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Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
Bureau of Archives and History
Pennsylvania State Archives
The Department of Forests and Waters was created from a merger of the Department of Forestry, the Water Supply Commission, and the Bureau of Topographic and Geologic Survey under the Administrative Code of 1923. The Division of Forestry was originally created in the Department of Agriculture in 1895 and became an independent department in 1901. The Water Supply Commission was created in 1905. The Department of Forests and Waters acquired, controlled, protected, and managed state park lands and provided technical advisory services in forestry conservation, assisted private timberland owners in forestry practices, furnished forest fire prevention and suppression services for state and private forest lands, developed mineral resources on state forest lands, constructed permanent and emergency flood control projects, assisted in developing the state’s harbors, provided technical services on water problems, measured stream flows, and regulated the placement of encroachments into the state’s waterways and the design, construction, and maintenance of dams. The Secretary of Forests and Waters served as chairman of the State Forest Commission, the Power Resources Board, and the Geographic Board. From 1937, the Secretary also served alternately as the president of the Navigation Commission of the Delaware River and its Navigable Tributaries and for the Delaware River Basin Commission. The Secretary also served as chairman of the interstate Advisory Committee for the Susquehanna River Basin and the commonwealth’s representative to the Coordinating Committee for the Genesee River Basin. He was in addition a member of the Inter-Departmental Committee on Natural Resources, the Commonwealth Industrial Research Corporation, the Land Reclamation Board, the Boating Board, the Sanitary Water Board, the State Planning Board, the Soil Conservation Commission, State Council of Civil Defense, the Commission on Interstate Cooperation, and the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River. He was an ex-officio member of the Washington Crossing Park Commission, the Brandywine Battlefield Park Commission, the Valley Forge Park Commission, and the Pennsylvania State Park and Harbor Commission of Erie.
The Navigation Commission of the Delaware River and Its Navigable Tributaries was transferred to the Department of Transportation in 1970. The Department of Forests and Waters was absorbed into the Department of Environmental Resources in 1971 under the provisions of Act 275 of 1970. The purpose of this legislation, and the new agency, was to develop a balanced ecological system that incorporated social, cultural, and economic needs of the Commonwealth by developing and protecting the state’s environmental resources. Under Act 18 of 1995, the Department of Environmental Resources was split into the Department of Environmental Protection and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Related records will be found in the Records of Special Commissions (RG-25), Records of the Game Commission, (RG-39), Records of the Navigation Commission for the Delaware River and Its Navigable Tributaries (RG-41), Records of the Department of Environmental Resources (RG-43), Records of the Department of Mines and Mineral Industries (RG-45), Records of the Valley Forge Park Commission (RG-46), Records of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (RG-65), Records of the Department of Environmental Protection (RG-66), Records of the Environmental Hearing Board (RG-67), Records of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (RG-69) and the Records of the Fish and Boat Commission (RG-72).
Arranged alphabetically by surname.
A list of the names of individuals first appointed to the Department of Forests and Waters on January 15, 1923 under Auditor General Samuel S. Lewis. Information provided is name of appointee, their position, and salary.Arranged chronologically by date of report.
Biennial reports submitted to Governor Gifford Pinchot by the Secretary of
Forests and Waters R. Y. Stuart on the activities of the Department. Information
provided includes forest protection accomplishments, the forest bond issue of
1923, number of trees planted in state forests, number of trees planted by private
owners, activities at nurseries, progress of seed purchase and seed collection
program, activities at the Pennsylvania State Forest School at Mont Alto State
Forest, public education activities, and the activities of the Topographic and
Geologic Service, the Water Resources Service, the Lake Wallenpaupack Hydroelectric
Project near Hawley, the Conowingo Hydroelectric Project on the Susquehanna
River, the Piney Dam Project on the Clarion River, the Indian Run Dam Project
of the Pottsville Water Company, and the Pymatuning Reservoir Project in Crawford
County. Also addressed are stream gauging and flood warning, culm accumulation
in anthracite region streams, geologic reports and publications, and the creation
of the Valley Forge Park Commission, the Washington Crossing Park Commission,
the Lake Erie and Ohio River Canal Board, Pennsylvania State Park and Harbor
Commission of Erie, the Pennsylvania State Geographic Board, and the Pennsylvania
State Forest Commission.
