Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know

edit · view

Did you know...

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/1

... that the Pennsylvania Hospital (pictured), cofounded by Benjamin Franklin, was the first hospital in the United States?
... that the Curse of Billy Penn is an alleged curse that may explain the failures of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania professional sports teams?
... that the U.S. federal government sold the disputed Erie Triangle region to Pennsylvania in 1792 so that state would have a freshwater port?
... that Lake Nockamixon is the start of a whitewater kayaking course going through northern Bucks County, Pennsylvania?
... that the American Bridge Company, builders of four of the world's tallest buildings, was founded on land in Ambridge, Pennsylvania that was bought from the Harmony Society, whose celibacy practice led to their decline?

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/2

… that the 1,040-foot (320 m) long Starrucca Viaduct (pictured) in Lanesboro, Pennsylvania was the largest and most expensive stone railway viaduct when built in 1848, and is still in use by the Norfolk Southern Railway?
… that in 1977, K. Leroy Irvis of Pennsylvania became the first Black American to serve as a speaker of the house in any state legislature in the United States?
… that in the early 1900s, the Spruce Flats Bog in Forbes State Forest, Pennsylvania underwent a forced reversal from forest to bog, and is now slowly returning to a forest?
… that during the American Civil War, Pennsylvania provided over 360,000 soldiers who served in the Union Army, more than any other Northern state except New York?
... that the Fair Play Men, a group of squatters in colonial Pennsylvania, made their own declaration of independence from Britain on July 4, 1776 on the banks of Pine Creek?

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/3

… that the large pothole in Archbald Pothole State Park (sign pictured) in Pennsylvania formed about 13,000 years ago in the Wisconsin glaciation, but was not discovered until 1884 by a coal miner?
… that Chiques Creek in Pennsylvania, named for the Lenape word Chiquesalunga (meaning place of crayfish), has 13 variant names according to the USGS?
… that although the name of Pennsylvania's western Conewago Creek means at the rapids in the Lenape language, there are no rapids in the creek itself?
… that Ravensburg State Park in Pennsylvania, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, is named for the ravens that still roost there?
… that Ole Bull State Park in Pennsylvania is named for the renowned Norwegian violinist who tried to establish a Norwegian colony in the wilderness there in the 1850s?

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/4

... that Lyman Run State Park (pictured) in Pennsylvania was the site of logging operations, a Civilian Conservation Corps camp, and a World War II prisoner-of-war camp before becoming a Pennsylvania state park in 1951?
... that the Jersey Shore, Pine Creek and Buffalo Railway, once promoted to connect the Pennsylvania–New York oil fields with New York City, instead became part of the New York Central's line to the coal mines around Clearfield, Pennsylvania?
… that Colonel Denning State Park, which opened in Pennsylvania in 1936, is named for an American Revolutionary War hero, Colonel William Denning, who was a sergeant not a colonel?
… that Wyoming Seminary, a private school in Kingston, Pennsylvania, participated in the first nighttime American football game in 1892?
… that Frances Slocum State Park in Pennsylvania is named for a woman captured by the Lenape at age 5, who permanently lived with Native Americans despite reuniting with her family 59 years later?

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/5

... that Worlds End State Park (pictured) in Pennsylvania is sometimes erroneously known as "Whirls End State Park", its official name for seven years?
... that the Native American Sheshequin Path along Lycoming Creek, Pennsylvania was prone to such bad weather that an evil spirit was believed to reside there?
... that Tussey Mountain in Pennsylvania has been designated as an Important Bird Area, as it is home to several raptor species during their spring migration?
... that the summer stock theater at Caledonia State Park in Pennsylvania regularly featured actress Jean Stapleton, well-known for her role as Edith Bunker on the 70's TV classic All in the Family?
... that Cowans Gap State Park in Pennsylvania was the site of a key road in the French and Indian War, a pioneer farm, a charcoal operation, and a CCC Camp?

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/6

… that Delaware Canal State Park (pictured) in Pennsylvania contains the only intact 19th century towpath canal in the United States?
… that Maurice K. Goddard helped create 45 Pennsylvania state parks?
… that although Lehigh Gorge State Park in Pennsylvania is now known for whitewater rafting on the Lehigh River, in the 19th century it was the site of a canal built to bypass those same rapids?
… that Jacob Nolde was so inspired by a pine tree on his land in the early 1900s that he planted 500,000 more in what is now Nolde Forest Environmental Education Center in Pennsylvania?
… that the Bellefonte Central Railroad once carried passengers and freight to Pennsylvania State University?

