Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation

09/07/2024

Hummingbirds!


Though there are more than 300 species of hummingbirds around the world, just one is known to frequent Pennsylvania. You’re most likely to see the ruby-throated hummingbird in your backyard; males of this species have distinctive red throats while females are more muted, with gray-tinged throats. Both have glistening, iridescent green backs.

Ruby-throated hummingbirds are the only species of hummingbird that breeds east of the Mississippi River, and these amazing, minuscule birds can flap their wings as fast as 80 times per second!

Ruby-throated hummingbirds nest, and are common, all across Pennsylvania, where they assist the entire ecosystem by pollinating many flowering plants.

Though sightings are quite rare, the rufous hummingbird also sometimes visits Pennsylvania. If you see one of these feisty, orange hummers, it might have just gotten lost during migration, as the birds are usually only seen in the West and parts of the South.

Some species of hummingbirds, including the ruby-throated hummingbird, migrate more than 1,000 miles south each winter for a healthy supply of nectar and insects. On the journey, some will fly across the Gulf of Mexico without stopping. Ruby-throated hummingbirds will leave Pennsylvania between August and October to begin their trek.

Source: The Keystone

09/05/2024

Do you have weekend plans?
The Somerset Historical Center on the Pennsylvania Trails of History is hosting Mountain Craft Days.
Great family fun!

09/05/2024

Chester – The Oldest City in Pennsylvania

Originally settled in 1644 by the Swedish as “Upland”, the name was changed to Chester in 1682. Incorporated on October 31, 1701 as a Boro and as a city on February 14, 1866. Chester is the oldest City in Pennsylvania. In 1681, William Penn acquired the colonial settlement as a safe haven for Quakers. One year later he landed on the ship Welcome and renamed the settlement Chester, after the city in England.

For the first two hundred years of its history, Chester was prosperous and wealthy manufacturing community with industries concentrating on machinery, metal manufacturing, locomotive, shipbuilding, and textiles. These strong industries, paired with the city’s proximity to the Delaware River and major railways generated jobs and fueled a steady population growth.

By 1950, Chester’s population peaked at more than 66,000; however, the post-war economy also had a negative impact on Chester as it did on many industry-based cities at the time. By the mid-1950s, Chester began to experience economic difficulties as manufacturing and other industries moved out of the city. As a result, employment declined into the 1960s, as many people migrated out of Chester to surrounding towns and suburbs.
Today, Chester has restored its parks system, improved and expanded housing and attracted new business.

09/04/2024

PPL Corporation is empowering the communities that powered American industry!

PPL’s grant to the Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation supports lifelong learning in Pennsylvania’s anthracite region. It’s matched by a National Endowment for the Humanities grant to preserve and reimagine several of Eckley Miners' Village Museum’s historic structures as a hands-on learning center and overnight lodging.

Visit www.eckleyminersvillage.com/whats_new to learn more and find out how you can support our work.

The PPL Foundation announced today that it has awarded grant funding to support 53 nonprofit organizations working to build stronger communities in eastern and central Pennsylvania.

The foundation’s latest investments – Empowering Communities Grants – support programs focused on environmental stewardship and education, as well as economic and workforce development initiatives.

“Whether it’s supporting the development of small businesses, preserving and protecting our local environment or helping residents explore viable career opportunities, there are many nonprofit organizations working to better the lives of people who call our region home,” said Lissette Santana, president of the PPL Foundation.

Empowering Communities Grants were awarded to:

