Pennsylvania National Historic Sites

4/12/1997 Continued on to the Allegheny Portage Railroad NHS [NHL]. This was a 1830s system or regular rail and cable car type lifting rails that carried boats (some of which separated into sections) over the mountains from one canal system to another, allowing canal travel from Phili to/from Pittsburgh. Took a walk (in the rain) down to the engine house for the lifting sections to the summit. Good displays in the visitor center.

Interpretive signage at the site

A nice interior display

11/3/1996 Drove into Phili, parked at Edgar Allan Poe NHS [NHL]. Saw slide show, walked around house. Poe lived here about a year, and didn’t leave anything. House is completely bare (plaster walls, etc.) so not that interesting. Did see cellar that probably inspired “The Black Cat”.

The park sign

The home exterior ...

... and an interior

"Nevermore"

2/28/2016 First stop, the Edgar Allan Poe House NHS and NHL. This is the preserved home rented by the author in 1843, the only Philadelphia home of his that survives. We watched a short video then walked around the house. There aren't any furnishings; in fact there are just unfinished plaster walls everywhere. After a quick walk outside we hit the road...

The park sign and the house

Views inside ...

... with hints of what was there

A view of the house from out back

The house and VC

Well, maybe once more ...

Inspiration for The Black Cat

2/15/1997 ... took shuttle to Eisenhower [NHS] Farm (NPS) [Dwight D. Eisenhower Farmstead NHL]. Walked around house and outside grounds - very pretty with snow on the ground. Shuttle back to Visitor Center.

The park sign

The Eisenhower home

Me out front in the cold

4/11/1997 From there to Friendship Hill NHS [Albert Gallatin House NHL], home of Albert Gallatin (among many things Secretary of Treasury for Jefferson and Madison). Nice talking hologram presentation in house, but no furnishings (house has beautiful location on hill overlooking the Monongahela River). Took great walk in beautiful weather to A. S. first wife’s grave and through woods.

The park sign

Gallatin's home in a pretty location

Me from one of the out buildings

A sculpture of Gallatin

11/2/1996 NJ/PA Turnpikes, then back roads to Hopewell Furnace NHS. Weather brisk but nice fall day. Walked around village area that produced iron in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Saw water wheel bellows and furnace where they made pig iron and “Big House” where the master lived. As a fun extra, got buckets and apple-picking poles and picked apples in the orchard - got nice Yorks and Red Romes.

The park sign

The Big House

A shot of the exterior of the works

Maureen by the water wheel

10/24/2023 Back southeast we continued on the back roads to park for at least an NRT, and possibly an NHS. We parked at the Nathan Care House, a structure at the southern end of the Hopewell Furnace NHS, which is closed on Tuesday. This area was not gated off, like the main entrance road was. Our first goal was to hit the Horse-Shoe Trail NRT. The NRT is a 17.4-mile segment of the 141-mile bridle ("Horse") and hiking ("Shoe") path connecting Valley Forge NHP and the Schuylkill River Trail with the Appalachian NST, and which is closely related to the development of the early iron industry. A short distance from where we parked, at the road, we found the clearly marked trail, including named post, NRT emblem, and blazed trees. We walked a short distance on each side of the road to get a feel of the trail, then headed back north past the parking towards the core of the NHS. We feared there would be gates, signs, or other things to dissuade us from continuing, but all we saw were some interpretive signs and “Welcome to Hopewell Furnace”. Whoo-hoo! More great photo-ops as we passed historic buildings, nicely lit in the morning sun, and up to the furnace complex to walk around and into the buildings. One has an overshot waterwheel that we could see running the air pumps needed for the furnace. This part of the NHS is also at one end of the Baptism Creek NRT, a roughly mile long trail that winds through Hopewell Furnace, featuring the East Race that bring water to run the furnace’s water wheel, along with other village buildings that are part of the iron making industry - this morning stop really paid off!

The park sign for the main entrance

Horse-Shoe Trail NRT post ...

... with emblem

I photo the trail ...

... with blaze

A pretty view down the NRT

The park sign ...

... on our walking route

Interpretive signage

The nice area ...

... with houses and such

Us in beautiful surroundings in a 360

Nice views ...

... on a pretty day

More signage about life here

The furnace complex

Another view from higher up

The waterwheel ...

... running the air pumps

Inside the building

Me and my wagon

A 360 from a barrel ...

... then using the barrel ...

... to get us

7/5/1996 Drove to Scranton and parked at Steamtown NHS (got there at 8:30, opens at 9). ... looked at some of the huge engines displayed outside including a big 4-8-8-4. Went inside the visitor center and got on a tour of the maintenance areas of the old roundhouse. As the tour ended, a huge steam engine was just backing out of the roundhouse onto the turntable - magnificent sounds! This train turned on the turntable and left the roundhouse area, to be used later for excursion trips. A smaller engine pulled into the roundhouse yard area and sat there, full of coal and steaming away. Old engineer types (former railroad workers) fit the picture perfectly. Also visited an interesting technology museum.

The park sign

One of the huge engines

Engineer Bill from the inside ...

... and outside

On the roundhouse turntable

Puffing away like in years gone by

10/2/2004 Walked over to the Steamtown NHS [also in the Lackawanna Valley NHA]. Much more stuff here (2nd visit) on history and technology of trains. Took a ride on a 3 car train pulled by steam engine, then watched 2 locomotives pulled onto the turn table, circled around and into the roundhouse. Very cool – huge engine up so close that you could feel the heat.

caption

Me by a really big loco!

The roundhouse and turntable

Our excursion loco

The full excursion train outside ...

... and from the inside

Me taking a ride

National Historic Sites - Pennsylvania