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/7

... that Oil Creek State Park (pictured) in Pennsylvania is the site of the world's first commercial oil well?
... that Robert Coleman, owner of several iron furnaces, was Pennsylvania's first millionaire?
... that Cornwall Iron Furnace in Pennsylvania is the only intact charcoal-burning iron blast furnace on its original plantation in the Western Hemisphere?
... that Peter Böhler and other Moravian followers founded the towns of Bethlehem and Nazareth, Pennsylvania?
... that Graeme Park is the only surviving residence of a colonial era Governor of Pennsylvania?

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/8

... that Eagle Grange No. 1 (pictured) in Clinton Township, Lycoming County was the first grange to be established in Pennsylvania?
... that Madame Montour, of Native American and French Canadian heritage, was paid the same as a man when she worked as a translator for the colonial governments of New York and Pennsylvania in the first half of the 18th century?
... that in the Big Runaway during the American Revolution in Pennsylvania in 1778, Rachel Silverthorn rode to warn settlers on Muncy Creek of impending attack when no man would?
... that Shikellamy, an Oneida chief, was an emissary between the Iroquois and colonial government of Pennsylvania for nearly twenty years and helped negotiate several treaties?
… that St. Stanislaus Kostka Church is one of Pittsburgh's oldest churches and a prime example of the Polish Cathedral-style?

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/9

... that the Mid-Delaware Bridge (pictured) over the Delaware River between Pennsylvania and New York is the uppermost four-lane bridge on the river's main stem?
... that Fort Antes in what is now Nippenose Township, Pennsylvania, survived a scorched earth attack during the American Revolutionary War, despite having been abandoned by its defenders?
... that the Susquehanna Boom led to Williamsport, Pennsylvania having more millionaires per capita than any other city at the time?
... that Peter Herdic, a 19th century Pennsylvania lumber baron, millionaire, and philanthropist, also invented the horse-drawn herdic, an early form of taxicab?
... that Sylvia Seegrist was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences for killing three people in 1985 in a Pennsylvania shopping mall, even though she had a history of paranoid schizophrenia?

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/10

... that Daniel Hughes (pictured) was a mulatto raftsman who led fugitive slaves to freedom by transporting them in his barge and providing shelter at his Loyalsock Township, Pennsylvania home?
... that Dr. Joseph Rothrock is known as the "Father of Forestry" in Pennsylvania, and is the namesake for Rothrock State Forest?
... that Williamsport, Pennsylvania was once known as the "Lumber Capital of the World" and is the birthplace of Little League Baseball?
... that the Pennsylvania Ministerium was the first Lutheran church body in North America?
... that although Plunketts Creek in Pennsylvania was named for a suspected Loyalist during the American Revolution, by 1838 his name was so controversial that Plunketts Creek Township was named for the creek instead?

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/11

... that the Gudgeonville Covered Bridge (pictured) in Girard, Pennsylvania was said by local residents to be haunted by the ghost of a donkey?
... that the trolley believed to have been used in the film A Streetcar Named Desire is housed at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum?
... that when 400 registered nurses unionized with the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals on July 19, 2007, it was the largest successful organizing effort among nurses in the state since 2000?
... that although enterprising citizens were said to have dragged a flatboat up Spring Creek to establish Bellefonte, Pennsylvania as the head of navigation and the county seat in 1800, the Bald Eagle and Spring Creek Navigation canal did not reach the town until 1848?
... that the Old Loggers Path, a loop hiking trail in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, uses old logging railroad grades and roads, and its trailhead is a lumber ghost town?

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/12

... that Pennsylvania's Kinzua Bridge (remnants pictured) was the world's longest and tallest railroad bridge when built in 1882, became a state park in 1970, and was knocked down by a tornado in 2003?
... that the Cogan House Covered Bridge in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania was built by a millwright who preassembled the frame in a field beside the sawmill to make sure it all fit?
... that the Joseph Priestley House in Northumberland, Pennsylvania was the site of the first and only laboratory Priestley designed, built and outfitted himself, as well as several American Chemical Society celebrations?
... that the new Carl E. Stotz Memorial Little League Bridge over the West Branch Susquehanna River between Williamsport and South Williamsport in Pennsylvania is the seventh on that site, and that three of the previous bridges were destroyed by floods?
... that Snyder Middleswarth Natural Area lost its status as a Pennsylvania state park in the 1990s despite being a National Natural Landmark and Snyder County's only state park?