Grouped by type of material and arranged thereunder chronologically by date of record.
Plans, budgetary materials, press releases, correspondence, materials for speeches, promotional booklets, and newspaper clippings relating to Project 70. In response to a public referendum held on November 5, 1963 sponsored by the Citizen’s Committee for Project 70, enabling legislation was passed on June 22, 1964. Project 70 was intended to provide 50% matching grants to the Commonwealth’s 2600 municipalities for the purpose of acquiring open space for recreation, conservation, and historical purposes. The project was so named because all land to be acquired was to be purchased prior to the year 1970. The language of the referendum read: “Shall ‘Project 70’ be undertaken by amending Article Nine of the Constitution of Pennsylvania by adding a new section to permit creating a debt and issuing bonds to the amount of seventy million dollars ($70,000,000) for acquisition of land for State parks, reservoirs and other conservation, recreation, and historical preservation purposes and for participation by the Commonwealth with political subdivisions in acquisition of land for such purposes under conditions and limitations prescribed by the General Assembly?” It was primarily focused on acquiring land for development of regional parks in the 43 most urbanized counties, acquiring land and stream valleys to increase fish and wildlife populations, providing recreational and open spaces for local communities, assisting development of three new Federal recreational facilities containing large lakes, providing sites for future construction of reservoirs, stimulating tourism, and preserving historical landmarks. The largest portion of these funds (approximately $40,000,000) were funneled through the Department of Forests and Waters to support such projects at Ohiopyle State Park in Fayette County, acquisition of Neshaminy Farms in Bucks County, acquisition of land on the West Branch of the Codorus Creek in York County, the Robert Fulton Birthplace in Lancaster County, Locust Lake in Schuylkill County, acquisition of the Jeffords Estate in Delaware County, the Nockamixon State Park Addition in Bucks County, and the Valley Forge State Park Addition in Chester and Montgomery Counties.
Delaware River Compact Book,
1927.
(1 volume)
{series #6.4} [Holdings]
Published Compact as to the Waters of the Delaware River issued January 13, 1927. This was a compact reached between the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the State of New Jersey and the State of New York and consists of twenty-five articles defining the agreement reached as to the quantity of water each state would be permitted to divert from any tributary of the Delaware River or from the channel. For related materials see also the records of river and harbor commissions in Records of Special Commissions (Record Group 25).
Monthly Reports to the Governor,Arranged chronologically by date of report.
Monthly activity reports submitted by district foresters to State Forester Joseph S. Illick and by Secretary of Forests and Waters Charles E. Dorworth to Governor John S. Fisher concerning the activities of the Department of Forests and Waters. The type of information provided is number of each type of seedling planted, number of each type of tree transplanted, a description of survey work conducted, forest protection measures implemented, publications issued, conferences attended, field trips, and meetings held.
Publications (Includes “Forest Leaves” and “Service Letter”),Arranged chronologically by date of publication.
Service Letters and copies of the magazine Forest Leaves published by the Pennsylvania Forestry Association. The Service Letters are typed newsletters that were issued by the Department of Forests and Waters and contain minutes of weekly Service Meetings and public information concerning various departmental programs. Among these are articles written by District Foresters concerning such topics as white pine weevils, the number of trees planted in each county, oil and gas development in the northern Appalachian fields, and the use of fine sized anthracite for making briquettes. Forest Leaves (now called Pennsylvania Forests) is an illustrated magazine published bimonthly by the Pennsylvania Forestry Association, a private forest advocacy organization founded in 1886.
