Fowlers Hollow State Park
Encyclopedia
Fowlers Hollow State Park is a 104 acres (42.1 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Toboyne Township, Perry County
, Pennsylvania
in the United States. The park is 0.25 miles (402.3 m) from Blain
just off Pennsylvania Route 274
. Fowlers Hollow State Park is on the site of a former sawmill
, and was developed as a park by the Works Progress Administration
during the Great Depression
.
during the early 1900s. The Perry Lumber Company built a narrow-gauge railroad on the former Path Valley Railroad bed from New Germantown to the area of what is now Big Spring State Park
. The lumber company never built a permanent sawmill
in the area. Instead they used five portable mills. Lumber was cut and bark was stripped from the hemlock. The standing lumber was quickly exhausted and logging operations were complete in the area by 1905. The state of Pennsylvania bought 2573 acres (10.4 km²) from the Perry Lumber Company in 1907. Construction of the park facilities took place during the Great Depression
by works of the Works Progress Administration
.
. The picnic facilities at the park have stone fireplaces that were built by the CCC
. Fowler Hollow Run
passes through the park and is a brown trout
fishery. There are 18 campsites at the park: twelve are for trailers, and six for tent
s. It also serves as a trailhead for the trail system of the Tuscarora State Forest
. Hunters
, snowmobile
rs, and cross-country skiers
also use the park to gain access to the surrounding state forest.
Perry County, Pennsylvania
As of the census of 2000, there were 43,602 people, 16,695 households, and 12,320 families residing in the county. The population density was 79 people per square mile . There were 18,941 housing units at an average density of 34 per square mile...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in the United States. The park is 0.25 miles (402.3 m) from Blain
Blain, Pennsylvania
Blain is a borough in Perry County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 252 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
just off Pennsylvania Route 274
Pennsylvania Route 274
Pennsylvania Route 274 is an long state highway located in Franklin and Perry counties in Pennsylvania. The western terminus is at PA 75 in Fannett Township. The eastern terminus is at US 11/US 15 in Duncannon.-Route description:...
. Fowlers Hollow State Park is on the site of a former sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
, and was developed as a park by the Works Progress Administration
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
.
History
The land on which Fowlers Hollow State Park sits was clear cutClearcutting
Clearcutting, or clearfelling, is a controversial forestry/logging practice in which most or all trees in an area are uniformly cut down. Clearcutting, along with shelterwood and seed tree harvests, is used by foresters to create certain types of forest ecosystems and to promote select species that...
during the early 1900s. The Perry Lumber Company built a narrow-gauge railroad on the former Path Valley Railroad bed from New Germantown to the area of what is now Big Spring State Park
Big Spring State Park (Pennsylvania)
Big Spring State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Toboyne Township, Perry County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is on Pennsylvania Route 274, southwest of New Germantown. Big Spring State Park is a hiking and picnic area...
. The lumber company never built a permanent sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
in the area. Instead they used five portable mills. Lumber was cut and bark was stripped from the hemlock. The standing lumber was quickly exhausted and logging operations were complete in the area by 1905. The state of Pennsylvania bought 2573 acres (10.4 km²) from the Perry Lumber Company in 1907. Construction of the park facilities took place during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
by works of the Works Progress Administration
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
.
Recreation
Fowlers Hollow State Park is used by families on picnics and outdoorsman seeking to hunt, fish, snowmobile, and ski within the park and in the nearby Tuscarora State ForestTuscarora State Forest
Tuscarora State Forest is a Pennsylvania state forest in Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #3. The main office is located in Blain in Perry County, Pennsylvania in the United States....
. The picnic facilities at the park have stone fireplaces that were built by the CCC
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
. Fowler Hollow Run
Fowler Hollow Run
Fowler Hollow Run is a stream in Perry County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is part of the Susquehanna River watershed as it is a tributary of Shultz Creek, which is a tributary of Sherman Creek, which flows into the Susquehanna...
passes through the park and is a brown trout
Brown trout
The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....
fishery. There are 18 campsites at the park: twelve are for trailers, and six for tent
Tent
A tent is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over or attached to a frame of poles or attached to a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using guy ropes tied to stakes or tent pegs...
s. It also serves as a trailhead for the trail system of the Tuscarora State Forest
Tuscarora State Forest
Tuscarora State Forest is a Pennsylvania state forest in Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry District #3. The main office is located in Blain in Perry County, Pennsylvania in the United States....
