The (Not so) Rural Pennsylvanian

  • 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.

  • 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,

  • A Special Urban Park

    Nay Aug Park sits in 73 wooded acres in Scranton. The name Nay Aug traces its origin to the Munsee Indians, a sub group of the larger Lenape tribe. In their language Nay Aug means “noisy water or roaring brook.” The Munsee settled along the banks of the Roaring Brook and were a peaceful group mostly committed to fishing and farming.

    Nay Aug Park was established in 1893. Scranton’s 9th Mayor, W.L. Connell directed the purchase of 2 acres of land in the city’s east side from the Beckett Estate. The early years were a boom for the citizens of Scranton and the park. The population was growing and leaders had the foresight to realize the need for a place to gather. The city purchased five more acres of land from the Beckett Estate. Scranton received donations of land from the Watres Estate and Lackawanna Iron and Coal which owned the majority of land the park now occupies.

    There was an amusement park located on the eastern side which was called Luna Park. It opened in 1906 and met with a disastrous fire in 1916. It never recovered and subsequently closed for good. The land was incorporated into what is now Nay Aug Park. The park today contains a variety of attractions and hosts a wide array of activities throughout the year,

    The Everhart Museum, the largest in the northeast, houses artifacts related to natural history, science and art.
    A portion of the park was once a zoo.
    The David Wenzel Treehouse is a really impressive and unique structure built in 2007.
    A great view down into Nay Aug Gorge.
    I love the way this house seems perched on the hillside.
    A little excitement in the air from the treehouse.
    Some of the old zoo buildings have been converted to Street Cats, an adoption and spay and neuter charity for feral cats.

  • An Electrifying Trolley Museum

    The Electric City Trolley Museum sits across the parking lot from the Steamtown National Historic Site. Due to time constraints, I didn’t have the chance to look inside the day I was there. It is a premier electric railway museum . In 1887, Scranton was Pennsylvania was the first city with a successful pioneer trolley line and became known as “The Electric City.” The museum collection provides a highly representative picture of the electric railway history of eastern Pennsylvania, from the Philadelphia region to Northeast Pennsylvania. Trolley rides are offered seasonally,

    The museum was created by the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority. Lackawanna County manages the museum day-to-day. The facility itself, located on the Steamtown National Historic Site, is on long-term lease from the National Park Service. The trolleys operate over tracks owned by both Steamtown and the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority, including a portion of the historic Lackawanna & Wyoming Valley’s Laurel Line third-rail interurban right-of-way.

    All the way to Scranton to see a Septa trolley.

  • A Steamy Day in Scranton

    I ended my visit to northeastern Pennsylvania in Scranton. The Steamtown National Historic Site  is a railroad museum and heritage railroad located in downtown Scranton, Pennsylvania, at the site of the former Scranton yards of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad (DL&W). Not all parts of the site were open to the public due to maintenance activities during my visit.

    The museum is built around a working turntable and a roundhouse that are largely replications of the original DL&W facilities; the roundhouse, for example, was reconstructed from remnants of a 1932 structure. The site also features several original outbuildings dated between 1899 and 1902. All the buildings on the site are listed with the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Yard-Dickson Manufacturing Co. Site.

    One of the steam locomotive around the parking area.
    …, and some more.
    Display locomotives around the turntable.

    A lot of looks at the turntable.

    Locomotives on display inside the Roundhouse.

    A look inside the museum at some of the exhibits.

    This is a working rail yard and train rides are available.
    A steam locomotive in action.

  • Getting Away from It All in Tunkhanock

    Tunkhannock is the county seat of Wyoming County, 31 miles (50 km) northwest of Wilkes-Barre. In the past, lumbering was carried on extensively in the area and served as the economic base. Today, many residents are employed by the Procter & Gamble plant in nearby Washington Township. As of the 2020 census, the borough population was 1,766.

    The name Tunkhannock is derived from the Minsi-Len’api term Ptuk’hanna’unk, which means “Bend-in-river-place”, which is to the town’s west, upstream at the radical bend called “The Neck” on the Susquehanna River. The historic district was added the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

    The town has some lovely Victorian style houses.
    The rhododendron were in full bloom.
    The Wyoming County Courthouse.
    I love these small town movie theaters.
    Some store fronts along Route 6.

