Culture

October 27, 2020

Victoria Woodhull: First Female Candidate for President

What would you say if I told you there was a presidential candidate born in the Pennsylvania Wilds? What if I mentioned that she was the first female candidate? You can’t vote for her in this election, of course. I mean, you could, but as she ran in 1872, it would be sort of pointless.

October 24, 2020

Ghosts of the PA Wilds: John Meyers and the Witches of Warren

In the days when Warren County was young, legends of witches were plentiful. But where there are witches, there is often someone to battle them. Elk Country had Loop Hill Ike, and Allegheny National Forest and Surrounds had John Myers, the witch killer.

October 17, 2020

Ghosts of the PA Wilds: Ghosts Locked Up In The I-80 Frontier

If you’re into ghosts, and you’re near Lock Haven, there’s no need to go and pay people to leap out at you in a rubber mask. This community at the nexus of the I-80 Frontier, Dark Skies Landscape, and Pine Creek Valley has plenty of frightening stories. Lou Bernard gives tours about them to benefit the public library every year.

October 10, 2020

Ghosts of the PA Wilds: Werewolves in Cook Forest?

There were reported sightings of an odd monster in the Cook Forest and the Ancients landscape of the Pennsylvania Wilds in the 1940s. The few witnesses who saw it described it as hairy, and very quick, disappearing into the trees after one quick glimpse. *This is the 2020 Ghost of the PA Wilds series, first in an annual weekly column for the month of October written by Lou Bernard.

October 3, 2020

Ghosts of the PA Wilds: A Ghost Hunter in Elk Country

Throughout the Pennsylvania Wilds, in all of recorded history, there are old legends of spirits and monsters. Keating Township, a remote area in Elk Country settled largely by escaped slaves on the Underground Railroad, was always sort of a trendsetter in this regard, and even had its own guy to call for help in the event of a paranormal problem. His name was Isaac Gaines, and he went under the nickname of Loop Hill Ike.

September 20, 2020

Being a tourist in your own community 

COVID-19 has taught us the importance of not only being aware of the businesses, experiences and assets around us, but also the importance of supporting them to ensure their longevity in our communities. 

September 4, 2020

Collins/Kane Hardwoods in the PA Wilds:  Where You Can See the Forest for the Trees

The history and culture of our scenic Pennsylvania Wilds are deeply rooted in the forests and the vast timber resources and wood product industries that have flourished around it. Here in the Wilds, Collins/Kane Hardwood is a major economic player.

August 31, 2020

The Fairy Legend of the Dark Skies Landscape

Ordinarily, if someone claimed to have seen fairies in the Pennsylvania Wilds, you’d have to ask what they were drinking. And maybe if you could have some. But that’s assuming that you weren’t in the Dark Skies Landscape, where there is an old legend that fairies existed, with possibly some truth behind it.

August 24, 2020

Exploring Bellefonte’s rich heritage: A Q&A with local historian and business owner Matt Maris

Every day, we walk past historic buildings and sites, or drive by them on our daily commutes — and we may not even realize it. Matt Maris, the founder of Local Historia, is sharing his knowledge and love for local history in his community of Bellefonte — in the I-80 Frontier region of the PA Wilds — through walking tours.

August 10, 2020

Lock Haven’s Riverwalk

Situated in the I-80 Frontier of the PA Wilds, one end of the Lock Haven riverwalk levee takes travelers to the Elk Scenic Drive, but the entire levee runs along the West Branch Susquehanna River, which is also a great place to swim, fish, or boat.