07/08/2026
History of Mt. Pisgah County Park
It is said that in the fall of 1817, John Dobbins, with Myron Ballard and Elam Kendall, started from Sugar Creek for a general hunt to the nameless mountain. They went to the very apex where they found nice clear spring water, where they pitched their tent for the night. In the morning, Dobbins said, "Boys, this is too nice a place without a name," and taking his knife he cut into the smooth bark of a Norway pine the word, Pisgah. Then, stepping back a few feet, looking to the east and seeing the rising sun in all its splendor, he said, "From Pisgah's top, I view the promised land.'" As thus christened, so has the name of the mountain ever remained.
In 1831, a man by the name of John Salisbury, of Phelps, New York, purchased approximately 400 acres of land that included Mt. Pisgah. Before his death, knowing his health was diminishing, he divided the land among his five children. Mary Salisbury, his daughter, received the northeast section of the property, which encompassed Mt. Pisgah.
Mary married Moses Gustin in 1856, who was a photographer in Troy, Pa. The views from the summit of Mt. Pisgah were so beautiful that he built an observation tower made of wood in 1876. The tower was approximately 75 to 80 feet tall, and it was said that on a clear day, both Elk Mountain near Scranton, Pa. and Cayuga Lake in Ithaca, New York. could be seen. Locals who visited the tower vowed it would never withstand the overpowering winds on the mountain. A storm, one month after the completion of the tower, leveled all the trees, large and small, yet the tower remained unharmed. Locals said the spirits of the great Indian warrior Chief Wetona, who once lived in the area and frequented the top of Mt. Pisgah to pray to the Indian gods, saved the tower. It has been speculated that Chief Wetona was buried atop Mt. Pisgah and has since been moved to an Indian burial ground elsewhere.
Around 1918, the tower had seen its better days, and the harsh weather had taken its toll. The tower was closed to the public for safety reasons and eventually had to be destroyed.
In 1965, the Bradford County Commissioners decided to purchase the land that encompassed the mountain that is now known as Mt. Pisgah County Park.
Mount Pisgah County Park is located almost exactly halfway between Troy and Towanda, near U.S. Route 6, at the top of Mt. Pisgah. Take Rte 6 to Peters Road Follow Peters Road to the end and make a left onto Pisgah Road Following the signs for the County Park, turn right onto Wilcox Drive. This will take you to the top of Mt. Pisgah.