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/13

... that the Pine Creek Rail Trail (pictured), a 65-mile (105 km) rail trail along Pine Creek in Pennsylvania, was named one of "10 great places to take a bike tour" in the world by USA Today?
... that the Cohocksink Creek was once the boundary between two Pennsylvania towns and now runs beneath the streets of the Philadelphia neighborhood of Northern Liberties?
... that in 2002 the Western New York and Pennsylvania Railroad bought 411⁄2 miles (66.8 km) of track between Meadville and Corry, Pennsylvania for $1?
... that when the first portion of the Lackawanna and Bloomsburg Railroad opened in 1856, it led to the incorporation of Kingston, Pennsylvania, and to the establishment of Kingston's first public transit line?
... that Laporte, one of thirteen municipalities in Sullivan County, is Pennsylvania's smallest county seat by population?

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/14

... that alleged paranormal activity at the Andrew Bayne Memorial Library (pictured) in Bellevue, Pennsylvania reportedly peaked in 1998, when a 400-year-old elm tree on the property was dying of Dutch elm disease?
... that Frederic A. Godcharles served as a Pennsylvania Representative and Senator, as director of its state library and museum, and wrote twelve volumes on its history?
… that Larrys Creek in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania has 42 named tributaries in its watershed, including one named "Little Dog Run"?
… that the Intelligencer Journal of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, established in 1794, is one of the oldest newspapers in the United States?
… that, during a Fersommling, the only language spoken is Pennsylvania Dutch and that anyone who speaks English has to pay a fine for each word?

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/15

... that Mid-State Regional Airport (pictured) is a Keystone Opportunity Zone to promote economic growth, but, to protect the Pennsylvania state park and forest it was formed from, cannot legally expand?
... that the 1852 Lombard Street Riot capped thirteen years of recurring racial violence in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania?
... that both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama refused to hand out street money, a political tactic common in Philadelphia, during the 2008 Pennsylvania primary?
... that when the YMCA of Berwick was incorporated in Pennsylvania in 1883, the majority of the organization's trustees were current executives of Jackson and Woodin Manufacturing Company?
... that of the 30 covered bridges that once stood in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, only Forksville, Hillsgrove, and Sonestown remain, all of which were built in 1850?

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/16

... that the Franklin County Courthouse (pictured), in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, incorporates the walls and columns left after Confederate forces burned the previous courthouse during the American Civil War?
... that the meandering Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad line took 77.2 miles (124.2 km) to connect Baltimore, Maryland and York, Pennsylvania although the two cities are only 45 miles (72 km) apart in a straight line?
... that despite being the first hot blast iron furnace in Centre County, Pennsylvania, Bellefonte Furnace was idle for more than six of its first ten years of existence?
... that the Pond Eddy Bridge, built in 1904, is the only artery to access 22 homes in Pennsylvania?
... that Frank W. Preston invented the furnace which made Corelle glassware possible and worked to establish Moraine State Park in Pennsylvania?

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/17

... that the Millersburg Ferry (pictured) in Pennsylvania is the last ferry on the Susquehanna River and the last authentic wooden double stern-wheeled paddle boat operating in the United States?
... that the Erie Gauge War in 1853 was nicknamed the "Peanut War" because its outcome affected the street vendors who sold peanuts to travelers in Erie, Pennsylvania the most?
... that American Revolutionary war officer Anthony Wayne's bones are buried at St. David's Episcopal Church in Pennsylvania, while the rest of him is buried hundreds of miles away in Erie, Pennsylvania?
... that the Pine Creek Path, a Native American trail along Pine Creek in Pennsylvania, was later used by lumbermen, then its course was followed by a railroad, and today it is a rail trail?
... that Congregation Beth Israel, a Conservative synagogue in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, was designed by Percival Goodman to mirror the barns of nearby Pennsylvania Dutch farmers?

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/18

... that the Photuris pennsylvanica (pictured), a species of lightning bug, is Pennsylvania's state insect?
... that when the namesake of Yardley, Pennsylvania, William Yardley, moved from England to Pennsylvania in 1682, he took with him 40 pounds (18 kg) of shoes?
... that the smallest Natural Area in Pennsylvania protects a stand of box huckleberry, but another stand nearby is the oldest plant in the United States?
... that the Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783 was a primary reason for the creation of a separate federal district to serve as the capital of the United States?
... that Congress Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania served as the capitol building of the United States from 1790 to 1800?