Report on Proposed Improvements to Delaware Division of the Pennsylvania Canal,Report to Governor James H. Duff entitled Report Covering Proposed Improvements to the Delaware Division of the Pennsylvania Canal From Mile Post 24 to Mile Post 60 prepared under the direction of Secretary of the Department of Forests and Waters M. F. Draemel and Deputy Secretary E. S. McCawley and submitted by Consulting Engineers Damon & Foster of Sharon Hill. The report provides detailed descriptions of the condition of the various components of the canal together with specific recommendations for repairs and is illustrated by photographs of each component discussed. Also included are sectional drawings of the various components of the canal together with cost estimates of repairs. For related materials see Pennsylvania Canal records in the Records of the Land Office (RG-17).
Valley Forge Park Commission Blueprint,A preliminary blueprint plan for a park extension at Valley Forge prepared for the Valley Forge Park Commission by landscape architect Richard S. Burns to accompany reports of June and December 1928. Blueprint depicts layout for proposed changes including buildings, wooded areas and open spaces. For related materials see Records of the Valley Forge Park Commission (RG-46)
Valley Forge Park Commission Condemnation Proceedings,Grouped by proceeding and arranged thereunder chronologically by date of document.
Correspondence, transcripts of deeds, court petitions, reports of juries of view, and certificates of search relating to condemnation proceedings implemented for acquisition of land for the Valley Forge Park. These records relate to petitions filed by, and settlements made with, James Biggam, J.A. Loughin, Florence H. Loughin, John J. King and Mary F. King, Marie Janeway Estate, Charles E. Hires Estate, Zuiderhoek & Lyle, Jane Garrett Estate, Reading Railroad Company, Pine Iron Works Company, Phoenixville Federal Savings and Loan Association, Clara Buzzard & Husband, Charles F. Binder & Wife, Eastern Real Estate Company, Henry S. Espenship et. al., John E. Arleth, George M. Andrews, Mary Emma Wolf, George J. Horstmann & Wife, Grace Jenkins & Husband, Freda K. Lynn, Norman W. Rhoads and Wife, Anna G. Schrack, Charles W. Schrack, Glenn F. Keller Estate, Montgomery Building and Loan Association, The Rector, Wardens and Vestrymen of the Washington National Chapel at Valley Forge, James B. Smythe and Robert M. Browne, Archer & Wolf, Henry J. Kauffman, Frank Quigg, Glenn F. Keller, Joseph A. Asbert The type of information provided includes names of owners, deed reference numbers, location and legal description of tracts, descent of title, date of acquisition by the Commonwealth, and amount of compensation. For related materials see Records of the Valley Forge Park Commission (RG-46)
Valley Forge Park Commission Reports,Arranged chronologically by date of report.
The copy of the report submitted to Governor William C. Sproul in 1919 provides a history of Valley Forge Park legislation from the Act of Assembly of May 30, 1893, a description of the development of the of the park, progress being made on restoration, a description of the duties and powers of the Valley Forge Park Commission, and the names of property owners, size of their tracts, and amounts paid to each for acquisition of lands for the park. This report is illustrated with copies of the following maps: Dopur-Tail Map of Encampment at Valley Forge (1778) the original of which is held by the Cornell University Library, Contemporary Map of the Encampment at Valley Forge (1777-1778) by a French Engineer from the library of the Honorable Samuel W. Pennypacker, a photograph of an early map depicting locations of the headquarters of various officers at Valley Forge, copy of an early map depicting the Encampment at Valley Forge (1778), Map of Revolutionary Camp Ground at Valley Forge Showing Ownership of the Lands at Date of Encampment (1777-1778) prepared in February, 1897 by Samuel M. Carrigues of Bryn Mawr, General Plan of Valley Forge Park Showing Proposed Extension and Drives prepared by Clarke & Howard, a map of Valley Forge and Vicinity (1907), General Map of Revolutionary War Camp Grounds at Valley Forge (1917), Valley Forge Park and Vicinity (1918), and Development Study for the Revolutionary Camp Ground at Valley Forge prepared by Civil Engineer Jacob Orie Clarke on September 30, 1919. The Report of the Valley Forge Park Commission, October 24, 1935 to January 1, 