. Hunters
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
, snowmobile
Snowmobile
A snowmobile, also known in some places as a snowmachine, or sled,is a land vehicle for winter travel on snow. Designed to be operated on snow and ice, they require no road or trail. Design variations enable some machines to operate in deep snow or forests; most are used on open terrain, including...
rs, and cross-country skiers
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
also use the park to gain access to the surrounding state forest.
Nearby state parks
The following state parks are within 30 miles (48.3 km) of Fowlers Hollow State Park:- Big Spring State ParkBig Spring State Park (Pennsylvania)Big Spring State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Toboyne Township, Perry County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is on Pennsylvania Route 274, southwest of New Germantown. Big Spring State Park is a hiking and picnic area...
(Perry County) - Caledonia State ParkCaledonia State ParkCaledonia State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Greene Township, Franklin County and Franklin Township, Adams County in Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is named for an iron furnace, Caledonia Furnace, that was owned by Thaddeus Stevens beginning in 1837. Today the park is known...
(AdamsAdams County, PennsylvaniaAdams County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 101,407. It was created on January 22, 1800, from part of York County and named in honor of the second President of the United States, John Adams...
and Franklin CountiesFranklin County, PennsylvaniaAs of the census of 2000, there were 129,313 people, 50,633 households, and 36,405 families residing in the county. The population density was 168 people per square mile . There were 53,803 housing units at an average density of 70 per square mile...
) - Colonel Denning State ParkColonel Denning State ParkColonel Denning State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Lower Mifflin Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is in the Doubling Gap of Blue Mountain on Pennsylvania Route 233 between Newville and Landisburg. Doubling Gap Lake is a man-made lake covering...
(Cumberland CountyCumberland County, PennsylvaniaCumberland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is one of three counties comprising the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 235,406.-History:...
) - Cowans Gap State ParkCowans Gap State ParkCowans Gap State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Todd Township, Fulton County and Metal Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is largely surrounded by Buchanan State Forest in Allens Valley just off Pennsylvania Route 75 near Fort Loudon.-French and Indian...
(Fulton CountyFulton County, PennsylvaniaFulton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 14,845.Fulton County was created on April 19, 1850, from part of Bedford County and named for inventor Robert Fulton.Its county seat is McConnellsburg....
) - Greenwood Furnace State ParkGreenwood Furnace State ParkGreenwood Furnace State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in Jackson Township, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is near the historic iron making center of Greenwood Furnace. The park includes the ghost town of Greenwood that grew up around the ironworks, old roads and...
(Huntingdon CountyHuntingdon County, PennsylvaniaHuntingdon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. In 2010, its population was 45,913.Huntingdon County was created on September 20, 1787, from part of Bedford County. Its county seat is Huntingdon.-Geography:According to the U.S...
) - Kings Gap Environmental Education and Training CenterKings Gap Environmental Education and Training CenterKings Gap Environmental Education and Training Center is a Pennsylvania state park in Cooke, Dickinson and Penn Townships, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania acquired the land in 1973, from the C. H. Masland and Son Carpet Company...
(Cumberland County) - Little Buffalo State ParkLittle Buffalo State ParkLittle Buffalo State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Centre and Juniata Townships, Perry County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is a historical destination as well as a recreational destination. Visitors to the park can cross a covered bridge and observe a restored and...
(Perry County) - Mont Alto State ParkMont Alto State ParkMont Alto State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Quincy Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is on Pennsylvania Route 233 one mile from Mont Alto.-Mont Alto Iron Company:...
(Franklin County) - Pine Grove Furnace State ParkPine Grove Furnace State ParkPine Grove Furnace State Park is a protected Pennsylvania area that includes Laurel and Fuller lakes in Cooke Township. The park provides various outdoor recreation activities, has the remains of the Pine Grove Iron Works, and was the site of the 1830 Laurel Forge, 1880s Pine Grove Park, and an...
(Cumberland County)