Penns Valley
Penns Valley, Pennsylvania | |
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Penns Valley is an
History
The Appalachian Mountain chain was formed starting around 420 million years ago with the collision of the
More recently the area now known as Penns Valley was discovered by
In the following two hundred years the iron industry would wane, but the agricultural heritage within Penns Valley would continue, and with the growth of a small
Geography
Water
The Penns Valley region is part of the Chesapeake watershed. The main waterway in the area is Penns Creek whose headwaters are located south of Centre Hall in Penns Cave. It travels downstream linking with Sinking Creek in Spring Mills and flows to the town of Coburn. There it joins Elk Creek whose headwaters are in eastern Brush valley. From Coburn, it flows through the Seven Mountains and into Union County.
There are also two lakes within Penns Valley, each which are controlled by dams: Poe Lake and Colyer Lake. Being fed by Sinking Creek, Colyer Lake is located on the western boundary of Penns Valley and has a surface area of 77 acres. Boating and fishing are permitted and as part of the Cooperative Fish Habitat Improvement Program through the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, the lake has been host to fish habitat structures to support fish populations. As of March 2013 Colyer Lake has been slated for indefinite draining until deficiencies in the dam can be resolved.[4][5] Poe Lake is a 25-acre lake at the southern boundary of Penns Valley. The lake is located in Poe Valley State Park which, in turn, is surrounded by 198,000 acre Bald Eagle State Forest. The lake itself was named for the Big Poe Creek which feeds the reservoir. Access to the reservoir and the reservoir's dam were both constructed by the CCC in the mid to late 1930s, specifically with the dam being completed in 1937.[6][7]
Mountains
The southern mountainous border of Penns Valley is created by
Egg Hill is a mountain separating greater Penns Valley from the subordinate Georges Valley. Rising to 1,955 ft., Egg Hill is located on the western border of Spring Mills and in the center of greater Penns Valley along PA 45.[8]
As Egg Hill separates Georges Valley from Penns Valley so too does Brush Mountain from Brush Valley. Brush Mountain raises to an elevation of 1,936 ft[9] and has one large pass, the Millheim Narrows, cut by Elk Creek. This pass allows travel from Rebersburg to Millheim and greater Penns Valley.[10]
Caves
Penns Valley is host to two major public limestone caves.
Penn's Cave, located just east of Centre Hall, is an all water
The second public cave in Penns Valley is Woodward Cave. Located in the village of Woodward, Woodward cave is one of the largest in the state featuring the 14-foot Tower of Babel stalagmite, 60-foot cathedral ceiling in the Upper Room, the ballroom which is large enough to host banquets, and the 200-foot-long Hall of Statues. This solution limestone cave can be toured in 50 minutes and has both cabin rentals and campground facilities.[13][14]
Municipalities
Under Pennsylvania law, there are five types of incorporated municipalities: cities, home rule municipalities, boroughs, townships, and towns. The following municipalities, boroughs and townships are located in Penns Valley:
Boroughs
Townships
Census-designated places
Unincorporated villages
- Colyer
- Ingleby
- Farmers Mills
- Penn Hall
- Potters Mills
- Tusseyville
Demographics
As of the 2010 census, the Penns Valley area had 12,819 people living in the area. The most populous municipality is Potter Township with 3,517 people followed by 2,405 people living in Gregg Township, 1,983 people living in Miles Township, 1,564 people living in Haines Township, and 1,181 people living in Penn Township. There were 1,265 people living in Centre Hall borough and 904 people in Millheim borough.
Community Organizations
The Centre County Grange Encampment and Fair, also known simply as The Grange Fair, is located in Centre Hall and takes place during the final week of August. As a tradition since 1874, The Grange Fair draws thousands of people from across the Central PA region. The fair also acts as the last week of summer for many organizations around Centre County. The fairgrounds also become a city within a town, as fairgoers are able to move-in for the duration of the fair.[15]
The HOPE Fund of Penns Valley is a volunteer,
The Penns Valley Conservation Association is a non-profit organization that acts as a steward of the Upper Penns Creek watershed. Its purview includes Penns Valley's waters, farmlands, forests, and rural heritage. PVCA also supports and organizes activities fostering local sourcing and environmental awareness.[17]
The Penns Valley Business Network brings together individuals and local businesses interested in professional advancement through the exchange of ideas and information amongst each other. The network joins 16 businesses, ranging from
Education
Public education
The Penns Valley Area School District is a small, rural, public school district serving the southeastern portions of
Private education
The Penns Valley Region is host to 12 private schools, the most in the county. Many of these schools are operated for the use of the large Amish community within Penns Valley.
