HISTORY of BUCKHANAN STATE FOREST The Buchanan State Forest was named in honor of James Buchanan, 15th President of the United States. The area consists of five principal tracts that cover 70,386 acres of Commonwealth-owned forest lands, administered by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The large areas are known as Martin Hill and the Resettlement Lands, locally known as LU (Limited use lands), in southern Bedford County, Sideling Hill and Allens Valley in northern Fulton County and the Bear Valley tract in northwestern Franklin County. Nearly all the of this land was purchased by the Commonwealth between 1904 and the early 1930s when the logging companies were either letting their cutover lands be sold for taxes or selling them to the state for approximately two dollars per acre. Today, this second and third growth forest is again producing valuable timber. In addition to growth forest is again producing valuable timber. In addition to the timber resource, the Buchanan State Forest offers opportunities for hunting and fishing in addition to trails for hiking, snowmobiling , ATV riding, horseback riding, mountain biking, and cross-country skiing. The gas storage field near Artemas, in Bedford County, plays and important role in helping to provide natural gas for the cities of eastern Maryland and Virginia. A now-defunct stone quarry in the Bear Valley was famous for its Roxbury Sandstone. This is a region of historic interest and scenic bearuty. In Bedford County, there is a saltpeter cave within the Sweet Root Natural Area where saltpeter had been produced for gunpowder before and during the American Revolution. Close by and the Resettlement Lands, containing several old cemeteries that date back to pre Civil War days. Winding through Allens Valley and westward over Sideling Hill in Fulton County are traces of an early military highway known as the Forbes or Forbes-Burd Road, built by General John Forbes and Colonel James Burd. Theis served as a link between Carlisle and Pittsburgh, and provided the British with the means to carry military supplies to their western outposts at Fort Pitt and Fort Duquesne in todays Point State Park at the forks of the Monongahela Allegheny and Ohio Rivers. Further south near Cove Gap, is Buchanans Birthplace State Park, the birthplace of James Buchanan. the site, formally known as Stony Batter, is marked by an imposing stone pyramid surrounded by Norway spruce trees. On Sideling Hill Mountain, along old logging trails bearing such names as Hinish and Sproat, there are remnants of logging railroad spurs built at the turn of the century. Nestled at the foot of the western slope of Sideling Hill, near Oregon Creek, is the site of the former CCC Camp Number S-52 built in 1933. During the Great Depression, several hundred young men lived here and constructed most of the forest roads and trails that still exist near this area. In 1940, this camp became quarters for Conscientious Objecters, draftees who were excused from bearing arms during world war 2. In 1944, the site was surrounded with high barbed wire fence and used again by the Army to house German prisoners of war. Today, the observant visitor can still find evidence of the P.O.W. and CCC Camp facilities. Other CCC camps on the forest were located at Sweet Root, along Blankley Road, and near the Bear Valley Picnic Area. Lwss than a quarter mile from the Oregon Camp is the unused west portal of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Sideling Hill Tunnel. This tunnel and the Rays Hill Tunnel were completed in 1939. Millions of vehicles passed through these portals until a bypass was constructed over the two mountains in 1969. The abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike was purchased by the Southern Alleghenies Conservancy for $1, with plans to create a bicycle trail. Another interesting bit of history from Oregon Rtoad area is an almost hidden aqueduct or culvert, a masterpiece of native sandstone measuring approximately 6 feet in diameter by 180 feet in length. It was constructed by several hundred stonemasons and laborers brought in from Sicily in 1884 or 1885, and meant to carry the waters of Wooodridge Run beneath the South Pennsylvania Railroad, which would have traversed northern Fulton County via tunnels through Sideling Hill and Rays Hills. The South Penn Railroad line was never finished but much of the route, including the tunnels was utilized by the Pennsylvania Turnpike which opened in 1940.
Posted on: Fri, 24 Jan 2014 05:34:39 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015