Pennsylvania national parks mark some of our most significant historical moments

JUMONVILLE — This weekend, in honor of the 106th birthday of the founding of America’s Nationwide Park Service, western and central Pennsylvanians can go to parks which can be deeply rooted within the founding of our nation and likewise commemorate two of our nation’s best tragedies.

The problem is to notch all 5 in three days. Excellent news: All of them have free admittance, every customer receives a commemorative medallion as a memento, and every park has miles of trails and waterways to get pleasure from together with the historic significance of their place within the story of our nation.

The 5 are the Allegheny Portage Railroad Nationwide Historic Website, the Johnstown Flood Nationwide Memorial, the Flight 93 Nationwide Memorial, Fort Necessity Nationwide Battlefield/Jumonville Glen, and the Friendship Hill Nationwide Historic Website.

Nationwide Park Ranger Doug Bosley mentioned the superintendent of all 5 parks, Steve Clark, was attempting to think about a solution to construct curiosity in these western Pennsylvania landmarks: “We got here up with the thought to have a weekend for folks to go to all of them and mark the event for the Nationwide Parks’ 106th birthday. … There are such a lot of massive tales concerning the founding of our nation, our industrial previous together with a number of the nice tragedies in our nation. We wished to remind folks they’re proper of their yard or simply a few hours away if you happen to reside in D.C. or Baltimore.”

Clark, who dubbed the occasion “WEPA [Western Pennsylvania] in a Weekend,” mentioned the occasion encourages guests to study these distinctive and vital locations but in addition use the paths and surroundings that encompass them as inspiration.

Right here at Jumonville Glen — a part of the Fort Necessity Battleground Nationwide Park — guests can stand and hike across the very spot the place George Washington fairly by accident began the French and Indian Conflict; the skirmish right here led to the battle additional down the highway at Fort Necessity and marked the second that finally led to the American Revolution.

Down the highway in New Geneva is the superbly preserved house, Friendship Hill, of one of the vital vital of the early shapers of constitutional governance, Albert Gallatin, whose in style historical past is essentially forgotten. Gallatin holds the excellence of not solely being the longest serving secretary of treasury in American historical past, however he was additionally liable for arranging the financing for the Louisiana Buy, funding the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and founding New York College. He lived at Friendship Hill till his spouse, accustomed to well mannered society in New York, begged him to maneuver out of what was then the frontier again to the town.

(Salena Zito)

In Blair County, the Allegheny Portage Railroad Nationwide Historic Website marks the primary railroad ever to traverse the mighty Allegheny Mountains, thought-about the Seventh Surprise of the World when it was engineered. Its opening made attainable the primary single, direct route between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and the ultimate hyperlink to the Pennsylvania Principal Line Canal.

The Johnstown Flood Museum in Cambria County is a vivid interactive park that marks the second in sensible element when the Conemaugh Lake, a non-public lake that was a part of the South Fork Fishing and Searching membership, spilled 20 million tons of water into the valley beneath, and it tells the story from the angle of the place the dam broke.

(Salena Zito)

The primary Individuals to combat again towards terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001, occurred right here over the skies of Somerset County. The Flight 93 Nationwide Memorial in Shanksville is a riveting monument to the horrors and the bravery of that day. The serene strolling trails that encompass the affect website actually present how distant this place was from all the different terror assaults that day.

Bosley mentioned they hope this particular programming will both remind folks they’re right here or discover them for the primary time.

“Possibly they have been to us earlier than, perhaps not,” he mentioned. “All the nice tales that we have now, whether or not there may be historical past, nature, recreation, or on our miles of trails — folks can stroll their canine, come inside to see our customer facilities and the park movies, or go on a ranger program or tour or stroll and benefit from the reenactors at Fort Necessity. There are simply so many particular issues in these websites.”