rose's blog

Located at the northern tip of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Pine Grove Furnace State Park is a natural and historical landmark built in 1764 by three men as an iron works facility crafting stoves and kettles. Eventually, they would supply the Revolutionary Army with munitions. The land was massive; it contained 17,000 acres that was eventually divided in 1913 into the Michaux State Forest and Pine Grove Furnace State Park by the Forest Reserve System. The two lakes, Laurel and Fuller, which once supplied the forges with waterpower, became popular swimming and fishing areas.

In Pennsylvania's Amish Country, a sprawling vineyard stretches itself across one of the many hills, blanketed in some of the world's best-tasting grapes. It is here, at Waltz Vineyard, that Pennsylvania produces its largest harvest of grapes. Fertilized by world-class soil and nurtured by the same family for six generations, the land is a true testament to the aspirations and American ideals of local, family-owned business.

The Route 6 Heritage Corridor is a 3,652 mile road from Cape Cod to Long Beach, California. In Pennsylvania, Route 6 stretches 427 miles and Galeton, a small town in Potter County, hosts the Pennsylvania Route 6 Tourist Association, a castle-like information center covered in ivy. Route 6 hosts the famous locations of the world’s first underground mine, first locomotive, and the first of the legendary Great Lakes lighthouses.

Valley Forge National Park stands as the monumental location of the Winter Encampment, preserving its history and heritage for the American people.

Logs and Lumberjacks

To most, Pennsylvania seems to be a tame, serene land of rolling hills, mountains, and deep river valleys. But others understand this landscape for what it is: a rugged, wild forest only survivable in if one has the appropriate skills. For woodsmen, survival means skill, strength, and cunning. These ancient techniques are a lasting part of Potter Country’s traditional lumber heritage and what pushed Pennsylvania to the forefront of the lumber industry around the world.

During the Ice Age, Canada’s soil was torn from its land by glaciers and deposited in the northern regions of the United States, leaving behind deep loamy soil, the Great Lakes, and fertile ridges. The Concord grape, native to America, found this land to be its Eden, and the Lake Erie Wine Country bloomed in the warm breezes off the water in the spring and summer seasons. It rapidly became the most abundant grape-growing region east of the Rocky Mountains. Thomas Welch took interest, and his grape juice company reached the shores of Erie to grow Concord grapes for the famous business.

The Rivers of Steel Heritage Area, created by Congress in 1996, is devoted to the historic preservation, development, and education of the southwest region of PA.

At the time European colonization began in the New World, the region we call “Penn’s Woods” was covered in 90% forest. Pennsylvania’s tall, straight white pine and hemlock trees provided the globe with high-in-demand ship masts, turning the state into a hub of logging. Due to the deforestation of the state, The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania purchased thousands of acres of land from lumber companies in a statewide reforestation effort that involved conservation movements and a widespread system of state parks.

Home to over 200 wineries, Pennsylvania contributes $2 billion to the economy from its unique wine industry, nurtured by its climate and landscape that makes it a winemaking paradise. The green rolling hills, diverse soil, endless forests, hot summers, and cold winters mimic many of the European landscapes that started the industry. It was what pushed William Penn, the founder and proprietor of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia, to plant the first vineyard in 1683.

The Raystown Lake Region of Pennsylvania has opportunities aplenty to breathe in the fresh air, walk through the forest or enjoy the unspoiled shoreline scenery of Raystown Lake. So bring your boots, kayak, mountain bike and fishing pole to really get the most out of your time in Huntingdon County.