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Published: April 27th 2015
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Pennsylvania Lumber Museum
Top: Before
Bottom: present Hello, Hello Everyone! Hope you have settled back into your regular routines and are enjoying the small signs of Spring. There are a slew of robins working away in our yard. Best of all, I heard the peepers the other night...I love their song! I could listen to them forever. Peep, Peep, Peep. Now that we are back home from spending our winter in Florida (and what a grand time we had), we took a nice drive to Coudersport, PA. -- @ 30 miles from home. The sun was shining, the sky was a gorgeous Florida blue color and it was just fun to be back in our own neck of the woods (still all brown sticks, though). We live in Shongo, a hamlet in New York @ one mile from the PA. border so we can easily travel areas in New York & Pennsylvania without going too far from home. Our destination was the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum Vistor's Center in Galeton, PA. They were having a spring Antique Show there. We used to set up our "wares" at their Fall show. The surroundings were absolutely beautiful. The autumn leaves were always just breath-taking beyond belief. Since we are trying to
Fezz's Diner
Tuna Melt - not the Earl's get out of the business (we are, we are, but it's not easy cause it's in our blood) we went to just see old dealer friends......not to buy anymore stuff (that's correct). What a nice surprise when we arrived! The entire main visitor center has been completely renovated. It is magnificent. I wish you all could see it in person. The previous building was very nice.....the exhibits so interesting and informative - all set in an all wooden environment. Of course, the grounds have many huge exhibits related to the lumber business in Pennsylvania. We just received an invitation from this place to attend their grand re-opening ceremony in May. They have one of our flambeau's on their exhibit display that we were selling at one of the shows.
We traveled along Route 6 to Coudersport, PA. First, we stopped to eat lunch at Fezz's Diner (an original silver top diner). Food was good but their tuna melt does not compare to the Earl of Sandwich - nothing can (my most favorite of all times). If you drive up the old winding road next to this diner (Ice Mine Rd.) you will come to the Coudersport Ice Mine. It
Masonic Consistory
Scottish Rite Masonry Complex has been in existence since 1892 - baffling its visitors how it can always have frozen ice in it especially through the summer months. Coudersport has many very interesting points of interest. Coming into Coudersport on Rt.6, you quickly pass the enormous brick buildings on your right: the Masonic Consistory. Across the road and lodged behind a parking lot stands the Lewis Mansion. Fiction writer, Margaret Sutton, author of the Judy Bolton book series, once resided here. She called it "Farringdon-Pett Mansion." Heading towards Main St., you pass the Cole Manor...the original hospital in 1917. I didn't take a picture of their prominent courthouse but inside is a Lady Justice statue: one of only 6 statues in the U.S. that isn't wearing a blindfold. Heading down the main drag, you pass the old movie theater built in 1923. It was here that John Regis, founder of Adelphia Communications began his first business venture. It is still in operation...just going digital now. Across the street and down a bit is the huge, magnificent, abandoned house called The Old Hickory Tavern. You can stand in awe looking at it and wonder what its walls could say. Another block down stands the Planned
Lewis Mansion
Cole Manor: the original hospital Adelphia Commincations Corporate Headquarters Building. This massive stucture was never used after John Regis and his son were found guilty of financial mishandling of their company (Adelphia Cable)and sent to jail where they still reside. You can Google all these people and places to learn much more about each...do it: very interesting. Located on one of the residential streets is a Greek revival, glorious home built for one of John Regis's sons. Again, it sits unfinished and abandoned. As we left Coudersport, we passed John Regis's home.....a sprawling residence that showed the loss of its original owners (John's wife, Doris, recently died). Many, many buildings, all painted in the distinctive brown color, line the road between Coudersport and Gold, PA.(Rt. 49) - all part of John's legacy at one time. Our drive took us through the hillsides of brown stick trees that are so familiar to us from late autumn until early summer when everything turns to thick, green lushness. I couldn't resist taking a photo of the old schoolhouse/grange in Gold, PA. What activity it must have seen over the years. Now it only has wild critters to make it stay alive. Gold, PA. holds the headwaters for the
Coudersport Ice Mine
Coudersport Movie Theater Genesee River - one of only a few rivers that flow from the South to the North. It flows through Shongo where so many of our memories have been made. And then we are home: Shongo. That's our pole barn, my store that I never open and our old farmhouse built in the late 1880's. In the backyard are big ruts in the soft ground from trying to turn our RV around. Better than hitting the church!
We hope you enjoyed the ride. It was great having you along with us again. Lulu stayed in the backseat the whole time - behaving herself for a change. It was so nice to be with you once again...we've missed you and it's only been a week since we arrived home. Keep you dates clear in case we head out for another excursion. We want to be sure you can join us. See you then.
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