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/19

... that the Waterford Covered Bridge (pictured), in Erie County, Pennsylvania, is nicknamed the "Old Kissing Bridge"?
... that the Detroit Tigers gave the Williamsport Tigers not only their name, but also grandstand seats taken from Briggs Field in Detroit for their minor league baseball stadium in Williamsport, Pennsylvania?
... that the Ghost Town Trail in Western Pennsylvania utilizes 36 miles (58 km) of donated and abandoned railroad and features many abandoned mining ghost towns?
... that the mid-19th century stone arch Bridge No. 3 over Plunketts Creek in Pennsylvania, is listed on the Historic American Engineering Record even though it was destroyed in a 1996 flood?
... that Pennsylvania's longest cave extends from Harlansburg to Rose Point, over 11 miles (18 km) away?

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/20

... that the Soldiers and Sailors Monument (pictured) in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, stands on the site of a 1777 Second Continental Congress meeting?
... that the State Street Bridge in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, is flanked by two 145-foot (44 m) pylons representing the U.S. Army and Navy?
... that to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Christmas lights and decorations on Summer Street in Duboistown, Pennsylvania, the mayor proclaimed "December as Candy Cane Lane month forever more"?
... that Pennsylvania Route 343 underwent numerous realignments until 1970?
... that the Everett Railroad is named after its former location near Everett, Pennsylvania?

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/21

... that in its heyday, the historic Mountain Springs Hotel (pictured) in Ephrata, Pennsylvania, hosted U.S. Presidents Lincoln, Grant, and Buchanan?
... that although done in spurts, it took until the mid-20th century to finish paving Pennsylvania Route 664?
... that a 2009 Pennsylvania court case ruled that poker is a game of skill, thus not subject to the state laws related to gambling?
... that Teedyuscung, known as the King of the Delawares, lost much of his territory to colonial Pennsylvania in the Walking Purchase and later sought retribution for the massive land loss?
... that the Old Indiana County Courthouse was featured with Indiana, Pennsylvania-native Jimmy Stewart on the cover of LIFE in 1945?

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/22

... that the Sideling Hill Tunnel (pictured) is one of the two tunnels that make up the Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike?
... that John Sutton Hall at Indiana University of Pennsylvania was set for demolition until its listing on the National Register of Historic Places?
... that Josh Gibson Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is named for Negro League star Josh Gibson, who has been called the "black Babe Ruth?"
... that the Carnegie Library of Homestead in Munhall, Pennsylvania, trained four Olympic swimmers and sponsored both one of the 1890s' best football clubs and a baseball team with Hall of Famer Rube Waddell?
... that there were more than 20 arsons in the Coatesville, Pennsylvania, area since January 1, 2009, and 15 reported arsons there in 2008?

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/23

... that Isaac D. Barnard (pictured) fought at the Battle of Plattsburg in the War of 1812, and later became Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania?
… that the decision of a Pennsylvania provincial court in 1764, The King v. Haas, is one of the first attempts to apply the writ of habeas corpus in the Thirteen Colonies?
… that the 31-mile (50 km) West Rim Trail along the Grand Canyon was selected by Outside Magazine as the best hike in Pennsylvania?
… that six latrines at Black Moshannon State Park in Pennsylvania are listed on the National Register of Historic Places?
... that the now-defunct Arbogast & Bastian abattoir in Allentown, Pennsylvania, could process most of the 850,000 hogs raised annually in Pennsylvania?

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/24

... that the Merrill Lock No. 6 (pictured), located on the Ohio River in Pennsylvania, was converted from a lock complex to a restaurant?
... that before becoming Governor of Pennsylvania, John K. Tener was a Major League Baseball player who once explained the game to the future King Edward VII?
... that John Fetterman, the mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania, lives in a warehouse he purchased for $2,000?
... that the only surviving structure from the Coudersport and Port Allegany Railroad is a train station that is now the town hall of Coudersport, Pennsylvania?
... that the 85-mile (137 km) Susquehannock Trail System hiking trail passes through the 30,253-acre (12,243 ha) Hammersley Wild Area, the largest area in Pennsylvania without a road?