1939 addressed to Governor George H. Earle was published at the individual expense of Commissioners Edward C. Shannon, Victor C. Mather, William H. Taylor, Lewis H. Parsons, William R. Tucker, Jr., John A. McCarthy, Thomas S. Gates, George W, Hensel, Jr., Samuel D. Riddle, Joseph B. Hutchinson, Harper D. Sheppard, Vance C. McCormick, and Gouverneur Cadwalader. The report documents plans for park development, park appropriations and finances, trust fund income, improvements made to historic sites and park buildings, Works Progress Administration projects, park visitation, damages to the property, donations, and security problems. For related materials see Records of the Valley Forge Park Commission (RG-46)
The Bureau of Parks was responsible for operating and maintaining Pennsylvania’s state parks together with a large number of state forest monuments, natural areas, and state forest picnic areas. This Bureau, through its Division of Planning, prepared plans for new state parks and improvements of facilities in existing state parks and recreation areas. The Division of Maintenance handled contracts for concessions in state parks and enforced rules and regulations throughout the state park system. The Bureau of Parks was later reduced to the Division of Parks in a reorganization of the Department Forests and Waters. Since 1995 it has existed as the Bureau of State Parks in the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Arranged chronologically by date of record.
Addresses, press release, and related correspondence of Eric von Hausswolff, et. al. Among the addresses are presentations made at conferences of the Girl Scouts of America and similar types of public events. Topics include trends in camping and “Can Parks be Made Self-Supporting?”
General Correspondence,Grouped alphabetically by subject or surname of correspondent and arranged thereunder chronologically by date of correspondence.
Correspondence relating to state projects, parks and programs. Subject categories include Valley Forge Park, Washington Crossing Park, World’s End Park, Whipple Dam, and Works Progress Administration Projects. Correspondents include the names of prominent names conservationists of the period.
Minutes of Various Park Commissions and the State Park Commission,Grouped alphabetically by commission and arranged thereunder chronologically by date of meeting.
Minutes of the Bushy Run Battlefield Commission, Conrad Weiser Park Commission, Pennsylvania Recreational Council, Valley Forge Park Commission, Washington Crossing Park Commission and the State Park Commission. Information provided is date and location of meeting, names of those present, and a description of the business transacted. For related materials see Records of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (RG-13) and Records of the Valley Forge Park Commission (RG-46)
Reports of the Bureau of Parks,Grouped by subject and arranged there under chronologically by date of report.
Monthly, biennial and annual reports of the Bureau of Parks and special reports on Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve, Delaware State Forest, and the Historical Commission report by J. O. Clarke with reference to the forge dams and races at Valley Forge Creek in 1777-1778. Also present are reports on “Areas Suitable for Recreational Use and Development” (1924-1925), “Facilities Available in Major Park Areas for Summer Season of 1938,” “Permanent Camp Site Inspections” (1928-1929), “General Restoration at Valley Forge Park” (1936), and “Land Acquisitions at Valley Forge Park” (1936-1941). Many reports include maps and blueprints. For related materials see Records of the Valley Forge Park Commission (RG-46)
The Bureau of Forest Management was responsible for managing and administering more than 1,900,000 acres of state forested lands. Consisting of twenty forest districts, Pennsylvania’s forests were administered by district foresters who were each supported by a staff of one or more technical foresters and a varying number of non-technical forest foremen. The Bureau processed leases or agreements for buildings, rights-of-way, and forest campsites. The Bureau was also responsible for scientific forest management of each of the forest districts and handled all timber sales in the state forests. Since 1995 the Bureau of Forestry in the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has carried out these responsibilities.
Grouped by type of record and forest district.
