Jacobsburg State Park with Lennie and Bill

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Hi Blog!

It's hard to believe that in less than a month, we will be back on the road. As the weather warms, we have been dividing our time between sprucing up the RV and visiting family and friends. With vaccines in arms, we contacted our friends Lennie and Bill and arranged to meet for a scenic and historic hike in Jacobsburg State Park, also know as the  Jacobsburg Environmental Education Center

While we had driven past the park on the way to our cat sitter, we had never found the time to stop and explore. This park is Lennie's and Bill's go-to park for cross-country skiing. It didn't take long to see why. The trails are wide and well graded. Perfect for gliding along on your skiis or a morning of leisurely hiking.

Here we are at the trailhead:

Dave, Lennie, Bill and Kathy

There are over 19 miles of trails that cris-cross the park. We hiked the Henry Woods Trail which took us along Bushkill Creek.

Bushkill Creek

Bushkill Creek (Dutch for "bushy" or "forest creek") is a 22.1-mile-long tributary of the Delaware River in eastern Pennsylvania. Kathy and Lennie wandered down to the bank of the creek to see if any fish were rising.

Bill led the way to the bridge which took us across the creek, so we could hike back along the far side. Since the trees have not leafed out yet, we had views of a beautiful cloudless blue sky.

The stream in the photo below is one of several small runs that join Bushkill Creek:

This area was settled in 1740 by Jacob Hubler, who founded the community from which Jacobsburg draws its name.

The Henry's Woods Trail was named after the Henry family, famous gun makers during the revolutionary war. The first of the Henry gun makers, William Henry I, opened his gun factory in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 1750. In 1792, Henry II purchased land at Jacobsburg and built a gun manufacturing plant.

The extended Henry family loved to hike and paddle. They would paddle their canoes up the creek and set up elaborate picnics along the banks.

The only one using the creek today was this lone goose.

Inside the boundaries of the state park lies the Jacobsburg National Historic District. The district is on the National Register of Historic Places. The history of Jacobsburg focuses on the Henry Family and their small arms industry; an industry that played a key role in the American Industrial Revolution.

A small babbling brook runs through the homestead. It is surrounded by daffodils!!! Our first flowers of spring.

In 1832, John Joseph Henry (1786-1836) and his wife Rebecca Smith Henry (1785-1871) built this ambitious Philadelphia townhouse on the Bushkill. Five generations of the Henry family lived in the home, filling it with musical instruments, books, tools, paintings, furniture, and numerous other personal belongings.

Mary Henry Stites (1907-1989), the great-great-grandchild of John Joseph Henry, bequeathed the home to the Jacobsburg Historical Society. The house is open for tours on certain days of the year. Today was not one of them.

Bill decided to return directly to the car, while Lennie decided to take us back the long way. Although we didn't know it at the time, Bill walked back along the creek directly across from us. He didn't happen to show up in this photo, but we spotted him moments later.  I suppose it's better to be across a creek than up a creek, especially if you don't have a paddle.

Here Lennie leads up across hill and dale.

We couldn't help ourselves. The minute we saw these flowers we had to stop and photograph them.

Unfortunately, the actual environmental center is still closed for Covid, so we were unable to explore all the exhibits. We ended the hike with a nice picnic lunch and a couple of brews. 

We hope to get out hiking again with Lennie and Bill before we leave town. So, stay tuned!