The forsythia sort of snuck up on me this year. It has been an unusually cold weather with a lot of daytime highs well below average. Here are some views of the herald of spring from around Chester County.
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A Closer Look at the State Flower
The mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) is the state flower of Pennsylvania. It is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae and is native to the eastern United States. Its range stretches from southern Maine south to northern Florida, and west to Indiana and Louisiana. Mountain laurel is also the state flower of Connecticut. It inspired the name of the Laurel Highlands in southwestern Pennsylvania.
Mountain laurel is an evergreen shrub growing 3–9 m (9.8–29.5 ft) tall. The leaves are 3–12 cm long and 1–4 cm wide. The flowers are hexagonal, sometimes appearing to be pentagonal, ranging from light pink to white, and occur in clusters. It blooms in May and June. All parts of the plant are poisonous, and the roots are fibrous and matted.
Jenkins Arboretum in Chester County has several nice examples of the plant. Locally I have also seen some on Mt. Misery in Valley Forge National Historic Park. I spent some time at Jenkins recently taking film photos using shallow depth of field.
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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, 
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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. 
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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. 
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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. -
A “Natural” Lake
Harveys Lake, one of Pennsylvania’s few natural lakes, is found in Luzerne County. It has a surface area of approximately 621.5 acres, or nearly a square mile, and it is situated entirely within the borough of Harveys Lake. By volume, it is the largest natural lake in Pennsylvania, and by surface area, is the second-largest lake. It is a glacial lake surrounded by hills and is the source of Harveys Creek, a tributary of the Susquehanna River. Despite being a natural lake, it has a stone masonry dam. The lake’s watershed has an area of approximately 3600 acres. Nearly all of the developed land in the area is close to the lake itself, and the lake is surrounded entirely by a paved road. As you can see from the below photographs, the area around the lake is heavily developed with homes and other buildings built right up to the lakeshore around nearly the entire perimeter.
It is sad that few of Pennsylvania’s natural glacier lakes have been preserved in their natural, undammed state, with limited development. Few Pennsylvania residents will ever get an opportunity to experience a natural lake or learn about and appreciate their ecological importance. What has happened to Harveys Lake is, unfortunately, fairly typical of these lakes.
The day I visited, there was intermittent rain and heavily overcast skies, which do not make for the prettiest pictures.