Farm and building reports, contracts and agreements, 1922 annual report, and forest receipts. The farm and building reports provide information concerning farms and buildings located in state forests including their location, date of report, assigned number, and state forest district. The farm reports give number of buildings, acreage adapted to farming, condition of production, principal crops, average value per acre, a recommendation as to whether land should remain in farming and if nor, whether it ought to be sold or reforested. The building reports give type of construction, dimensions, condition, date constructed, value, present use, whether used by the Department, if used as a dwelling the name of the occupant, whether needed by the Department, whether located on a camp site, and whether a good photograph is available. The building reports frequently include photographs. The annual report gives the name of the forest, total acreage, state forest acreage, total purchase price, and purchase price per acre.
The Bureau of Accounts reported to the Executive Branch. It tracked the monthly accounts and budgets for the Department of Forests and Waters and also conducted field audits.
Grouped by type of record and arranged thereunder chronologically by date of record.
Budget papers, ledgers, monthly accounting reports, bills and receipts, estimates, records of expenditures and allotments, checks, vouchers, field audit reports and valuations on lands and buildings. Information given varies with type of document but generally provides financial overview of the various programs administered by the Department of Forests and Waters.
Park Commission Correspondence,Grouped alphabetically by subject of correspondence and arranged thereunder chronologically by date of correspondence.
Correspondence relating to financial accounts involving Bushy Run Battlefield Park, Bushy Run Commission and Battlefield Association, Conrad Weiser Park, Fairmount Park Commission (in reference to Washington Park Commission), Fixed Charges, Lake Erie and Ohio River Canal Board, Sesquicentennial Commission, State Park and Harbor Commission of Erie, Valley Forge Park Commission, and Washington Crossing Park Commission.
The Division of Flood Control was responsible for alleviating flood damage and providing flood control facilities. Engineers in this Bureau studied the high flow characteristics of flooding streams to determine whether and how it was feasible for the Commonwealth to provide flood protection assistance. In furnishing flood control facilities, the Bureau provided engineering design, supervision and construction services in addition to allocating the necessary funding. The Bureau also supervised stream clearance operations and channel rectification and debris removal from streams throughout the Commonwealth.
Arranged sequentially along the length of the canal corrider.
Survey books containing highly detailed tinted maps drawn from surveys conducted in April and May of 1868 for the Delaware Division Canal Company (owners) and the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company (lessees) under the direction of Civil Engineer Thomas F. McNair. Maps depict fine detail of the canal together with the names of property owners.
The Public Relations Office served as the public liaison for the Department of Forests and Waters. It provided motion picture films and photographs designed to promote the public information programs and activities of the Department.
Motion picture films produced for the purpose of documenting and publicizing
the Department’s programs. Most are 400-foot silent black and white films depicting
such topics as gypsy moth population control, the life cycle of the pine seed,
and proper tree trimming practices. Two films show unemployment relief workers
cutting firewood and building roads at Birch Run Dam and five others are devoted
to Civilian Conservation Corps activities across the state. Among the films
designed for public education are such titles as “The Sugar Maple Industry in
Pennsylvania,” “Trees for Tomorrow,” and “The Life of a Seedling.” Also present
are two forest fire films produced by federal agencies; one entitled “Then It
Happened” was produced by the United States Department of Agriculture and one
entitled “The Enemy of Fire” was produced by the United States Office of Civilian
Defense.
**Unprocessed materials in this series include: accession #4907, 1932-1935 (1
carton)**
Glass plate negatives are arranged numerically and correspond to contact prints that are arranged alphabetically by subject. These prints are mounted on heavy boards that have both captions and the negative number.
