Toboyne Township near Blain in Perry County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Big Spring State Park
A Travelers Rest And Trailhead For The Hemlocks
| | Perry County Bicentennial 1820-2020 | |
A big spring in the far western end of Perry County has long been a popular place to visit. Stagecoaches traveling over the mountain in the 19th century stopped here to rest and water their horses. A Saturday picnic in 1903 was attended by 4,000 people!
In 1915, the Department of Forestry walled in the spring and provided a fireplace, tables, benches, and toilets. It continued to improve the area and, in 1922, designated it Big Spring Public Camp. This area was officially designated a state park in 1969.
[Captions:]
This location also served as a trailhead for hiking to a grove of virgin hemlocks. During the 1920s and 1930s, John L. McCaskey worked through the State Hemlock Park Association to obtain protection for the old-growth rove. He organized numerous events at Big Spring and Blain to draw attention to the old trees and attract thousands of visitors. He worked with the Department of Forestry to give the area special designation and develop a larger park. The Hemlocks area is now a National Natural Landmark and a State Forest Natural Area.
During the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corp, Camp S-111 was located 5 miles to the east. These CCC boys built many features of the park, including Pavilion 5, from local stone and chestnut logs.
Erected 2020
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Horticulture & Forestry • Parks & Recreational Areas. In addition, it is included in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), the National Natural Landmarks, and the Pennsylvania, Perry County Heritage Trail series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1903.
Location. 40° 15.83′ N, 77° 39.539′ W. Marker is near Blain, Pennsylvania, in Perry County. It is in Toboyne Township. It can be reached from Big Spring Road (Pennsylvania Route 274) east of Hemlock Road, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 9072 Big Spring Rd, New Germantown PA 17071, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in South-Central Pennsylvania, in the Susquehanna Valley, and in Greater Harrisburg. It is also in the American Northeast, in the Mid-Atlantic, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World,
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 10 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Concord / Back Road Bridge (approx. 2½ miles away); Fairview Church (approx. 3 miles away); The Bureau of Forestry (approx. 4½ miles away); New Germantown (approx. 5.4 miles away); a different marker also named New Germantown (approx. 5.6 miles away); Magdalena Briner Eby (approx. 7.1 miles away); Blain (approx. 8.9 miles away); Blain Planing Mill (approx. 9.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Blain.
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), September 21, 2024
3. Temporary signage nearby
Tsuga canadensis
In 1896, the "Father of Pennsylvania Forestry, Dr. Joseph T. Rothrock, stated, "If Pennsylvania were to select one tree as characteristic of our state, nothing would be better than the hemlock." The Pennsylvania legislature designated Eastern hemlock the official state tree on June 22, 1931.
Eastern hemlock thrives in cool, moist sites. It occupies steep north or east facing slopes in southern counties. Farther north, it forms nearly pure stands in ravines, stream valleys and wooded swamps. Tsuga canadensis grows with white pine, American beech, maples, oaks and birches in a variety of forest types. Rhododendron, witch-hazel and viburnums often form the shrub layer beneath the hemlock's branches. Canada mayflower, partridgeberry, clubmoss and ferns populate the forest floor nearby.
Eastern hemlock is a large, long-lived conifer. Trees more than 400 years old, reaching heights of 140 feet, greeted the settlers of colonial Pennsylvania. The current state champion hemlock stands in Cook Forest State Park. It rises 125 feet with a diameter of 5 feet 1 inch and a spread of 70 feet.
Over the centuries hemlock has been a major contributor to the state's economy. At the peak of production in the 1890s Pennsylvania's forests yielded more than a billion board feet of hemlock lumber each year for beams, weather boarding, shingles and other rough construction. Massive quantities of hemlock bark provided tannic acid to process hide for harness, saddles, belts and shoes. Known for its rot resistance, hemlock is often used today for railroad ties and barn siding.
Hemlock trees provide much more than wood. Their dense evergreen branches provide shelter for Blackburnian warblers, blue-headed vireo, Acadian flycatcher and other forest songbirds. Their deep shade keeps streams cool, providing the cold-water aquatic habitat favored by native brook trout. Red squirrels, black-capped chikadees, crossbills and pine siskins consume large quantities of hemlock seed.
This priceless component of Penn's Woods is threatened by the hemlock woolly adelgid a tiny insect that feeds on the hemlock's sap, causing the needles, branches and eventually the entire tree to die. Pennsylvania's Bureau of Forestry is working to protect the hemlock from this invasive pest.
The graceful Eastern hemlock is an excellent subject for ornamental planting. Many consider hemlock among the most picturesque and beautiful of the world's evergreens and nurseries have developed hundreds of varieties for ornamental planting.
The Eastern hemlock helps define "Penn's Woods" and is an important part of the state's history. Visitors can experience the majestic power of 300-400 year old hemlocks in the old growth stands conveyed in State Forest Natural Areas or while hiking the "Forest Cathedral" trails in Cook Forest State Park. Learn more about conserving hemlocks and the forests in which they grow visit www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry or www.iConservePA.org.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 21, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 21, 2024, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 248 times since then and 67 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 21, 2024, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
