The Barn At Jacobsburg ...

“How many lessons of faith and beauty we should lose if there were no winter in our year!”

           ~ Thomas Wentworth Higginson

                    ~1823-1911

               ~ from “April Days”

                          ~ 1861

A barn nestled in mid-March snow paints a picturesque late winter scene in Henry’s Woods at Jacobsburg State Park, which spans between Wind Gap and Nazareth, Pennsylvania.

The barn is part of Boulton, an early American industrial community in the heart of the Jacobsburg National Historic District – once the site where the famous Henry Rifle was made – which lies almost entirely in the park. Henry’s Woods offers very scenic hikes and the rest of the center grounds have multi-use trails.

The barn was built by William Henry III circa 1821 to house grain and livestock.

Jacobsburg State Park 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.

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.

For more information on the Henry family visit the Jacobsburg Historical Society’s website at http://www.jacobsburghistory.com/.

Legacy In Winter ...

“Si monumentum requiris, circumspice.”

        (“If you seek his monument, look around.”)
 
         ~ Epitaph of Sir Christopher Wren (1632-1723) in St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, England, of which he was architect. The phrase is generally used to describe a person’s legacy – and can be taken to mean that what we leave behind (including intangible things like relationships) best represents our life.

General Harry C. Trexler looks majestic and stately on horseback as a light January snowfall brushes this beautiful bronze statue of his image on a winter afternoon at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

General Trexler (1854-1933) is the father of Allentown’s park system. He was an industrialist, agriculturist, philanthropist, conservationist and soldier. The park is his namesake.

During his lifetime, General Trexler contributed a great deal to the growth and quality of life in the City of Allentown and the surrounding County of Lehigh. 

This bronze statue of General Trexler was presented to the City of Allentown by his trustees Nolan P. Benner, William B. Butz, Joseph S. Young, Carl J.W. Hessinger and Richard E. White. It was commissioned January 16, 1979 and dedicated May 8, 1982.

General Trexler was a great man, and I’m personally very thankful to him, as Trexler Memorial Park and Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania are two of my very favorite places to be and to photograph.

Winter Inspiration

"Even if I knew that tommorrow the world would go to pieces, 
I would still plant my apple tree."
                                         ~ Martin Luther 

Jerusalem Western Salisbury Church, Allentown, Pennsylvania, is an
inspiring sight in the late day sun on a recent winter afternoon. This
quintessential country church was founded in 1741.

Painting Memories

"Art arises when the secret vision of the artist and the manifestation of nature agree to find new shapes."

~ Kahlil Gibran

Filled with beauty, the Kreidersville Covered Bridge in Allen Township, Pennsylvania was built in 1839. The bridge is loved for its great history and tranquil setting by the Hokendauqua Creek. It is the only covered bridge left in Northampton County. It was the perfect place for a summer daydream last weekend.

Quintessential Country Church

Waiting For Green

April at The Bridge

Snow Kissed Covered Bridge

Gristmill Bedecked for Christmas

Pony Bridge Bejeweled for Christmas

 The Walnut Street "Pony" Bridge, built in 1860, is the last remaining cast and wrought iron bridge in North America.

Shadows on The Pony Bridge

                    
 The Walnut Street "Pony" Bridge, built in 1860, is the last remaining cast and wrought iron bridge in North America.

Simple Splendor of the Pony Bridge

The Walnut Street "Pony" Bridge, built in 1860, is the last remaining cast and wrought iron bridge in North America.

Walking Through the Covered Bridge

Tones of the Covered Bridge

The Pony Bridge: Black and White Snapshot

The Walnut Street "Pony" Bridge, built in 1860, is the last remaining cast and wrought iron bridge in North America.

A Walk on The Pony Bridge

The Walnut Street "Pony" Bridge, built in 1860, is the last remaining cast and wrought iron bridge in North America.