But Memory Is An Autumn Leaf ...

“But memory is an autumn leaf that murmurs a while in the wind and then is heard no more.”

                ~ Kahlil Gibran

                      ~ 1883-1931

Like a fleeting memory, a solitary autumn leaf briefly rests next to the cascading waters of the Bushkill Creek in this long exposure shot I captured on a beautiful late October afternoon in Henry’s Woods at Jacobsburg State Park, which spans between Wind Gap and Nazareth, Pennsylvania.

Jacobsburg offers environmental education programs from the preschool environmental awareness programs to high school level environmental problem solving programs, historical programs, teacher workshops and public interpretive programs. Once the site where the famous Henry Rifle was made, the Jacobsburg National Historic District lies almost entirely within the park. Henry’s Woods offers very scenic hikes and the rest of the center grounds have multi-use trails.

The park surrounds the Bushkill Creek.

The original land for the center was purchased by the Department of Forests and Waters from the City of Easton in 1959. In 1969, additional land was purchased using funds from Project 70. This brought the total land area of the center to its present size of 1,168 acres.

Little Parson Brown ...

“… In the meadow we can build a snowman

Then pretend that he is Parson Brown

He’ll say, are you married?

We’ll say, no man

But you can do the job

When you’re in town …”

                ~ “Winter Wonderland”

        ~ music by Felix Bernard,

              lyrics by Richard B. Smith

                             ~ 1934

“Winter Wonderland” is a winter song, popularly regarded as a Christmas song. Through the decades it has been recorded by over 200 different artists.

Just like a Little Parson Brown, this miniature snowman that I saw a little boy make sits in front of the Springhouse on one of the stone bridges at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania on November 17, 2018, two days after the season’s first snowfall. The pre-Thanksgiving snowfall blanketed the region with eight inches of snow.

This log cabin was part of Springhouse, the summer home of General Harry C. Trexler (1854-1933) an American industrialist who built a business empire in Allentown. The park is his namesake.

I presented the image in sepia to enhance the nostalgic feel.

Morning At The Mill ...

“Morning is when I am awake and there is a dawn in me.”

                 ~ Henry David Thoreau

                          ~ 1817-1862

The historic Haines Mill is the hub of a picturesque scene on a late October morning in the Borough of Cetronia, Allentown, Pennsylvania as it reflects the beauty of bygone days.

Also known as Haines Mill Museum, it is an historic grist mill built circa 1850. It produced flour processed by an old-fashioned water-powered mill located just off the banks of the Cedar Creek. It remained in full operation until 1957.

A mill has stood here on the banks of the Cedar Creek since colonial times. The current circa 1850 Haines Mill offers a trip into the world of the early technology that supported farm life.

The sign on the front of the building says: “Haines Bros. Flour Mill, The Home of Gilt Edge Flour,” with a sack of flour etched with the words, “Cetronia Flour Mills, Gilt Edge Flour, 50 lbs. net, Allentown.”

It is a four-story, stone building with a slate covered gambrel roof. It is three bay by three bay, 42 feet by 46 feet, 9 inches. The interior was rebuilt after a disastrous fire in 1908. A three-story brick addition was built in 1930, with a lean-to roof. Atop the main roof is a cupola.

Today, Haines Mill is operated as a partnership between the County of Lehigh, which owns and maintains the site, and the Lehigh County Historical Society, which provides public tours. It is located in a serene 37.5 acre park.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.