bridge. It is a 108-foot-long (33 m) Burr Truss bridge, constructed in 1858, and rebuilt in 1882. It has vertical siding. It also crosses Jordan Creek and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. There is some interesting architecture near the bridge.

    The Geiger Covered Bridge is a is a 112-foot-long (34 m) Burr Truss bridge, constructed in 1860. It has vertical plank siding and an entry portal of stepped square planks. It also crosses Jordan Creek within the Trexler Nature Preserve. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

    Finally, the Schlicher Covered Bridge is a wooden covered bridge that is 108-foot-long (33 m) Burr Truss bridge, constructed in 1882. It has vertical plank siding and a gable roof. It crosses Jordan Creek near the Lehigh Valley Zoo. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980

  • About in the County

    This post is a sampling of some of the sites of Somerset County. The first stop is the Somerset Historical Center and Walters Mill Covered Bridge. The Center is a 150-acre rural history museum with exhibits, workshops, and educational programs dedicated to preserving the history of life in southwestern Pennsylvania from the region’s first farmers to the present day. It also serves as headquarters of the Historical & Genealogical Society of Somerset County. The Visitors Center houses permanent and changing exhibits as well as the Genealogical Research Library. I found it to be a good general source of information about the area, which was a life saver when my phone decided not to cooperate with me.

    The Walter’s Mill Covered bridge has been relocated to the property.

    The covered bridge was built in 1859 and originally crossed Coxes Creek, four miles south of the town of Somerset. Major repairs were made to the bridge in 1909, at which time laminated wood arches were added to the bridge’s original multiple kingpost truss system to accommodate heavier vehicles. Overtaken by developments and threatened with destruction, the bridge was moved to the Somerset Historical Center in the early 1960s. Extensively restored in 1986, the bridge remains open to pedestrian traffic.

    Nearby is the Quecreek Mine Rescue site. On July 24, 2002 coal miners at the Quecreek Mine in Lincoln Township, owned by Black Wolf Coal Company, accidentally dug into the abandoned, poorly documented Saxman Coal / Harrison #2 Mine, flooding the room and pillar mine with an estimated 75 million US gallons (280,000 cubic meters) of water. Both the Saxman Mine and Quecreek Mine are in the Upper Kittanning coal seam. Fortunately, all nine trapped miners were rescued using a metal capsule structure lowered into the mine through a drilled hole. The incident garnered national attention, especially in the wake of the September 11 disaster and the crash of Flight 93 nearby in Shanksville.

    The nearby Dormel Farm.

    Driving further north, one can visit the Trostletown Covered Bridge, a historic covered bridge in Quemahoning Township. It was built in 1845, and is a 104-foot-long (32 m) Kingpost truss bridge, with half-height plank siding and an asbestos shingled gable roof. The bridge crosses Stony Creek. It is one of 10 covered bridges in Somerset County. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

    The bridge is adjacent to an American Legion Post with an impressive display of hardware.

  • Somerset City

    The town of Somerset, with a population of around 6,000, is the county seat of Somerset County. It is close to the Pennsylvania Turnpike and is a good jumping off point for the many varied activities that the Laurel Highlands area has to offer. The county is a beautiful mix of mountainous and agricultural areas and small town charm.

    This is one of the more distinctive county courthouses in Pennsylvania, and it dominates the town skyline.
    The town contains some interesting late 19th and early 20th century architecture.
    I would take this building as an office.
    The Somerset Milling Co. is still a provider of feed and grain products.

  • In and Around Bedford

    The town of Bedford contains some interesting sights for the traveler. The Bedford Village Archeological Site is an archaeological site was once occupied by a Monongahela culture village. Today, the site is the location of Old Bedford Village, an open-air museum, containing a variety of historic structures transported to the site from the surrounding towns of Bedford, Everett, and Rainsburg.

    Some of the structures at Old Bedford Village.
    It was a nice surprise to see this lovely horse and pony.