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/25

... that the State Capitol of Pennsylvania (pictured) is the third capitol building to be in Harrisburg, after the first one burned down in 1897 and the second was deemed "ugly" by its designer?
... that Harriman Historic District in Bristol, Pennsylvania, originally built to house workers of the Merchant Shipbuilding Corporation, was the largest single housing project undertaken by the EFC in World War I?
... that before its removal, Pennsylvania Route 963 was the easternmost state traffic route in Pennsylvania?
... that Upper Pine Bottom Run in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, was home to an iron furnace and sawmills in the 19th century, but today is home to state forest land and the 5-acre (2.0 ha) Upper Pine Bottom State Park?
... that the tollbooths of the 19th-century turnpike that followed Pennsylvania Route 171 were torn down by citizens?

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/26

... that St. Thomas of Villanova Church (pictured), upon its completion in 1887, was likely the tallest man-made structure between the Delaware River and Lancaster, Pennsylvania?
... that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court reversed Robert E. L. Taylor's 1963 contempt conviction for refusing to reveal sources in a corruption case as his actions were protected by the state's shield law?
... that the "kids for cash" scandal in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania involves kickbacks from prison officials to judges to send kids to prison?
... that, as a result of the Pennsylvania government's seventh consecutive budget impasse, most state employees were working without pay?
... that Mount Hope Estate is home to the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, a winery, a brewpub, and a rare pre-1840 American formal garden?

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/27

... that caterpillars of the Oak leafroller (pictured) and Oak leaftier moths are major defoliators of oak trees, with leafroller timber losses in Pennsylvania of over $100,000,000 in the early 1970s?
... that the unusual fully-plastered attic on the D&H Canal Co. office near Lackawaxen, Pennsylvania, may be due to use as a dormitory for laborers during high-maintenance seasons on the canal?
... that the Water Street Historic District in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, includes the canal lock for which the city was named?
... that at Harveys Lake, Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation signed Route 415 on two highways around the lake?
... that Jeanne Clemson is credited with both preserving the Fulton Opera House, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, from demolition, and for restoring live theater to the building?

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/28

... that the Falls Trail along the 24 named waterfalls (Ganoga Falls pictured) in Ricketts Glen State Park has been called "the most magnificent hike" in Pennsylvania?
... that Frank Mazzei helped create the Pennsylvania Lottery before his expulsion from the Pennsylvania Senate in 1975?
... that the Peace Candle, a 106-foot (32 m) tower-like structure erected each Christmas season in Easton, Pennsylvania, is said to be the largest non-wax Christmas candle in the United States?
... that Bald Eagle Creek Path along Bald Eagle Creek in central Pennsylvania was a major connecting path between the Iroquois in the north and the Carolinas in the south?
... that Native Americans lived at the Canfield Island Site on the West Branch Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania for thousands of years, and now hold an annual pow wow there?

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/29

... that the Pennsylvania Railroad GG1 4859 (pictured) pulled the first electric train from Philadelphia to Harrisburg in 1938 and was designated a state symbol of Pennsylvania in 1987?
... that Memorial Park Site in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, contains prehistoric cultural deposits up to 8,000 years old?
... that the Dickson Tavern is the oldest building in Erie, Pennsylvania?
... that Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon transported their zenith telescope, on a featherbed, 31 miles (50 km) from Philadelphia to Star Gazers' Stone to begin surveying the Mason–Dixon line?
... that in the 19th century, Ganoga Lake in Pennsylvania had a hotel, its own ice cutting company, and a branch railroad line to serve both?

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/30

... that the Pennsylvania Railroad steam locomotive 520 (pictured) had its boiler explode and pulled a "railfan special", before it was preserved in the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania?
... that Early Archaic peoples used the Houserville Site in Pennsylvania ten millennia ago?
... that Colleen LaRose, also known as "JihadJane", was living in suburban Pennsylvania when she was arrested for recruiting Islamic terrorists and plotting the murder of Swedish artist Lars Vilks?
... that a class action lawsuit was brought against a Pennsylvania school district for allegedly using webcams in school-issued laptop computers to spy on students at home?
... that John Pittenger, former Pennsylvania Secretary of Education, was the first legislator to regularly employ high school seniors as legislative pages in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives?

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/31

... that when the stone Clemuel Ricketts Mansion (pictured) was built in 1852 on the shores of Lake Ganoga in Pennsylvania, it was so remote it was nicknamed "Ricketts Folly"?
... that throughout his career, Pennsylvania Education Secretary Gerald Zahorchak has also been an elementary teacher, principal, high school football coach, superintendent, deputy mayor and city council member?
... that the barn at the McClelland Homestead near Bessemer, Pennsylvania, sits atop a spring?
... that the Pennsylvania Railroad steam locomotive 7002 was credited for setting a land speed record despite not actually being the engine that set it?
... that after the Avondale Mine Disaster, legislation was passed by the Pennsylvania General Assembly that made Pennsylvania the first U.S. state to have laws regarding mine safety?

