Yesterday I made a road trip to Potter County, which is the county west of Tioga County. I especially wanted to visit Coudersport, a small town I read about in the book, Country Towns of Pennsylvania: Charming Small Towns and Villages to Explore by Marcus H. Schneck ISBN: 978-0658000058. I frequently visit Tioga County to see the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon (aka the Pine Creek Gorge), the major tourist attraction in the region.
I almost cancelled my plans because the day started with rain and the forecast called for thunderstorms in the afternoon. But I don’t trust the weather reports anymore and in fact it did not rain much for the rest of the day. It was very cloudy and gloomy at times so some of my photos are a little too dark.
To reach Coudersport you just continue west on US Route 6. I already know how to get on US Route 6 from Wellsboro because you need to get on that highway to reach Colton Point State Park. Along US Route 6 I saw many rustic establishments from the era of roadside attractions; diners, inns, campgrounds, motels, and gift shops. For example, I drove pass the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum although I did not visit it. I drove pass the Black Forest Trading Post which has a deer park, Potato City Country Inn, and Sweden Valley Inn. Although most of these rustic establishments looked a little shabby there were a few examples of more upscale hunting lodges for luxury outdoor recreation. The only place I stopped at on the way to Coudersport was Fezz’s Community Diner at the Mill Creek Plaza. The Mill Creek Plaza was a rural shopping plaza with shabby buildings. But Fezz’s Diner was a classic 1950s diner, very retro. I had biscuits with sausage gravy which was pretty good but nothing special. There were four or five biscuits so it was plenty of food for breakfast.
Coudersport is a very small town. One of those places that time has forgot. The area appears to be economically distressed. Coudersport could be as charming as Jim Thorpe but they must not get as many tourists. Nevertheless there were a few things to see there. I saw the Coudersport Mural on a side of a building. Lots of small towns and cities now have a mural to commemorate local history. For example, Williamsport has a mural across from the Community Arts Center. I also saw the creepy mansion, the ruined Franklin W. Knox House. This was actually my major reason for making the trip. This Victorian mansion is amazing! It has enough architectural interest to be left standing even though it is all boarded up and in an advanced state of decay. It looks like a haunted house. Fortunately my photos of the house are pretty good even though it was very cloudy at the time. You could say it was appropriately gloomy.
Creepy Coudersport Mansion
I also saw the Adelphia Communications Corporation headquarters. This grand building is very modern but it was designed to look vaguely Victorian so as to match the rest of the town’s best architecture. This building looks much too fancy for such a shabby little town. It was the headquarters of a cable television empire which collapsed due to fraud. The downfall of Adelphia and its effect on Coudersport is probably an interesting story but unfortunately there has not been a book written about it.
Coudersport Theater
After Coudersport, my next destination in Potter County was Cherry Springs State Park. This state park is famous for dark sky astronomy. It even has some Astro Haven domes for telescopes. I saw lots of amateur astronomers camped out on the Astronomy Field in camper vans although the skies should have been cloudy that night. But there isn’t much to see at this state park except for the dark sky. There was an Working Forest Interpretive Trail which I hiked. The trail was very easy and covered in gravel for most of the way. It led me though some dense underbrush and forest which was very attractive with the vibrant green leaves of new foliage. The leaves were almost a florescent green and looked spectacular against the dark tree trunks. I did take a wrong turn onto East Branch Road and drove all the way to Conrad, going through the Susquehannock State Forest, until I realized this was not taking me to Cherry Springs State Park. This is an easy mistake to make since the park sign is right in front of that road and it makes it look like you should turn there to enter the park.
Cherry Springs State Park
When I left Cherry Springs State Park I briefly stopped at Longtoe Vista which must be somewhere along PA 44. Once back on US Route 6 my goal was to find a gas station. There are surprisingly few gas stations in the region so it is worthwhile to note their locations. I couldn’t get gas until I reached an Apple Market in Galeton PA.
Before going home I visited Colton Point State Park again and hiked the Rim Trail. I started down the Turkey Path before realizing I was not still on the Rim Trail. That trail goes all the way down to Pine Creek Gorge but it is too steep for me. Climbing back up the trail would be really exhausting! Finally I stopped in at Wellsboro where I discovered that the From My Shelf Books bookstore had moved. At first I thought they had closed and I was a bit sad about that, but just as I was leaving I spotted the new store in a shopping plaza down the street from the Wellsboro Diner. Fortunately I had parked on Pearl Street and the shopping plaza was right across from there. I even found a book I was looking for, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers.
This trip really advanced my knowledge of the region north of Lycoming County. There are several places I could visit on a return trip. I should visit the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum some day and Susquehannock State Forest might have some hiking trails. The area reinforces my impression of the region’s rustic recreational nature with plenty of hunting lodges, campgrounds in the woods, and vintage roadside attractions.