• American Red Cross Greater Pennsylvania
• Brodhead Watershed Association
• Bucks County Housing Group
• Center for Employment Opportunities
• Chester County Futures
• Clinton County Economic Partnership
• Danville Area Community Center
• Da Vinci Science Center
• Eastern Pennsylvania Alliance for Clean Transportation
• Focus Central Pennsylvania
• Friends of Camp Louise Shickshinny, Shavertown
• Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania
• Greater Hazleton Area Civic Partnership
• Greater Lycoming Habitat for Humanity
• Greater Philadelphia YMCA
• Greater Wilkes-Barre Growth Partnership
• Hazleton Integration Project
• Lacawac Sanctuary Foundation, Lake Ariel
• Lancaster Lebanon Habitat for Humanity
• Lancaster City Alliance
• LEAF Project
• Lehigh Carbon Community College
• Lehigh Valley Zoo
• Let's Go 1-2-3
• Midwest Food Bank
• Natural Lands Trust, Media
• New Hope Ministries, Dillsburg
• North Branch Land Trust
• Partnership for Career Development
• Penn's Northeast Inc
• PA Friends of Agriculture Foundation
• Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation
• Pennypack Farm & Education Center
• The Selinsgrove Regional Engagement Center
• The Rising Tide Community Loan Fund
• Riverfront Parks Committee
• Schuylkill Chamber Foundation
• Sparks Foundation, Wyomissing
• Susquehanna Health Foundation
• Center for Dairy Excellence
• The Edible Classroom
• The Greenhouse Project
• The Institute, Wilkes-Barre
• Susquehanna Greenway Partnership
• Trust for Public Land
• Upper Delaware Preservation Coalition
• The Wildlands Conservancy
• Wildheart Harrisburg
• Wildlife Leadership Academy
• Wayne Pike Workforce Alliance
• Allentown YMCA

The foundation’s next round of grants – Energizing Education – will support equitable and engaging high-quality educational opportunities for students. These grants fund programs focused on STEM education, literacy, summer learning, and college and career readiness. Applications for Energizing Education grants are being accepted from Aug. 1 to Sept. 15.

For more information, please visit www.pplcares.com.

09/03/2024

Hawk Mountain

Founded in 1934, Hawk Mountain is the oldest and largest, member-support raptor conservation organization in the world.

Located in Kempton, Pennsylvania, Hawk Mountain's Autumn Migration Hawk Count is the longest running raptor migration count in the world. It began in 1934, when founder Rosalie Edge hired a curator named Maurice Broun, and he started meticulously keeping track of the passing migrants.

Today, Sanctuary staff, trainees, and volunteers are stationed at the lookouts to help visitors spot and identify raptors, including hawks, eagles, falcons, and vultures. The count runs from August 15 through December 15. For raptor enthusiasts and those who cannot make it to Hawk Mountain, daily counts are posted throughout the season on their website.

Source: Hawk Mountain Sanctuary

08/30/2024

August 30, 1682, well-wishers gathered on the docks, shouted fare thee well, waved handkerchiefs and wished everyone a safe trip, as the Welcome, under the command of Captain Robert Greenway, sailed out of Deal harbor in England bound for far away Pennsylvania. The three hundred-ton ship was packed with baggage and crates, barrels of biscuit, pickled beef and pork, kegs of beer, cattle, pigs, sheep, and one hundred passengers (mostly Quakers from Sussex), including the proprietor of their New World destination, William Penn.

A few weeks out at sea, smallpox broke out onboard ship. Half of the crew and passengers on the vessel fell ill with the deadly disease. Penn, who had been infected as a child, was immune. But thirty people died and were buried at sea. On October 27, the ship sailed up the Delaware Bay and docked at New Castle (in present-day Delaware).

There, the English, Dutch and Welsh inhabitants of the town enacted an ancient ceremony, presenting Penn with a piece of turf with a twig in it and a small metal bowl of river water. Thus William Penn officially took possession of the land south of Pennsylvania along the river known as "the three lower counties," land that a few decades later would become the colony of Delaware.

Source: ExplorePAHistory

Image: Illustration by Arnold Anderson. Historical Society of Pennsylvania Library

08/29/2024

On this Day in 1882 the Kinzua Viaduct also known as the Kinzua Bridge was completed in McKean County, Pennsylvania.

Construction of the iron viaduct began during 1881, starting with the placement of the stone piers. When completed during 1882, the Kinzua Bridge Viaduct was the highest railroad viaduct in the world. It was constructed as an alternative to laying an additional eight miles of track over rough terrain along the line leading to McKean County’s coal, timber, and oil lands.

Built of iron, the original viaduct was approximately 301 feet high, 2,053 feet long, and weighed 3,105,000 pounds. The towers were a patented design called Phoenix Columns. By 1900, it became necessary to rebuild the entire structure with steel to accommodate heavier trains. Later that year, about 100 to 150 men, working 10-hour shifts, completed the job in 105 days. The new steel viaduct had the same measurements, but now weighed 6,706,000 pounds.

