A Change of Plans, And Now I Have Beaver Meadows On My Mind.
I was going to hike out the local Rails to Trails today with a friend. . We had some warmer weather and I thought for sure the ice and snow would be melted on the trail by now. So I wore sneakers. Well we found a mess of snow and ice and no way could we walk the trail in sneakers. But things always seem to work out. I decided to hike the streets of the nearby town of Beaver Meadows.
I drive through the town often and knew it was one of the first places in our area that anthracite coal was discovered and mined. I also knew the first steam railroad engine in our country operated in this sleepy little town. But I never had the chance to roam the streets of this this town with so much history.
So we parked my jeep and began our walk. We came upon St. Peter and Paul’s 
Byzantine church and found that, unusual these days, the doors were open. The attendant was preparing the church for Palm Sunday and let us in and allowed me to take photographs of this beautiful church. Here is a link to some more of the photos. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/photographs-5/nggallery/blog-photos/st-peter-pauls-byzantine-church-beaver-meadows-march-28-2015
After visiting the church met a few pleasant residents of the town, a few who Iknew. We hiked past the only, and very good, restaurant, Graziano’s. Down the street we came to the well maintained playground. I love walking the alleys and side roads in little towns since you can learn do much. It is nicer in the summer when the flowers and trees are in bloom and you can get a peak at the folk’s vegetable gardens. Nothing was blooming today but was surprised to find three isolated gravestones. I was more surprised to find that all three were veterans of the Revolutionary War. One was born in 1734. This area was still wilderness and inhabited by native Americans back then! You never know what your going to find when you set on an adventure.
We hiked to the old Beaver Creek, after which the town was named and found another old cemetery with graves dating to the 1800’s. I love to visit cemeteries. It was cold and so we headed back to the jeep but a very interesting visit to this historic town. This is the link to some more photos I took, but only had a 35mm lens so not a lot of variety. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/photographs-5/nggallery/blog-photos/beaver-meadows-pennsylvania-march-28-2015
“For you, as well as I, can open fence doors and walk across America in your own special way. Then we can all discover who our neighbors are.”
– Robert Sweetgall,
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Thanks for your time. My grandfather and mom and her 2 sisters and brother were raised there; not far from the church. Brings back alot of memories over the holidays….
Your welcome Georgine, I enjoy sharing my hikes and adventures. It is a beautiful little town. I remember picking “swampers” on the outskirts many years ago. Thanks again for your interest.
My Grandmother, Ann Kovalick Podlesny, was born and raised in Beaver Meadows, PA. I always felt like I was going back in time whenever we went there to visit family. We always had a great time. Thank you so much for sharing.
During my hike, I also felt i was back in time, especially in the cemetery. Probably hasn’t changed much in a 100 years. Must have been a wonderful place to visit your family. Thanks Mary Lynn I enjoy visiting and walking through new places and sharing my visits on facebook and my blog. Please feel free to comment or ask questions. Happy Easter!
My great great great uncle was Daniel Washburn. He fought in the battle at Forty Fort. The French American War.
Thanks Marcy, we saw so much in that one week. Glad to share.
Wow, you must be proud. I love to learn local history and need to make a visit up that way. Thabks for you commnet. 🙂
Lovin’ your travels♥
Thank you so much Trisha I love to share them. Please feel free to ask questions, comment and share. Are you from northeastern Pa?