Interesting Pennsylvania and Beyond: December 2021

Purchases of our 2024 PA Calendar and PA Amusement Parks Book

12.19.2021

St. Severin's Old Log Church: Clearfield County

St. Severin's Log Church in Clearfield County hails from a time in which settlers were starting to occupy territories further and further west. Clearfield County was occupied on paper when it was established in 1804, but at least through the mid 1850s, the Lenni Lenape and other tribes still stood defense on their land. St. Severin's Log Church was erected around this same time in 1851 and was used through around 1880.

It is a small and humble church whose parish still lives on to this day. The land surrounding it is still used as a cemetery. It is 1.5 stories tall and was built upon a stone foundation. It has a gable roof and steeple. It is about 45 x 24 Feet in size.

It was built in the old Cooper Settlement within Cooper Township, along what is now Route 53 in Clearfield County and it is a very relaxing place to visit.

If you are in the area, this is well worth taking a few minutes of your day to check out. If you are headed up into the wilds from central PA, it is pretty easy to check out this place. We took Route 53 up from route 80 to Scenic Route 144 up to Hyner View State Park area and then cut over to the PA Grand Canyon. It was a great place to stop and reflect for a little bit.

We have released our 2022 Pennsylvania Calendar!

It features views of:

-Independence Hall in Philadelphia

-Sunrise in Downtown Pittsburgh

-Knoebels Amusement Resort

-Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway

-Millersburg Ferry across the Susquehanna River

-Tank Hollow Overlook above the Lehigh Gorge in the Poconos

-The Reading Pagoda

-Kennywood Park

-Mercer's Mill Covered Bridge in Chester and Lancaster Counties

-Academia-Pomeroy Covered Bridge in Juniata County

-Ohiopyle State Park

-A holiday scene in Pittsburgh

The calendars open up to be 17 inches tall by 11 inches wide (8.5 by 11 pages)

It makes for a great gift for someone or for yourself. It is available for purchase through the PayPal dropdown menus at the top of the page and the bottom of this article.

Thanks for your ongoing support over the years!

12.05.2021

Route 15/Interstate 99 Welcome Center Scenic Overlook Rest Stop, Tioga County

We generally feature places different than this, but this rest stop was such a great home run by the state as a place to relax, showcase the scenery the state has to offer to visitors coming from the north. The I-99/15 corridor is beautiful across the entire midsection of the state, but especially when it comes to the northern section from the Williamsport to the New York border (and up to Corning, NY).

One of the finest highway rest stops I have ever stopped at in my travels across the country is the Route 15/Interstate 99 Southbound Welcome Center in Tioga. It gives a view of the Upper Tioga River and the Tioga-Hammond Lakes.

The building is built like a mountain lodge with cut logs and an a-frame main lobby.

The location is breathtaking and a fine example of a utilization of the stunning landscapes of Pennsylvania as both a highway rest stop for road safety, and as a welcoming spot to the beauty of what the state has to offer. The Welcome Center does a great job of informing people of the tourism opportunities of the state. The facilities are also fantastic for getting out and walking a little bit and there is ample room for picnicking. You could almost spend an afternoon taking in the views. If you have your fluffy friends along with you, this is also a great place to go and take a walk. The scenic views extend for the length of the rest stop. It would be great to see more places built like this to take advantage of the fantastic scenery that the state has to offer. This article from a little while back covers some of my ideas to help boost tourism across the state, and this rest stop should be a model for that.