November 16, 2023

The unique I-80 Frontier

Most people don’t notice this, but the I-80 Frontier is the only PA Wilds landscape named after a man-made landmark. All of the others are named after natural things: forest land, animals, or in one case, just darkness. Sure, they try to fool you with the “frontier” part, but it’s named for Interstate 80, which travels all the way across the PA Wilds. To reach a lot of places in the PA Wilds, you pretty much have to start by getting on 80.

October 30, 2023

Ghosts of the PA Wilds: The Flatwoods Monster visits Elk Country

The Flatwoods Monster is not the easiest creature to categorize. Is it a cryptid? Is it an alien? Nobody’s sure. It was seen in Braxton, West Virginia on September 12, 1952. But the Flatwoods Monster made a quick appearance in the Pennsylvania Wilds, too. The headline hit the front page of the Renovo Daily Record on September 15, 1952: “Drurys Run Folks Spot Flying Saucer.”

October 23, 2023

Ghosts of the PA Wilds: Haunted cemeteries in Cook Forest

There are legends of haunted cemeteries in Cook Forest. There’s at least one. I am speaking here of Crybaby Cemetery, in the southern part of the Cook Forest and the Ancients landscape of the PA Wilds. The cemetery is said to be one of the most haunted spots in Clarion County. Visitors describe the sensation of being watched, and people passing by mention hearing the sound of children crying in the night, particularly on a full moon.

October 16, 2023

Ghosts of the PA Wilds: Dark skies and headless ghosts

A lot of ghost stories come about through old legends, handed down through the generations. Some are further documented, with a certain amount of proof in the form of paperwork - obituaries, newspaper articles, and so on. And in the Dark Skies landscape of the PA Wilds, there’s a ghost that’s both. This one has old legends and modern documentation. What it doesn’t have is a head.

October 9, 2023

Ghosts of the PA Wilds: Hanging Around in Wellsboro

The Hanging Tree is a tall elm that stands just outside the Tioga County Courthouse, in the Pine Creek Valley and the PA Grand Canyon landscape of the PA Wilds. People say that it’s haunted, because it was used to hang criminals back in the 1800s. It sits on Main Steet, just across from the Green. Is there any truth to the story? Most of the citizens of Wellsboro say there is not, at least not as far as the Hanging Tree is concerned.

October 2, 2023

Ghosts of the PA Wilds: Underground ghosts in the I-80 Frontier

Let’s face it - cemeteries are spooky places. It’s creepy and scary, and perfect for Halloween. But in the I-80 Frontier landscape of the PA Wilds, there’s one neighborhood where it’s not necessary to create a cemetery - it’s already there. In Lock Haven, the county seat of Clinton County, along the south side of Bellefonte Avenue, there’s a neighborhood where there was once a cemetery. And, in spite of what people think, some of it is still there.

August 21, 2023

The legend of the Sulphur Serpent

It’s no secret that the Pennsylvania Wilds is full of cryptids. In addition to Bigfoot sightings, there are the local ones: the Giwoggle of Clinton County, the Susquehanna Seal, the Potter Nondescript, and the Clarion What-Is-It. It’s always fun to hear about these mysterious monsters in the woods. There’s a legend of another one, this one in the I-80 Frontier landscape of the PA Wilds. Near Sugar Valley, in southern Clinton County, there’s an old legend of a sort of reptile monster that shows up when a comet is passing: The Sulphur Serpent.

May 26, 2023

A Titanic spot in the PA Wilds

Writer Lou Bernard introduces us to a historical hidden gem in the PA Wilds: a small brick building in Lock Haven that has ties to the doomed voyage of the Titanic and its captain.

March 29, 2023

Roadside markers in the Pennsylvania Wilds

If you’ve done any sort of traveling in Pennsylvania, you’ve definitely seen them: the roadside historic markers. Invariably dark blue with yellow lettering, these markers stand beside the roads in Pennsylvania to capture the stories and tell the history of specific locations. They are created and maintained by the Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission in Harrisburg, and they’re found in every county.

March 8, 2023

Up to Hyner View

On a high peak in Chapman Township, you can see for miles up and down the Susquehanna River valley. At the top of the mountain, Hyner View State Park is 1,940 feet above sea level. It’s above Route 120, and if you want to see a lot of the Elk Country landscape all at once, this is the place to go.