- Bower Hollow Parochial School - Woodward
- Elk Creek School - Rebersburg
- Hill Side School - Rebersburg
- Kramer Gap School - Spring Mills
- Mountain View School - Rebersburg
- Peach Lane Amish School - Madisonburg
- Penns Valley Amish Paroch School - Woodward
- Rockville School - Rebersburg
- Spring Bank School - Rebersburg
- Sunset View School - Rebersburg
- Windy Poplars School - Centre Hall
- Woodside Amish School - Spring Mills
Libraries
The Centre County Libraries has a branch in Centre Hall and operates a bookmobile that provides service to the Penns Valley area. The East Penns Valley Library has been an all volunteer library since 2013 after their split from the Center County Library system.
Recreation
Penns Valley is home to two
Poe Valley State Park is host to Poe Lake which has overnight camping facilities for summer visitors and guided walks, evening
Poe Paddy State Park is just east and provides access to fishing through Penns Creek. There are also limited camping facilities but they can be supplemented through the use of Poe Valley's amenities.[19]
Transportation
Roads
Penns Valley has three main state routes that connect the valley both within itself and to the surrounding region. PA 144 is a north–south route that begins as a branch from US 322 in Potters Mills running through Centre Hall and crossing Nittany Mountain into Pleasant Gap and the Bellefonte area. PA 192 runs east–west through upper Penns Valley in the subordinate Brush Valley. This route acts as one of two connections from Union County into Centre County and State College. The second of these two routes is PA 45 which runs through the heart of Penns Valley connecting all the townships and boroughs, except Miles Township served by PA 192.
The only U.S. route in the area is US 322 which takes a unique form in Penns Valley as the smaller two-lane General Potter Highway linking the four-lane sections crossing the seven mountains and intersecting State College and Boalsburg. As of June 2013 plans have been proposed to increase this smaller section of US 322 through a Pennsylvania State Senate bill for infrastructure improvement.[20]
Air
There are two public airfields in Penns Valley.
The only private airfield in Penns Valley is Pennfield Farm located just west of Spring Mills off PA Route 45.[23]
References
- ^ a b Engelder, Terry. "GEOLOGY FIELD TRIPS IN THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS AN INTRODUCTION TO THE GEOLOGY OF THE NITTANY VALLEY" (PDF). Pennsylvania State University. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
- ^ This article incorporates public domain material from Geology of Manassas National Battlefield Park. National Park Service. Archived from the original on April 22, 2005.
- ^ "- A Brief History of Centre County -". Centre County Historical Society. Archived from the original on April 9, 2013. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
- ^ "Colyer Lake". PA Fish & Boat Commission. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
- ^ "Fish and Boat: Colyer Lake". PA Fish & Boat Commission. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
- ^ a b "Poe Valley State Park". PA DCNR. Archived from the original on June 20, 2013. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
- ^ Houghton, Kelly. "Poe Valley State Park" (PDF). PA Fish and Boat. PA Fish and Boat Commission. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
- ^ "Egg Hill Summit - Pennsylvania Mountain Peak Information". Mountain Zone. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
- ^ "Brush Mountain Summit - Pennsylvania Mountain Peak Information". Mountain Zone. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
- ^ "Millheim Historic District". Living Places. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
- ^ "History". Penn's Cave & Wildlife Park. Archived from the original on June 29, 2013. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
- ^ "Penn's Cave & Wildlife Park". VisitPa. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
- ^ "Woodward Cave Campground". VisitPa. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
- ^ "Experience Spectacular Woodward Cave". Woodward Cave. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
- ^ "HISTORY OF THE GREAT GRANGE FAIR". Centre County Grange Fair. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
- ^ "Mission". The HOPE Fund of Penns Valley. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
- ^ "Welcome to the Penns Valley Conservation Association". Penns Valley Conservation Association. Archived from the original on April 14, 2013. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
- ^ "About Us". Penns Valley Business Network. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
- ^ "Poe Paddy State Park". PA DCNR. Archived from the original on April 22, 2014. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
- ^ Dawson, Mike. "Officials leverage support for transportation spending with Route 322 widening". Centre Daily Times. Archived from the original on June 10, 2013. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
- ^ "Centre Airpark". Fun Places to Fly. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
- ^ "Penns Cave". Fun Places to Fly. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
- ^ "Pennfield Farm". Fun Places to Fly. Retrieved June 18, 2013.