This series contains approximately 8,000 photographic prints and over 2,700 matching negatives created by the staff of the Department of Forests and Waters for the purpose of education and publicity. Many of the early photographs were taken by forest rangers, some of who later became high-ranking agency officials such as Joseph Illick, George Wirt, and Henry Clepper. Many later images from the 1930s and 1940s were by staff photographers such as David S. Nace. Integrated into the series are private photograph collections of Pennsylvania Forester Joseph T. Rothrock and Galeton commercial photographer William T. Clarke. Some of these private photographs predate the Division of Forestry and many of Rothrock’s photographs were featured in Forest Leaves (now Pennsylvania Forests, the journal of the Pennsylvania Forestry Association). Subjects include Arbor Day exercises in New Cumberland (1924) and at Slippery Rock State Normal School (1925) and representative old growth specimens of such large trees as Pennsylvania oak, elm, tulip, poplar, hemlock, and white pine. A category labeled “Forest Destruction” illustrates damage caused by chestnut blight, deer, natural erosion, flooding, fungi, insects, humans, rabbits, and snow, wind and ice. A category called “Forestry Building” features forest rangers’ homes with their associated outbuildings, picnic pavilions in various state parks, fire observers’ cabins, the chapel and public school at Mont Alto, James Buchanan’s birthplace, iron furnaces at Mont Alto and Caledonia, Laurelton State Village, the Jacob Nolde Estate in Berks County, Civilian Conservation Corps buildings, the General Refractories Company at Karthaus, the Clark’s Ferry Bridge, lock houses along the Delaware Canal, and miscellaneous gristmills and country churches among other buildings.
Other categories of photographic subseries include “Camps and Camp Sites,” “Demonstration Forests” at Caledonia, Lebo, Sligo and Millstone, “Emergency Conservation Work” depicting Civilian Conservation Corps members living and working at many camps throughout the state, “Farm Woodlots” depicting the use of forests as part of farms, “Floods and Flood Control” depict flooding along the Delaware Canal, and “Forest Conditions” show the composition of stands of trees, water supply, natural regeneration, original stands of trees, and miscellaneous views. A category called “Forest Animals” depicts bear, beavers, bison, deer, elk, grouse, snakes, turtles, and trout farms and “Forest People” includes portraits of Andre Michaux, Alan Seeger, Joyce Kilmer, and various river raftsmen, snake-catchers and tar-burners. “Forest Officials” contains both formal and informal portraits of members of the Forestry Commission including Joseph T. Rothrock, S. B. Elliot, Robert S. Conklin, George Wirt, Mira L. Dock, Henry W. Shoemaker as well as group portraits taken at annual conferences of the Pennsylvania Forestry Association, the Pennsylvania Forest Research Institute, the State Foresters’ Conventions, the Society of American Foresters, and Governor Arthur James’s 1941 visit to Ricketts Glen State Park. “Forest Recreation” subjects include scenes depicting fishing, golfing, hiking, hunting, picnicking, and swimming at various state parks and activities of the Girl and Boy Scouts, Young Men’s Christian Association, Pennsylvania Alpine Club, and the Pennsylvania Forestry Association. “Forest Schools” contains views of Mont Alto Forest School and Yale Forest School in Pike County, the Royal Forestry School in Italy, and the Nancy Forest School in France where Gifford Pinchot studied. “Important Tree Study Places” includes views of the A. E. Ball Property in Mercer County, D. P. Drake Property in Monroe County, Pierre DuPont Estate at Longwood, Gettysburg Battlefield, Lehigh University campus, Marshall Arboretum and Westtown School in Chester County, H. Y. Miller Farm in Warren County, Mont Alto Forest School, Nolde Estate in Berks County, Sligo in Clarion County, and the York Water Company Property in York County. “Lumbering Towns” contains depictions of Cameron, Driftwood and Emporium in Cameron County; Bitumen in Clinton County; Straight in Elk County; Betula, Gardeau and Norwich in McKean County; Austin, Cross Fork, Costello, Hull, Keating, Summit, Logue, Lyman Run, Mina, Nine Mile, Roulette and Wharton in Potter County, and Leetonia in Tioga County. “Monuments and Markers” includes depictions of dedication ceremonies for the “Road of Remembrance” in Wrightsville (1922), birthplace and grave markers for President James Buchanan, the York Imperial Apple Marker in York, Joseph T. Rothrock’s grave in Chester, monument to Mary Jemison in Adams County, and markers honoring H. A. Smith in Venango County, George Wirt in Mont Alto, and S. B. Elliott in Moshannan State Forest. Other markers shown include those for Fort Necessity and General Braddock’s grave, the Commodore Perry Victory Memorial at Presque Isle, the 1930 dedication ceremonies for a marker commemorating the first purchase of State Forest Land at Young Woman’s Creek in Clinton County, the 1936 dedication ceremonies for a marker honoring S. T. Moore at Greenwood Furnace, the Mason and Dixon stone boundary markers, a marker on the summit of Negro Mountain, and cemeteries in Perry, Huntingdon, Northampton, Bedford, and Bucks Counties. “Nursery Tree Operations” contains depictions of tree nurseries at Clearfield, Mont Alto, Milton, and Greenwood and at state prisons at Huntingdon, Rockview, and Graterford. Also present are views of Antietam Nursery at Reading, Wernersville State Hospital, Overbrook Nursery in Philadelphia, Penn Nursery in Centre County, and the Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corporation Nursery in Indiana County.
