 Quilting, hex
signs, coal mines, honeymoons, railroads,
streudel, history, mountains, covered
bridges, and rivers - what do they all
have in common?
Pennsylvania, of course!
Pennsylvania was settled in 1643.
Harrisburg, in Dauphin County, is the
capital of PA.
This state
saw the birth of the United States in
Philadelphia's Independence Hall, and the
cruel sacrifices made to establish and
defend our new freedom at Valley Forge.
Pennsylvania is called the Keystone State,
as it was the center colony of the
original 13 colonies. It was said that it
held the colonies together like the
"keystone" in a window or door arch.
Philadelphia was our state capital during
the Revolutionary War.
York was the first capital of the
United States, and
The Constitution of the United States
and
The American Declaration of Independence
were both written in Pennsylvania.
Benjamin Franklin requested to be
buried in PA.
 The
Industrial Revolution, which affected the
entire civilized world, was triggered in a
small 500 mile area in northeast PA, where
anthracite coal was discovered by men
intelligent enough to develop a process to
use it (Jesse Fell of Wilkes-Barre and
David Thomas of the Crane Iron Works in
Catasauqua). 300 million year old plant
matter has turned into coal all over the
world. In northeastern Pennsylvania,
however, the coal is purer, harder, and of
higher carbon content than other coal.
Over 95 percent of the Western Hemisphere
is supplied with coal from northeastern
Pennsylvania.
Erie, PA's
harbor is home to the Flagship Niagara,
Commodore Perry's flagship in a decisive
battle in the War of 1812.
Gettysburg,
PA, was a turning point in the "War
Between the States". A massacre for both
sides, the sobering loss of life is
honored in PA's solemn preservation of
this battlefield.
Lincoln's Gettysburg Address was
written in PA.
 Pennsylvania was the world's leader in
developing transportation technology in
the days when railroads were King, and PA
has the world's best collections of trains
and railroading equipment to prove it!
The Pennsylvania Railroad was once the
largest in the world, operating 7,000
locomotives and 250,000 cars. The
completion of the Horseshoe Curve near
Altoona, PA was a significant engineering
feat that opened the United States up for
Westward expansion.. Pennsylvania was the
home to many railroading firsts. Explore
the
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum
Commission and
PA Railways.
Pennsylvania boasts 50 natural lakes and
2,500 man-made lakes.
Links:
Camelback Resort
Covered Bridges
Lackawanna Coal Mine
Lehigh Valley Wine Trail
Marywood
University
No. 9
Mine & Museum
Pioneer Tunnel Coal Mine
Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort
Steamtown, U.S.A
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