Cross Fork in Potter County, Pennsylvania — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Ole Bornemann Bull

1810 - 1880

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 5, 2004

1. Ole Bornemann Bull Marker

Inscription. The famous Norwegian violinist located a colony of fellow Norwegians near this site in September of 1852. From this vantage point, Ole Bull started to build his castle. This large wooden cabin was never completed. All that remains is the foundation and stone retaining wall along the mountain side. The colony disbanded and moved west after a year of severe hardships.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Parks & Recreational Areas • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical month for this entry is September 1852.

Location. 41° 32.11′ N, 77° 42.951′ W. Marker is in Cross Fork, Pennsylvania, in Potter County. Marker can be reached from Ole Bull Road (State Highway 144) 1.7 miles south of State Highway 44, on the right when traveling south. Marker is located in Pennsylvania's Ole Bull State Park, on the east side of the main park road, directly across from the parking area at the south end of the campground. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 31 Valhalla Lane, Cross Fork PA 17729, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 3 other markers are within 15 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Ole Bull's Colony (approx. 10.3 miles away); Built From The Forest (approx. 14.3 miles away); Historic Galeton (approx. 14.3 miles away).

More about this marker. This is a large, painted wooden "billboard-style" marker.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Ole Bull

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1. Ole Bull. Norwegian violinist and composer Ole Bull (1810-1880) was among the most celebrated musicians of the nineteenth century, a violin star who toured the world. Bull purchased over 10,000 acres in a wooded area in northern Pennsylvania, inviting Norwegian immigrants to set up small farms as part of a larger cooperatively run organization. A few dozen Norwegian families took him up on his offer, but the venture was inadequately capitalized, and Bull was swindled by the original landowner—the only easily tillable farmland on the plot was excluded from the sale by an obscure provision in the deed. Within a few years the community had failed, and the Norwegians moved on to newer centers of settlement in the upper Midwest. A partially completed castle Bull had planned still stands today (although it suffered heavy fire damage in 1923) and is used as a forest ranger's residence at Pennsylvania's Ole Bull State Park. (Submitted on October 19, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. MarkerQuest - Ole Bull's Colony. Additional information about Ole Bull and his short-lived colony. (Submitted on January 2, 2020, by Laura Klotz of Northampton, Pennsylvania.)

Ole Bull Monument (<i>located beside marker</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 5, 2004

2. Ole Bull Monument (located beside marker)

Kettle Creek & Foot Bridge (<i>about 50 yards west of marker</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 5, 2004

3. Kettle Creek & Foot Bridge (about 50 yards west of marker)

Kettle Creek Dam (<i>about 100 yards northwest of marker</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 5, 2004

4. Kettle Creek Dam (about 100 yards northwest of marker)

Ole Bull State Park Sign (<i>turn off Pennsylvania Highway 144 here to access marker</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 5, 2004

5. Ole Bull State Park Sign (turn off Pennsylvania Highway 144 here to access marker)

Ole Bornemann Bull image. Click for full size.

George Kendall Warren (photo courtesy of National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution), circa 1870

6. Ole Bornemann Bull

Credits. This page was last revised on January 2, 2020. It was originally submitted on October 18, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 337 times since then and 41 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on October 19, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 6. submitted on October 21, 2018. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.