The Kinzua Bridge State Park opened in 1970. In 1977, the Kinzua Viaduct was placed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks by the Federal Department of Interior. The bridge stood for 121 years before partially collapsing under the powerful winds of a tornado in 2003.

08/28/2024

Frantz One-Room Schoolhouse

Set in the rural woodlands and farm fields of Eldred Township, Monroe County, the Frantz One-Room Schoolhouse served as a school for about 90 years, from its construction circa 1855 until 1945. In fall 2022 it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of the important role such one-room schools played in public education in Pennsylvania and the dedication of the community to preserve the building and its history.

After the passage of the Free School Act of 1834, one-room schoolhouses were built throughout the state with the financial support of local school districts to meet the basic educational needs of children. The commonwealth provided design templates for school construction, giving many of the rural schoolhouses the same easily recognizable one-story, front-facing gable form.

The Frantz schoolhouse, named for the farmer who donated land for its construction, Jacob Frantz, is the best surviving example of the township’s one-room schoolhouses, as some have collapsed and others have been demolished or extensively remodeled for residential use.

Source: Pennsylvania Heritage Magazine
https://www.paheritage.org/membership/pa-heritage-magazine-subscription-mc.html

08/27/2024

"They've struck oil!"

On August 27, 1859, Colonel Edwin Drake and Uncle Billy Smith struck oil on the site now known as the DDrake Well Museum and Park launching the modern petroleum industry.

Visit Drake Well Museum and Park, one of the sites on the PPennsylvania Trails of Historyand watch history in motion while you explore the oil field equipment that powered an industry.

The centerpiece of their exterior exhibits is the full-size replica of Edwin L. Drake's engine house and derrick. Built in 1945, this structure encloses the famous well that struck oil in 1859. The Replica features working reproductions of the wood-fired boiler and steam engine that Drake used to drill and pump oil from the well until 1861.

08/25/2024

It's !
Another PA Creation

The Banana Split was born in Pennsylvania in 1904 in Latrobe, PA. The first documented Banana Split was created by apprentice pharmacist David Strickler - sold at the former Tassell Pharmacy.

Bananas became widely available to Americans in the late 1800s. Strickler capitalized on this by cutting them lengthwise and serving with vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice cream and topped with pineapple, chocolate and strawberry sauces, whipped cream, chopped nuts, and a maraschino cherry. The banana split, as it came to be known, cost 10 cents—double the price of the pharmacy’s other sundaes. He is also credited with designing a boat-shaped glass dish for his treat. Served worldwide, the banana split has become a prevalent American dessert.

The National Association of Ice Cream Retailers acknowledged Latrobe as the birthplace of the banana split in 2004, and in 2013 the Pennsylvania Museum and Historical Commission placed a plaque at the former site of Strickler’s pharmacy (805 Ligonier Street, Latrobe). It was joined by a gigantic banana split statue a few years later.

08/23/2024

Gene Kelly!

Gene Kelly was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on August 23, 1912. His prolific performing career, specifically as the leading male role in "Singin’ in the Rain" and "An American in Paris", made him a household name for the greater part of the twentieth century.

Gene's father, John Kelly, frequently traveled for work and his mother, Harriet raised their children largely alone. She strongly encouraged her children’s pursuits in the performing arts. When Gene was seven years old, she enrolled him and his younger brother James in dance classes at Belinsky’s Dancing School in downtown Pittsburgh. He dreaded the long trek across town to attend the classes because on his way he frequently experienced bullying from other children. In 1920, Harriet organized her children into a performing group called “The Five Kellys,” signing them up to perform at benefits, churches, and hospitals.

Naturally athletic and energetic, young Kelly preferred sports over ancing. As a student, Kelly competed on many sports teams including tennis, football, track, and gymnastics. He loved
attending sporting events, including Pittsburgh Pirates games, with his father.

As a high school student, Kelly pursued his passion for writing and rekindled his desire to dance. During his junior year, Kelly started teaching dance at the Lou Bolton School of Dance, located on Forbes Avenue in Squirrel Hill, and during his senior year he starred in his first major stage production. Kelly’s academic success allowed him to graduate with honors in three years.

