Using a selection from the Guide to the State Historical Markers of Pennsylvania to help guide us, we headed north. At best, today would be a “test run” for the Big Trip; at worst, we’d have an excuse to drive through the hills, watch the leaves turn and have some ice cream. Pumpkin is here!
Our first stop was the Rockville Bridge, a railroad bridge which stretches across the Susquehanna River. This is probably the most picturesque of the bridges on our list for the day – one other we never found, another was still under construction. Apparently, had we waited just a little longer, Dauphin County’s Last Covered Bridge would have been restored and once again historical.
Just a ½ mile north from the Rockville Bridge on U.S. 22 is the Fort Hunter Historic District. Nothing too exciting here, but it is a lovely spot for picnics, and apparently the Mr. Simon Girty commemorated by this historical marker was some character. I mean, someone doesn’t get the nickname the “white savage” for nothing.The John Ayres House was nowhere to be found, so our next photo op was the marker for the Pennsylvania Canal. This spot also marks an entrance to a portion of the Appalachian Trail, which stretches through central Pennsylvania. Having taken a short hike here just a few weeks prior, we can attest that foliage of the “leaves of three, let it be” variety is abundant in this stretch of the trail, as are rock piles that are just a little too similar to the ones you see on the Crocodile Hunter…right before he pulls out a deadly rattler. Poison ivy and snakes had not been the flora and fauna we were seeking, hence the shortness of the hike.
Still on old US 22 and 322, Fort Halifax was the next place of historical significance. So significant that it required not one but two signs to mark the spot where the Fort once stood.
As we were parked on the side of the road, fire trucks and other emergency vehicles began whirring around us and blocked a portion of the road just ahead. Rather than wait for whatever it was to clear, we decided to take a detour to Millersburg, home of the famous Millersburg Ferry and resting place for all geese. Millersburg is also home to the Millersburg Passenger Rail Station which I can’t tell you much about since it was closed, and our lunch spot, the Wooden Nickel.
After lunch, we returned to Halifax to claim our pumpkin ice cream and to take a photo of a Harrisburg favorite, Lady Liberty on the Susquehanna. No historical significance here, but it has been a structure that’s been around forever, at least as long as we can remember. No one’s quite sure of the original artist who used Venetian blinds to construct the first version. In recent years it has been refurbished using funds from the community, which shows that the lady has a special place here in Dauphin County.
We spent the next hour or so on a wild goose chase searching for all of the historical markers we hadn’t yet come across. Some we found, others still remain a mystery. As the afternoon sun was fading, we made our way to Hershey and Derry Township, where we ran right into an antique car show. You probably know what this car is. Everyone around us did. We just nodded and tried to look knowledgeable as we made our way across the parking lot towards our next historical marker - the site where Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points against the New York Knicks. Of course, with the new Giant Center recently erected across the street, the Hersheypark Arena is relegated to hosting minor league hockey practice, but it’s nice to know it’s earned a little blue sign and a place in history.There’s no way we could be in Hershey and not take the Free Tour at Chocolate World. We took at break from our scavenger hunt and enjoyed the sites and smells, along with hundreds of other tourists.
Downtown Hershey (note the chocolate kiss street lights) is known as a model industrial town and noted tourism destination, established in 1903 and named after Milton S. Hershey. Hershey’s companies developed housing, recreation, education, and cultural facilities, financial institutions, public utilities, a transit system and the world’s largest chocolate factory. If you don’t believe me, just check the sign. In 2002, there was talk of the Hershey Board of Trustees moving the company out of central PA or even worse, selling its factories to another company, such as Nestle, leaving the town of Hershey with some very interesting existential questions to answer – what would Hershey be without Hershey? Newspaper articles were written, the court of public opinion was beseeched, and legislation was even proposed to block the sale since it would so adversely affect the local community. Once year later, Hershey’s is still in Hershey.
Main Street in Hummelstown, our next stop, was home to 3 more homes listed on the national registry. Here the current owner of the Dr. William Henderson House kindly dispelled the mystique around his historical house – “it was registered before we bought it. Someone filled out an application and someone else came and had a look at it. I can’t really tell you what’s so special about it. We like it.” Although he thought it was curious that we wanted to take a photo of his house, especially while he was painting his front porch, he let us. Thank you!Our first day of exploration finally ended at one of our favorite spots, Zembies in downtown Harrisburg. We told ourselves it was a fitting conclusion for the day since the bar surely has to be one of Harrisburg’s oldest, right? In reality, we heard of the Pedro Martinez/Don Zimmer melee during the playoff game for the World Series on the car radio and wanted to get to a TV to see the ruckus firsthand. As always, Zembies was warm and inviting with plenty of TVs and opinions about the occurrence to choose from.
Here’s hoping that our trip is filled with good days like today….