    Nearby Miller Mountain was recently reacquired by the state after being in the hands of a ski area developer for quite a few years. It is one of the more recognizable peaks in the Endless Mountains region. It is a “stand alone” peak, which is separated from the remainder of the Allegheny Plateau. In 2023, Miller Mountain was purchased by the state, and added to the Pinchot State Forest.

    The Susquehanna River flows past the mountain where the slopes rise to over 1,600 feet (490 m) above the riverbanks and the town of Tunkhannock. It is believed to be the last undeveloped mountain of its size in the Commonwealth that had been privately owned.

    A nearby boat launch along the Susquehanna.

  • 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.

  • Vosburg Neck – The Most Compelling New State Park

    Vosburg Neck State Park lies five miles west of Tunkhannock in Wyoming County. The park’s 669 acres feature historic buildings from the 1700 and 1800s, a canal bed and rail bed,, and a 1700s-era cemetery. Recreational activities include eight miles of trails, non-motorized boating access, and picnic areas.

    The park is one of Pennsylvania’s three new state parks, and the most developed to date. The park was formerly the Howland Preserve. It is located in an oxbow on the north branch of the Susquehanna River known as the Vosburg Neck and features a diverse range of habitat.

    The park office.
    The Riverside Barn seemed to have been in use for a private function before I arrived.
    Private residences dot the area. I also lust after one of these trailers
    The boat launch.
    A lovely private home.
    The cemetery.

  • Another Chadds Ford Gem

    Last week we visited the N.C. Wyeth House and Studio. The nearby Andrew Wyeth Studio can also be visited via a tour from Brandywine Museum of Art. The site is described on brandywine.org as:

    Andrew Wyeth, one of America’s best-known twentieth-century artists, painted many of his most important works of art in his Chadds Ford studio. Given to the Brandywine Museum of Art by the artist’s wife, Betsy James Wyeth, the studio provides visitors with a unique opportunity to experience this very personal space…. This studio, a repurposed schoolhouse originally built in 1875, served as the artist’s principal Pennsylvania workplace from 1940 to 2008. Thousands of paintings and drawings were created there, inspired by the people, architecture and landscapes of Chadds Ford. The studio still houses the furnishings, library and collections acquired by the artist, as well as examples of the art materials he used throughout his career.

    The exterior of the house.
    This sign says it all.
    The kitchen
    A library with films and …
    some interesting dioramas.
    The German military uniform worn by Karl Kuerner is several of Wyeth’s works.
    Jamie Wyeth used this room as a studio.
    A look inside Wyeth’s studio.
    The painting is reflected by the mirror.
    Because I really liked the shape of this tree branch.

    The site is only available on limited dates and times, so please check with the Brandywine Museum of Art for more details.

  • Chadds Ford’s Artistic Legacy

    The N.C. Wyeth House and Studio makes a lovely trip in the early Spring. One can visit the house and studio via a guided tour which leaves from the Brandywine River Museum and is definitely a must see for Wyeth fans. N.C. Wyeth is primarily known as an illustrator but worked on other subject matter as well. The property is only available for tours with limited dates and times, so please check the website at brandwyine.org for more information.

    The site is described on the website as follows: In 1911, with the proceeds from his illustrations for Treasure Island, the artist N.C. Wyeth purchased 18 acres of land near the village of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. Possessed, he described it as “the most glorious site in the township.”

    The house and studio, located five minutes from the museum, retain much of their original character. The main studio, with its spectacular Palladian-style north window, still contains many of the props that were essential to the work of an illustrator, including a birch-bark canoe and a collection of firearms. A full-size mural painting, displayed in a soaring 1923 addition, helps tell the story of Wyeth’s career. The house, with its country furnishings, reveals a more intimate picture of family life.

    The N.C. Wyeth House and Studio is a National Historic Landmark and a member of the Historic Artists’ Homes and Studios program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

    A view of the house and barn.
    The barn
    A look inside at some of the downstairs rooms is included in the tour.
    A view of the side of the barn with some artists at work.
    The palatial windows of the Studio open Wyeth’s workspace up to natural light.
    “Island Funeral” – this is now one of my favorite works by Wyeth. The original was in the Museum.
    I particularly liked this book shelf with the ships’ models and the animal which I think is a river otter.
    A work depicting William Penn and the founding of the Commonwealth.
    The artists tools as he left them the day he died.
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