Source: PA Center for the book

08/22/2024

The Big Mac
A Pennsylvania Creation


In 1967, Western Pennsylvania native Jim Delligatti created a worldwide taste sensation when he invented the Big Mac. The double-decker burger was first made at his McKnight Road franchise in Pittsburgh, before debuting at his Uniontown McDonald's location on April 22, 1967.

The Big Mac was like McDonald’s other beloved products: quick to assemble and with a distinctive but standard taste. Headquarters took notice, rolled it out nationally in 1968, and in 1974 gave it an unforgettable jingle: Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun...making it the chain’s most recognizable icon.

There's a Big Mac Museum inside the McDonal's in North Huntingdon, PA. Have you been there?

08/21/2024

Ole Bull State Park
Potter County, PA

Ole Bull State Park is named for Ole Bornemann Bull, a famous Norwegian violinist who toured the United States in the 1850s. Enraptured by the beauty of Potter County’s rugged woodlands, Ole Bull entered into an agreement to purchase 11,144 acres of land for a series of settlement in the Kettle Creek Valley, whose mountainous terrain reminded him of his native Norway.

In 1852, Ole Bull attempted to develop a series of Norwegian settlements. He arrived on September 5, 1852 by coach in Coudersport, and within several weeks, an additional 105 colonists had arrived. Over the next year, several hundred more from Wisconsin as well as Norway joined the first contingent.

During the first few months of settlement, laborers constructed a hotel, schoolhouses, and cabins for the new arrivals. He began construction of a “home” at what now is called Ole Bull Vista. He never finished this large, wooden cabin.

Bull had never acquired title to the land upon which his Norwegian settlements were built, and the railroad that was supposed to link the Oleanna settlements to the outside world never materialized. On September 22, 1853, Bull deeded the land back to John F. Cowan for a refund for $103,888, the amount he paid for the land. By October, with winter approaching, many settlers abandoned Oleanna to relocate to the Midwest, or returned to Norway.

Following World War I, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania purchased 132 acres along Kettle Creek and in 1925 opened Ole Bull State Park to the public. In 2002, on the 150th anniversary of the colony's founding, a monument to Ole Bull was erected in the park, a gift of the citizens of Norway to honor the patron's vision and virtuosity in attempting to transplant Norway to America.

08/20/2024

The Historic Moravian Bethlehem District in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, has been added to the World Heritage Sites list, which recognizes natural and historical sites for their cultural impact on humanity.

The Moravian Church settlement becomes the 26th such site in the United States, including two others in Pennsylvania: Philadelphia’s Independence Hall and Stewart Township’s Fallingwater in Mill Run, a property designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

According to the National Park Service, “this site possesses national significance in commemorating the history of the United States of America.” In the 18th century, Moravian settlers from Europe established a communal society here as part of an international religious network and social experiment. The surviving buildings and structures are outstanding examples of German Colonial architecture and Moravian town planning.

Historic Moravian Bethlehem National Historic Landmark District constitutes approximately 14 acres in the heart of the City of Bethlehem. It includes nine structures, four ruins, and God’s Acre cemetery, all within the already designated Historic Moravian Bethlehem National Historic Landmark District — one of only eight Landmark Districts in Pennsylvania and one of just over 200 in the nation.

08/19/2024

It’s the Neshannock Potato!


The Neshannock potato was first cultivated by John Gilkey, an Irish immigrant who came to Pennsylvania in 1797. Settling on a farm in present-day Washington Township, Lawrence County, Gilkey planted three different varieties of potatoes - blue, red, and white. Within a few years of his arrival, these three varieties had cross-pollinated. When Gilkey planted the seed potatoes he collected they produced a new type of potato that he named "Neshannock," after a nearby creek. The Neshannock was a large and long potato, reddish purple in color, with streaks of the same color through the flesh that generally disappeared after the potato was cooked.

Gilkey and his brother gave seed potatoes to friends and neighbors. Soon farmers in nearby counties also were growing them, for they quickly found that the Neshannock was more productive than older varieties, and of good quality in flavor and size. Sometime before 1810, State Representative Bevan Pearson planted the new potato in a garden in Philadelphia and called it the "Mercer" after his home county, where he had obtained the seeds potatoes.

The Neshannock was being marketed as the Gilkey, Mercer, Neshannock, Shannock, or the Shenango. Multiple names might have been confusing to some, but farmers and consumers alike were able to recognize the Neshannock by its distinctive features.