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/32

... that an aqueduct^{[disambiguation needed]} (pictured) of the abandoned Wiconisco Canal in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania is still used as a highway bridge?
... that as a college student, Philadelphia Phillies president David Montgomery attended Phillies games at Connie Mack Stadium with future governor of Pennsylvania Ed Rendell?
... that Albert B. Wohlsen, Jr. was only into a few weeks of his tenure as mayor of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, when he had to deal with fallout from the Three Mile Island accident?
... that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court case J.S. v. Bethlehem Area School District found the district could expel a student for making a website mocking his teacher, even though he made it outside school?
... that Emil John Mihalik, the first Byzantine Eparch of Parma, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania?

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/33

... that the marble column used for the Civil War Memorial in Adrian, Michigan, was originally part of the former Bank of Pennsylvania building in Philadelphia?
... that the Pithole Stone Arch Bridge is unusual for being surprisingly well built for only a rural backroad, but was initially thought to be of inferior quality and was not expected to last?
... that the present-day location of Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania, was the result of a decision by the Supreme Court of the United States?
... that since the superstructure of Johnstown's Cathedral of St. John Gualbert was laid using nearly 590,000 pounds (270,000 kg) of steel, the roof was able to be completed before the foundation walls?
... that a village in Pennsylvania got its name from an incident involving nitroglycerin torpedoes?

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/34

... that the former factory and headquarters (pictured) of the Hamilton Watch Company, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was converted into an apartment and condominium complex?
... that after the Mill Creek flooded Erie, Pennsylvania in 1915, it was diverted to a tube that is large enough for a pickup truck to drive through?
... that Ricketts Glen State Park in Pennsylvania was to have become a national park before budget issues and World War II ended that plan?
... that Red Rock Job Corps Center is within Ricketts Glen State Park in Pennsylvania, uses the facilities of the former Benton Air Force Station, and is still home to an FAA radar?
... that the Francis Farm Petroglyphs are among Pennsylvania's leading petroglyph sites, even though the culture of their creators is unknown?

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/35

... that 407 species of birds have been recorded in Pennsylvania (Ruffed Grouse, the state bird, pictured), including four that are extirpated and two that are extinct?
... that, according to legend, a wooded area in Hellam Township, York County, is home to seven gates that lead directly to hell?
... that in the mid-1940s Temple Beth Israel of Sharon, Pennsylvania, held Reform services on Friday nights and Orthodox ones on Saturday mornings?
... that General Lee and the Confederate Army retreated over the Sachs Covered Bridge after being defeated in the Battle of Gettysburg?
... that the Inclined Plane Bridge spans Stonycreek River, connecting the Johnstown Inclined Plane to the city of Johnstown?

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/36

... that the two largest Gettysburg Battlefield monuments "Pennsylvania State Memorial" (pictured) and "Eternal Light Peace Memorial" were dedicated, respectively, on the 50th and 75th anniversaries of the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg, at battlefield reunion encampments?
... that Stage AE in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is a concert venue partially owned by the Pittsburgh Steelers?
... that the first rabbi of Beth Israel Congregation of Washington, Pennsylvania served for 50 years?
... that in 1768, the Pennsylvania Province made violations of the Royal Proclamation of 1763 punishable by "death without the benefit of clergy"?
... that despite losing an 1896 eminent domain case in the US Supreme Court, the battlefield tourist trolley between Gettysburg and Round Top operated over the Gettysburg National Military Park for 20 more years?

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/37

... that unlike most hotels from the same period, the Eagle Hotel (pictured), built in 1826 in Waterford, Pennsylvania, has quoining?
... that Anthony Sadowski, after escaping captivity in the Great Northern War in 1704, came to America and helped Daniel Boone's father found Amity Township, Pennsylvania?
... that the State of Pennsylvania and its twin sister, the State of Delaware, were both the first steamboats to make a live radio broadcast and to show movies?
... that in 2001, James Hedges of Thompson Township, Fulton County, Pennsylvania, became the first Prohibition Party member elected in a partisan election since 1959?
... that the Sturgeon House in Fairview is a rare example of a saltbox house in northwestern Pennsylvania?

Portal:Pennsylvania/Did you know/38

... that while the Jersey Bridge (pictured) was being replaced, the only way for tourists to visit the Drake Well Museum was by train?
...
...
...
...