Lower Mifflin Township near McCrea in Perry County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Henry's Valley
Early Settlers and Forest Regrowth
| | Perry County Bicentennial 1820 - 2020 | |
This peaceful forest known as Henry's Valley was once an industrious community where people lived, farmed, worshipped, and worked.
In the 1790s, John Henry bought some valley land from early settler Daniel Diehl. As Henry's family grew, the area became known as Henry's Valley and, by 1812, he had built grist and saw mills. In 1843, Isaiah G. McFarland bought the property and erected the Toboyne Tannery. The large tannery complex included vats, bark sheds, workers' housing, and surrounding timber land. Using the bark from local trees, animal hides were tanned into leather. The tannery drew workers into the valley and flourished until the late 1860s. The community included farms, a store, a school, and several mills.
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Last Residents
Frank P. Sundy and his family were the last residents of the valley. Sundy served as forest ranger in the valley from 1907 to 1921, when he moved to New Germantown. He continued as forest ranger there until his death in 1924.
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About 1864, Newville entrepreneurs, Peter and Daniel Ahl, built the steam powered Phoenix Saw Mill at the western end of the valley. However, both the tannery and mill had become defunct by the 1880s, and families began leaving to find employment and closer amenities. In 1906, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania bought most of the land in the valley.
With protection from forest fire, the trees have grown to magnificent size. Evidence of past occupation remains: the cemetery, an old stone wall, a bit of barbed wire in a tree, and a dry mill race.
Erected 2020
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Horticulture & Forestry • Industry & Commerce • Natural Resources • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Pennsylvania, Perry County Heritage Trail series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1812.
Location. 40° 16.728′ N, 77° 27.867′ W. Marker is near McCrea, Pennsylvania, in Perry County. It is in Lower Mifflin Township. It can be reached from Laurel Run Road west of Bower Mountain Road, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4514 Laurel Run Rd, Blain PA 17006, 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, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Pioneer Cemetery (here, next to this marker); Site of Upper Toboyne Presbyterian Church (approx. 4½ miles away); Blain Planing Mill (approx. 4½ miles away); Newport & Sherman's Valley Railroad (approx. 4½ miles away); Ancestral Home of the Famous Blaine Family of America (approx. 4.6 miles away); Blain (approx. 4.8 miles away); Blain Fire Company, Inc. (approx. 4.8 miles away); Magdalena Briner Eby (approx. 5.1 miles away).
Credits. This page was last revised on July 19, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 22, 2024, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 689 times since then and 151 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 22, 2024, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