In 1843, the highly respected farmer's journal "The Cultivator" stated that this spud was "one of the most valuable of table potatoes, white, mealy and of good flavor." In the nineteenth century, the Neshannock became the standard commercial potato in the United States. A very productive and an excellent all-purpose potato, it was prized for its size, wonderful flavor, and ability to keep.

With the introduction of new, more productive varieties in the late nineteenth century, the Neshannock gradually fell out of favor. But for much of the 1800s, Pennsylvania's Neshannock potato helped to feed the nation.

08/15/2024

A Pennsylvania First - Row Houses

The first terraced row houses in the United States were developed in Philadelphia.

The first planned row of look-alike housing to be built at one time was Carstairs Row at South 7th and Sansom Streets. Begun circa 1799, Carstairs Row was the brainchild of developer William Sansom. Sansom purchased the property at Walnut Street between Seventh and Eighth Streets at a sheriff’s sale. The land had previously belonged to Robert Morris, and the sale included Morris’ unfinished mansion.

Today, Carstairs Row is a part of Philadelphia’s famous Jeweler’s Row.

Note: Philadelphia’s Elfreth’s Alley is hailed as the longest continually occupied street in the country but since the homes were built at various times and by different builders, they are not true row houses.

08/14/2024

The 77th Little League World Series begins Today

In 1938, a man named Carl Stotz had the idea for an organized
baseball league for the boys in his hometown of Williamsport,
Pennsylvania. Carl had no sons of his own, but he often played ball
with his young nephews and wanted a way to provide an organized
program for them.

Carl gathered ten boys ages 9 to 12 and laid out the dimensions for a baseball diamond suitable for youth their age. The bases were newspaper, the distance between them was determined by the boys running, and the time between them gauged by a stop watch. That summer, the program still did not have a name, and no games were played.

In 1939, Carl and his wife Grayce finally had the support of the first sponsors and three teams were formed: Lycoming Dairy, Lundy Lumber and Jumbo Pretzel. These sponsorships - at $30
each - helped to pay for equipment and uniforms for 30 players. On June 6, 1939, the first ever Little League game was played in Williamsport. Lundy Lumber defeated Lycoming Dairy 23-8.

From these beginnings, Little League International has become the world’s largest organized youth sports program. The basic goal remains the same as it did in 1939, to give the children of
the world a game that provides fundamental principles - sportsmanship, fair play and teamwork - that they can use later in life to become good citizens.

08/13/2024

Lackawanna County

Lackawanna County was formed on August 13, 1878 from the northern part of Luzerne County after a long dispute. It is the youngest of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties.

The name comes from the Lenape that translates to “stream that forks”. At around 40 miles in length, the Lackawanna river is the major tributary of the Susquehanna River and a major waterway for both modern and historic peoples of Northeastern Pennsylvania.

In the 1880’s, the first electric street car system in the United States was built in Scranton, thus earning it the nickname “The Electric City”. Coal breakers dominated the skyline of every community in the County and modern day America was being built off the resources of Lackawanna County. Silk factories became an important part of the local economy, with the first one opening in Scranton in 1872.

Lackawanna County is also home to the Pennsylvania Anthracite Heritage Museum and Scranton Iron Furnaces. Sites on the Pennsylvania Trails of History.

Source: Lackawannacounty.org

08/12/2024

Heidelberg Raceway and Sports Arena


Located near Heidelberg, Pennsylvania in Allegheny County, Heidelberg Raceway was the brainchild of the original Wrights Sea Food Inn owner, Ike Wright. It was originally constructed between 1947 and 1948 to be used as a horse racing establishment, with help and financial backing by Pittsburgh Steelers founder Art Rooney. When horse racing was not legalized in Pennsylvania, the track was converted into a place for auto racing. The original track was a 1/2-mile dirt track.

There wasn’t a facility in Western Pennsylvania and very few in the country that matched its amenities. It was the first with an electric scoreboard. The press box had theater seating and it was air-conditioned. The track was permanently closed at the end of the 1973 season.

Beyond racing, on July 16, 1956, the Heidelberg Race Track was the site for the final performance of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus under the Big Top.

