Quintessential Pennsylvania

LE RAYSVILLE - Founded 1798.  Bradford County town named after Le Ray de Chaumont, which is the castle of Jacques-Donatien Le Ray, who was a French supporter of the American Revolution.  Le Raysville is home to LeRaysville Cheese - an Amish cheese factory opened in 1978. Photo taken by Doug Kerr.

KARTHAUS - Founded 1841.  Clearfield County village and township named after Peter A. Karthaus, who owned much of the land within the township .  Photo taken by Doug Kerr.

ICKESBURG - Founded 1818. Perry County village named for Nicholas Ickes .

HOLLIDAY - Founded 1799.  Tioga County community named for Daniel Holiday.  It may have been originally called Hollidaytown .

HELLERTOWN - Founded 1742.  Northampton County town named after the family of Christopher Heller who settled here along Saucon Creek. Photo taken by Doug Kerr.

Recently, I had the opportunity to check out the Johnstown Inclined Plane in Johnstown, Pennsylvania . Like the more famous Duquesne Incline and Monongahela Incline in Pittsburgh , the Johnstown Inclined Plane was built with Western Pennsylvania's topography in mind in to carry people and goods between Point A and Point B. Built in 1890 and opened in 1891, just a few years after the devastating Johnstown Flood of 1889 , the incline railway goes up and down Yoder Hill between downtown Johnstown and the Borough of Westmont on the top of the hill. The Johnstown Inclined Plane features a double track of rail with two cars permanently attached to steel cables, counterbalancing each while in operation. As one car rises, the other is lowered. Power is only needed to lift the net weight. The grade of the Inclined Plane is quite steep, at just over 70% as it travels 896 feet up the hill. For a thrill seeker like myself, I was also impressed by the scenic views of Johnstown and the...

HANOVER - Founded 1745.  Named after Hanover, Germany.  The town, which saw a cavalry battle during the Civil War, has numerous unique shops and restaurants . Photo taken by Doug Kerr.