Cowans Gap State Park has 201 campsites in two loops. The camping area is open from mid-April until mid-December. The campsites can accommodate campers from a small tent to a large motor home, with seven walk-in tent sites are adjacent to Camping Area B. There is also a rutic cabin colony, built by the CCC. Here is a look at one of the cabins I stayed in.
The fireplace, mantel, some of the chairs, benches and bunks seem to be original, in addition to the outer structure of the cabin. Forgive the sight of my stuff strewn around, I forgot to take photos first.
This cabin had an interior wall separating the sleeping area into two rooms.
Cowans Gap State Park is a 1,085-acre (439 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Fulton County. The park is largely surrounded by Buchanan State Forest in Allens Valley just off Pennsylvania Route 75 near Fort Loudon. The park is lovely, and although I have visited before, I was happy to be back.
A boat access for the lake.The swimming beach at the day use area.
The Civilian Conservation Corps provided work for the unemployed from throughout the United States. A CCC camp, Richmond Furnace Camp PA-SP-54, was built at the site of Cowans Gap State Park. At first the young men lived in tents, but they soon built cabins (which are still in use at the park). The young men of the CCC also planted thousands of acres of new trees, built four bridges, 30 miles (48 km) of state roads, 32 miles (51 km) of fire trails, and 11 miles (18 km) of telephone lines. In addition, the CCC also cleared the forests and streams of brush, built pavilions, and constructed the dam that created Cowans Gap Lake. The park opened to the public in 1937.
The Spring birding season led to another trip to Marsh Creek State Park in Chester County. The park was active with boaters getting ready for the season in relatively nice weather for May.
At the west boat launch.This fox was out enjoying the sun.More horses than unusual out in the pasture.The new access point off Chalfont Road.
Kuster Mill, also known as Custer’s Fulling Mill and Skippack Creek Farm, is a historic fulling mill in Evansburg State Park on Skippack Creek in Montgomery County. The complex includes three contributing buildings and one contributing structure. They are the original mill, mill race, a stone house, and a Dutch bank barn. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.
Today, the area is popular with fishermen and walkers in Evansburg State Park. I visited on a day in April when trout season was underway. The weather was grim, but that was not much of a deterrent to those enjoying the park.
The pedestrian bridge.Fishing is family affair here.You have to wonder how trees get like this,The Friedt Visitor Center at Evansburg State Park.Along Arcola Road
Springton Manor Farm is part of the Chester County park system. Within its 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 Penn Oaks, which surround 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, one 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.
This visit focuses on the exterior of the property and the manor house. I visited this property previously. You can view that post here. That post has views of the farm buildings. I intend to return earlier in the day to try to photograph some of the animals. which now seem to include llamas or alpacas.
The Duportail House in eastern Chester County is a frequent feature on this blog. Today we look at some of the Spring flowering trees on the grounds.
In 1740, a Welsh Quaker named John Havard, Jr. built a stone farmhouse on a large William Penn land grant in Chester County’s Great Valley. During the Continental Army’s encampment at Valley Forge in 1777-78, the Havard family played host to a guest from France, General Louis Lebègue Duportail. Recruited by Benjamin Franklin, Duportail served as the army’s Chief Engineer, designing fortifications at Valley Forge that could enable Washington’s troops to hold off a potential attack by the British army, which was encamped in nearby Philadelphia. The house is now used as an event venue, and the surrounding property is a park.
The Willows Park has been featured on this blog before. It is a 47.5-acre estate purchased by Radnor Township in 1973 from the Zantzinger family. Situated at the end of a long, winding driveway is a three-story mansion. The mansion was built in 1910 by John Sinnott Jr. for his wife, and referred to as Rose Garland. The mansion and 47.5 acres that now make up the park were purchased by Clarence Geist in 1937 as a wedding present for his daughter. The estate was then called Maral Brook, which was a combination of their first names, Mary and her husband, Alfred Zantzinger. The site was renamed The Willows because of the beautiful willow trees that surround the property.
Little Darby Creek winds through the property and is dammed to form a small pond. I have been coming to the Willows for many years. The property has been a popular spot for birding, and migrating waterfowl can sometimes be seen on the pond. It is also a spot that has been stocked for the first day of trout season. Renovation work done to the pond quite a few years ago seems to have reduced the number of birds that use it and the nearby creek. Sadly, maintenance of the mansion and cottage is inadequate. The cottage no longer seems to be in use and is falling into disrepair. The mansion sat vacant for nearly a decade. It is currently being renovated and hosts limited events. It no longer appears to be available for weddings. It was once booked years in advance for weddings. It’s hard to understand why a financially productive property like this was allowed to sit vacant and fall into disrepair.
These geese have found some prime real estate for a nest.
A short distance away, on Church Road, sits one of two distinctive stone “Dragon Tooth” bridges over Darby Creek. The other is near the intersection of Sugartown and Church Roads.
The grim winter weather continues in Chester County. I was able to get away on a Sunday to visit a few spots along French Creek.
Rapp’s Dam Covered bridge has been featured before on this blog. This bridge is a 105-foot-long (32 m), Burr truss bridge that was constructed in 1866 by Benjamin F. Hartman. It has fieldstone abutments, horizontal siding and boxed cornices with returns at its portals. It is one of three covered bridges that cross French Creek, the others being Hall’s Bridge and Kennedy Bridge. The Rapps Bridge was renovated in 1978 and again in 2011.
The bridge is adjacent to the French Creek Heritage Park which has picnic tables and access for the French Creek Trail.
Snyder’ s Mill also sits in the park. It was a linseed oil mill in the 1800s, and could be the graining mill of the 1775 Continental Powder Mill Complex. In recent years, Snyder’s Mill had been on the verge of total collapse. The East Pikeland Historical Commission has stabilized the mill and is working to promote the site as a heritage tourism destination.
A short distance upstream is the Hares Hill Road Bridge, a single-span, wrought iron, bowstring-shaped lattice girder bridge. It was built in 1869 by Moseley Iron Bridge and Roof Company and is the only known surviving example of this kind.
This building in the Kimberton area caught my attention.
The Schuylkill River once had a navigation along its length. A few structures associated with this waterway remain – including Lock 60 at Mont Clare, Montgomery County. I visited on Valentine’s Day as part of a trip along the River to look for waterfowl. A few areas of the River that were free of ice had groups of ducks, including Hooded and Common Mergansers, Goldeneye, Mallard, Greater Scaup, Ring-necked, Bufflehead and a rarity – the Tufted Duck.
Lock 60 is a fully restored, working lock on the Schuylkill Canal, originally built as part of the Schuylkill Navigation system. The lock is demonstrated for groups and during special events by the Schuylkill Canal Association. This lock, one of 71 originally built on the canal, was constructed in the 1820s and was originally part of the Oakes Reach. The site includes the original Locktender’s house as well as canal information and interpretation. The house is open by appointment and during special events.
The lock gates
Some views of the lockkeeper’s house.
The Locktender’s House
Some looks along the Canal and the River – sadly no ducks were present here, as both areas were covered in ice.
