Quintessential Pennsylvania

If you are native to the Pittsburgh area, the phrase "Meet Me Under the Kaufmann's Clock" will most likely resonate with you. The clock that is located outside the former Pittsburgh department store chain's "Big Store" has been a downtown Pittsburgh landmark for over a century.   Overlooking the corner of Smithfield Street and Fifth Avenue, the 2500 lb clock is an iconic Pittsburgh mainstay. The clock is actually the second clock to stand at the corner of Fifth and Smithfield.  The first Kaufmann's Clock stood on a post and was installed in 1887 when Jacob and Issac Kaufmann opened their new flagship store at 400 Fifth Avenue.  When Kaufmann's expanded "The Big Store" in 1913, the beloved landmark was installed. For over 125 years, the Kaufmann's name was well known throughout the Pittsburgh region as the area's main department store.  The chain grew into the suburbs and via acquisition - yet the 13 story downtown store stil...

Tri-State Rock (Monument) notes the point where Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey meet - even if it is 475 or so feet away. It's not often you can locate the spot where three states meet.  And if you want to go to the exact spot where Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey meet well you'd have to take a boat or canoe out to the middle of the Delaware River to find it.  However, for the non-adventurous, you can come pretty close to it, and there's a monument to go with it. The Neversink River (on left) flowing into the Delaware.  It is out here where the three states actually meet. Tri-State Rock is located in Port Jervis, New York and is the "unofficial" point where the three states meet.  The location of the Tri-Point is where two rivers, the Neversink and Delaware, meet.  Tri-State Rock is known historically as Carpenter's Point and a monument noting the tri-point has been in place here since 1882. There are actually two monuments located...

One of the most photographed objects in all of Pennsylvania is the Nittany Lion Shrine on the Penn State campus in State College. Originally presented in 1942 as a gift by Penn State's Class of 1940, the Nittany Lion Shrine was sculpted from a large block of Indiana limestone by sculptor Heinz Warneke . Since the statue was dedicated and opened for the public to view, a number of traditions regarding the Nittany Lion Shrine have developed. In 1966, a few of the wives of the coaches of the Penn State football team, including Sue Paterno, painted the statue orange prior to a football game against Syracuse as a way to drum up school spirit. It led to the Guard the Lion Shrine tradition, where the Penn State ROTC volunteers time following the annual Homecoming Parade to guard the statue from possible defacement. Sources and Links: About Penn State / All Things Nittany - Nittany Lion Shrine Onward State - Penn State History Lesson: The Lion Shrine Daily Collegian - ...