08/11/2024

Gifford Pinchot
A Forester and A Governor


Conservationist and forester Gifford Pinchot, born August 11, 1865, reformed the way in which the early twentieth-century United States managed and developed its valuable natural resources, especially its forests. Pinchot became interested in forestry at an early age. With the support of his wealthy father, Pinchot graduated from Yale University in 1889 and then did graduate work at the French National Forestry School where he learned both French and German practices in the field, then the most advanced in the world. After only one year of school in France, he returned to the U.S. eager to gain practical experience. In 1896, President Grover Cleveland appointed Pinchot to the National Forest Commission and then to head the Division of Forestry in the Department of Agriculture. Pinchot retained this post under Presidents William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt, under whom he headed the new National Forest Service.

After leaving Washington, Pinchot entered Pennsylvania politics. He served two terms as Governor of Pennsylvania: 1923-1927 and 1931-1935. In the end, however, it was for his work in forestry that Pinchot hoped to be remembered. "I have... been a governor every now and then," Pinchot wrote in his memoirs, "but I am a forester all the time."

08/09/2024

Smokey Bear Turns 80

Smokey Bear was born on August 9, 1944, when the USDA Forest Service and the Ad Council agreed that a fictional bear named Smokey would be their symbol for forest fire prevention.

The Living Symbol of Smokey:
In the spring of 1950, in the Capitan Mountains of New Mexico, a young bear cub found himself caught in a burning forest. He climbed a tree to survive, but he was still badly burned. The firefighters who retrieved him were so moved by his bravery, they named him Smokey.

News about this real bear named Smokey spread across the nation, and he was soon given a new home at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. As the living symbol of Smokey Bear, he played an important role in spreading messages of wildfire prevention and forest conservation. Smokey died in 1976 and was returned to Capitan, New Mexico, where he is buried at the State Historical Park, now called Smokey Bear Historical Park.

Join this Saturday at 1pm as they celebrate our favorite bear. Festivities will include curator Josh Fox sharing information and artifacts from Smokey’s past, a birthday cake, and singing “Happy Birthday” to the bear of honor who will make an appearance.

Source: Smokeybear.com

08/08/2024

A Part of Pennsylvania at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

On a hillside in Cameron County in the PA Wilds is a quarry where flagstone for the paved walkway of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was mined. It was Sinnemahoning stone mason August Johnson who quarried the stone and made the flagstone rough cuts for the Tomb’s walkway in 1931.

This particular cut of flagstone, known as Pennsylvania Bluestone, was chosen by the Tomb’s architect because it is perfect in durability and resistance to wear. Rough-cut by Johnson and
ready to roll, a total of 15 railroad carloads of the Sinnemahoning bluestone departed Cameron County. Tons of panels measuring 8 by 10 feet were shipped to a Washington D.C. stone yard
where they were trimmed to fit 800 linear feet of walkway. They were then trucked over to Arlington National Cemetery for placement as walkways leading to the Tomb.

Inside the Military Room at the Cameron County Historical Society’s “Little Museum” in Sterling Run, a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier replica is on display as a tribute to the area’s role in providing the flagstone used in building the Tomb at Arlington.

08/07/2024

Pennsylvania is Home to 4 Lighthouses



Presque Isle Lighthouse: Built in 1872 and turned on the following year, this lighthouse sits on the sandy northern shores of Presque Isle State Park. A lighthouse keeper lived on the site, which was initially very remote, for many years. Finally, in 1962, the light was made fully automatic.

Erie Harbor North Pierhead Light, also known as the Presque Isle North Pier Light is located at the far eastern end of Presque Isle State Park and helps ships and boats navigate their way into the narrow channel to Presque Isle Bay. The unique square-pyramidal design of the lighthouse is the only surviving example of this type left in the United States.

The Erie Land Lighthouse, or the original Presque Isle Light, was built in 1818 and is the first commissioned lighthouse on the Great Lakes in the United States. Today, the Erie Land Lighthouse has been restored and while no longer an active aid to navigation, the site provides spectacular views of Lake Erie and Presque Isle and is open to visitors seasonally.

The Sherman Memorial Lighthouse: Pennsylvania’s only inland working lighthouse. Located on a peninsula at the confluence of the Wild & Scenic Allegheny River and Tionesta Creek, it was built in 2004 by native Jack Sherman to honor his love of lighthouses and his family’s heritage.