    Adjacent to Old Bedford Village is the Claycomb Covered Bridge. It was was built in 1880 in Reynoldsdale and was moved to its present location in 1975. It is a burr truss design, 126 feet long, which has been reinforced with steel to support bus traffic that frequents Old Bedford Village. The structure is unpainted and the roof is constructed of Cedar shakes. The deck consists of crossboard planks and the sides are totally enclosed. It sits on poured concrete abutments.

    Near the entrance to Old Bedford Village, I couldn’t resist a stop at the Penguin, which has a large menu of hard and soft ice cream and other treats.

    Finally, one of Bedford’s iconic sites is the Coffee Pot.

  • A Ramble Through the Township

    A nice summer day called for a trip through some of the more rural areas of my hometown, as well as its center.

    The Diamond Rock Schoolhouse has been featured on this blog before. It is an historic octagonal one-room school which is located at the foot of Diamond Rock Hill in Tredyffrin Township, near Valley Forge National Historic Park. The Diamond Rock Schoolhouse was used as a school between 1818 and 1864. As the population of the area grew during the mid-1800s, the school eventually became too small, and it closed in 1864 when students were reallocated to other nearby schools. After 1864, the old schoolhouse fell into disrepair but was eventually restored in 1909 by the Diamond Rock School Old Pupils Association, a group of former students who saw great value in preserving their former school for future generations.

    Some farm properties along Yellow Springs Road.
    Into Berwyn, a local church and the train station.

  • Sheards Mill and Its Bridge

    Another covered bridge in a scenic area, the Sheard’s Mill Covered Bridge is located in East Rockhill Township and Haycock Township, Bucks County next to the Levi Sheard Mill. The bridge was built in 1873, and is 15-foot-wide (4.6 m) and 130-foot-long (40 m), making it one of Bucks County’s longest bridges. The bridge crosses the Tohickon Creek on Covered Bridge Road. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 1, 1980.

    I don’t see a Burr Arch truss. It looks like another Lattice Truss, like South Perkasie.

    The bridge is near the Levi Sheard Mill. It is also known as Sheard’s Mill and the John S. Clymer Mill, and is an historic, American grist mill that is located in East Rockhill Township, Bucks County. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 18, 2006. The first section of this historic structure was built circa 1825, with three additions built into the early twentieth century. The mill was purchased by Levi Sheard in 1844. In 1916, ownership was transferred to brothers Rubin and John Clymer. The mill continued to operate until the 1970s.

  • A Bridge and a Town Known for Its Theatre

    The South Perkasie Covered Bridge is a covered bridge that is located in Perkasie, Bucks County. It is the oldest covered bridge in Bucks County and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 1, 1980. Built in 1832, this bridge is a 93-foot-long (28 m), Town truss covered bridge that once crossed Pleasant Spring Creek, but was moved and rededicated on August 15, 1959 as a feature in Lenape Park. It is the third oldest Town Lattice bridge in the country. The bridge was heavily damaged by the remnants of Hurricane Ida in September 2021. As you can see below, it is currently closed for repairs.

    South Perkasie is adjacent to the town of Sellersville which was founded in the early 18th century. It is centered on a major road known as Bethlehem Pike that connected Philadelphia to Bethlehem and the Lehigh Valley. The town was very small and was called Sellers Tavern. Its most notable feature was a large inn. The present Washington House in Sellersville, however, was not Sellers Tavern. When the railroad expanded to the area in 1856, Sellersville experienced a population increase. After the borough’s incorporation in 1874, there was even more growth in the area. Cigar, textile, and other industries established companies in Sellersville, including Schulmerich Bells (one of the world’s largest producers of electronic carillons and hand bells). Today Sellersville is largely a commuter town.

    One of the best know institutions in town is the Sellersville Theater.

    The Washington House Hotel and Restaurant on Main Street.
    The historic train station.
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