“Reforestation in Pennsylvania” illustrates the planting of trees during the
period 1909-1930 in forest fire devastated and denuded areas created by heavy
timbering and mining. “Ornamental Tree Planting” depicts planting of trees
along streets and roads including Front Street in Harrisburg, various streets
in West Chester, near Echo Lake in Monroe County, and along the Lincoln Highway
and Route 1 near Halifax. “Sawmills” depicts sawmills of the Central Pennsylvania
Lumber Company, the Wheeler and Dusenbury Company, the Clearfield Bituminous
Coal Corporation, E. C. King Sawmill in Cambria County, and smaller mills in
Austin, Costello, Gardeau, Sizerville, Leetonia, Hull, Norwich, Keating Summit,
Roulette and Cross Fort. Also shown are up-and-down portable mills in Berks,
Cameron, Centre, Franklin, Huntingdon, and Perry Counties. “Wood-using Industries
and Wood Products” contains views of the mills at the Glatfelter Pulp and Paper
Company in York County, New York and Pennsylvania Paper Company in Elk County,
West Virginia Paper and Pulp Company in Blair County, Hammermill Paper Company
in Erie, and an unidentified paper mill in Austin. Chemical companies depicted
include the Gray Chemical Company and the Keystone Chemical Company in McKean
County, Tionesta Valley Chemical Company in Forest County, and the Gaffney Brothers
Wood Products Plant in Potter County. Also present are views of the Norwich
Lumber Company and the Wheeler and Dusenbury Company, the Costello Tannery,
the Elk Tanning Company in Sullivan County, Edwin Bell Stave Mill in Franklin
County, Columbia Wagon Works in Lancaster County, and a locust pin mill in Bedford
County. Other photographic subjects include the making of charcoal, keg staves,
pins, fruit and vegetable baskets, shingles and tanbark. “Small Subject Categories”
include depictions of chestnut tree culturing, views of German and Swiss forests,
Forests and Waters exhibits at the Pennsylvania Farm Show and county fairs,
experiments in forest conversion, and forest fires, fire fighting equipment,
fire towers and fire lines. Also present are views of equipment used for forest
measurement and weather forecasting, growth studies conducted at Mont Alto,
patients at Mont Alto Sanitarium, box huckleberry studies, tree bark, tree surgery,
unique (freak) trees, willow tree culturing, immigrant berry pickers, tree grafting,
state forest road construction, seed supply stations, trails, picnic areas,
surveying crews, road signs for state forest boundaries, and boundary and division
lines for state forest property and the construction of boundary markers. Views
of state forest trails will be found for Cameron, Bedford, Franklin, Lancaster,
Perry and Pike Counties among others.
**Unprocessed materials in this series include: accession #2283, 1950-1960 (1
oversized box)**
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