Random Wonders in Huntingdon County: Pulpit Rocks, St. Matthew's Church, & Neff's Bridge

If there is a method to my madness in regards to traveling, it is in stopping and checking out as many things that catch my eye as possible. We wrap up our adventures around the Raystown Lake Region with three things that really captured my attention. The first one I heard about and wanted to check out, Pulpit Rocks, a seemingly forgotten formation that was cool enough to get noticed in the first geological survey of the state in 1858. This off the beaten path, rock city outcropping is pretty staggering in size. It is located up the ridge from Lincoln Caverns. It is right off of Old Pike Road, which served as the old Huntingdon-Hollidaysburg Turnpike, making this a favorite stop for sightseeing along old road trips. 

Illustration of the formation in a printing from 1870. This was a printing of a watercolor from 1840 by George Lehman - Library of Congress Photo

Our next stop...

This little church and surrounding cemetery really caught my eye. The spectacular stone and pointing work prompted me to pull over and check this place out. This is St. Matthews Lutheran Church in James Creek, PA and it dates back to 1838. 

Another thing that caught my eye was this gorgeous old through truss bridge. These old iron through truss bridges are always so impressive to me, as impressive as many covered bridges are to me. These bridges often hail from the same era as the covered bridges. This is the Neff Bridge. It was built in 1889 by the Pittsburg Bridge Company. The omission of the H at the end of Pittsburgh was not a mistake, for this bridge was built before the use of the H was standardized. Pittsburg Bridge Company is not to be confused with American Bridge, another Pittsburgh area bridge engineering and construction firm that eventually absorbed PBC in later years.

Huntingdon County and the Raystown Lake Region are filled with these understated geologic and architectural wonders. Coupled with the many other attractions we have outlined in our series of articles about some of the other attractions in the region, you have an excellent primer into planning a trip to the region.