Joseph Priestley (1733-1804) was known for identifying carbon monoxide, but mainly as the…read morediscoverer of oxygen in 1774. He was also a theologian, educator, political activist and writer. He spent the last years of his life in then rural Northumberland, Pennsylvania. He was a strong supported of the political ideas of the french revolution and had supported many religious Dissenters (both no-no's in his homeland of England), for this his house, library & laboratory were burned down, he was accused of treason and then he immigrated to The United States. First settling in Philadelphia, then moving to northumberland, he had hoped that moving to such a rural and secluded area would perhaps give him some breathing-space and time to think. He wasn't welcome as a preacher in Northumberland, but founded the first congregation of Unitarian faith in Philadelphia. His house was equipped with a laboratory, where he conducted experiments. His ideas greatly influenced Thomas Jefferson and the Constitution, and also his education planning is the basis for the liberal arts college. This is basically a tour of his original house, it has been modified since then. takes about a half-hour. 4.00 admission per person.

Dan pretty much hits the nail on the head in his review. I'd heard of the Joseph Priestley House…read morebefore, but I'd never visited it. Not only did Priestley discover oxygen, he also conducted early experiments in electricity and counted Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and James Watt among his friends. His teachings were so controversial that his house in Birmingham England was burned to the ground. He and his family fled Engand and Priestley spent the last decade of his life in Northumberland. The Joseph Priestley House is a National Historic Landmark and from the outside, it looks like a typically unassuming English gentleman's estate. But it's really easy to spend some time in here. Priestley and his family not only lived here, he had his laboratory here too. And I'm happy to say that the lab has been recently renovated. When the lab was renovated, it was done so without intruding on the elements of the house. The exhibit is set as though Priestley is at work investigating carbon monoxide in his Northumberland laboratory. Reproduction glassware pieces were selected, based on pieces that Joseph Priestley was known to have used here. The original laboratory glassware is now at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC. Other renovations include two representative furnaces with chimneys and a fume hood spanning the width of the lab. There's also a lot of family history in the house. His spouse Mary Priestley did a lot of the planning for the new house. She passed away, however, two years after they arrived in Northumberland and she never saw the completion of the house. As a widower, Joseph Priestley lived here with his eldest son, Joesph Priestley Jr and his daughter-in-law and his grandchildren. In 1919 Dr. George Gilbert Pond bought the house at auction. Dr. Pond was dean of the School of Natural Sciences at Pennsylvania State College (now Penn State). After his death in 1926, the college purchased the house and built the Pond House in his honor. It was used as a firepoof museum for Joseph Priestley's artificats. It once served as a visitor center, however plans are afoot to adapt it for public meetings and exhibits. I think that visiting small historical houses such as Priestley's can be just as rewarding as visiting well-known museums. If you visit the Priestley House, do the "Priestley Pilgrimage" by also visitng the Joseph Priestley Memorial Chapel, Riverview Cemetery and Northumberland's Historic District.

The Berwick Historical Society is located on the property of The Jackson Mansion…read more I took a tour of the Mansion with my family. The price is inexpensive for a tour. If you enjoy the Victorian style-themed era, this house will be enjoyable to tour. For locals, it will give you a glimpse back into that time in Berwick which is neat to hear about our local history. Check out their website for special events such as Christmas time. I hear it is beautifully decorated at Christmas time.

We just returned home from a wounderful tour of this beautiful mansion. I planned a trip to visit…read morethis house, which was over an hour from our house, for our 2 year wedding anniversary and it was better than we even thought it would be. This historic house is set up with a lot of Victorian era items and our tour guide Jen was knowledgeable and very friendly. Thank you for a wonderful day.

This Queen Anne style house was the home of cartoonist Eugene Zimmerman. Circa 1890, it is located…read moreopposite lovely Teal Park.

A nice memorial for the struggle of miners in the late 1800's for liveable wages and humane working…read moreconditions. They updated the landscaping using coal in place of wood mulch, very fitting.

The Lattimer massacre took place in the village on September 10, 1897. It resulted in the deaths of…read moreat least 19 unarmed striking immigrant anthracite coal miners. The miners, mostly of Polish, Slovak, Lithuanian, and German ethnicity, were shot and killed by a Luzerne County sheriff's posse. Scores more were wounded. The massacre was a turning point in the history of the United Mine Workers (UMW).

It is really a shame that Sullivan County hasn't done anything with this old train station, such as…read moreusing it for a model railroad display. There were once multiple narrow-gauge logging railroads in Sullivan County, and this would be a good case in point to create a museum depicting such.

I finally visited the gigantic cow located along the 309 highway and it was good! :) This is one of…read morethose things you got to do while sitting either visiting or living in Wilkes Barre, PA.

"The cow is of the bovine ilk; one end is moo, the other milk."―Ogden Nash…read more What better way to celebrate my Firstie #600 than with a review about a 51-year-old, 14'x17' 2000lb. brown cow statue? Originally purchased by the Gorman family in 1967 for $5,000 (the price of a Caddy at the time) in order to draw-in visitors to their farm. They held a contest that year to name her and the winner was "Three-O-Nina" (named after the 309 Highway she's situated next to) and they received a brand-new color TV! She is now currently owned, and maintained, by the Krugel family, who owns Krugel's Deli & Beer next door. Nina is one of those fun roadside attractions that one must stop to visit when traveling through Central PA. After all in 2010 she was named in Parade Magazine's top roadside attraction in PA! I particularly enjoy silly things like this―as it always puts me in good mooood. Sorry. I had to go there... ;-p

The Pine Creek Gorge is nicknamed the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon, and it certainly possesses its…read moreshare of dramatic views. There are a lot of ways to enjoy the area. The Pine Creek Rail Trail runs through the base of the gorge itself, which can be accessed by driving partway down to the parking areas and then hiking or biking in. Or you could opt to take some challenging hikes down the sides of the canyon to the bottom from one of the trailheads at the state parks located on the east (Leonard Harrison) or west (Colton Point) rims. Leonard Harrison State Park offers more amenities, with a visitor's center, and souvenirs and snacks during the busy season, while Colton Point is a bit more basic with picnic tables and overlooks. There is also a covered wagon tour available through Ole Covered Wagon Tours that provide another way to enjoy the base of the canyon, along with a knowledgeable tour guide who can provide information on the history, geology, and nature in the area. If you're unfamiliar with the area, be aware that rattlesnakes and black bears live here.

Noted as Pennsylvania's Grand Canyon the best way to get here is through Wellsboro, PA and the best…read moreview I found was from Colton State Park. Great hiking trails great views and overall a nice place to visit. The town nearby is also a great place to shop and grab something to eat. Be sure to plot everything by GPS there is minimal wireless Anal in the area probably because of how this place aligned with the Earth's magnetic field, regardless don't get lost and try not fall off. I have this place 3 Ninja stars because it was nothing close to Grand Canyon. This gorge is just that, a gorge and nothing near as close to a grand canyon.

A beautiful spot. Its been a couple of years since I've been but it was wonderful even in the rain…read more We enjoyed a picnic in one of the bridges on a table that was amazingly painted, along with every other table. Even in the rain it was a wonderful spot. Check it out!

Twin Bridges Covered Bridge, Circa 1850 at 103 feet long…read more The Twin Bridges - East Paden and West Paden The only twin covered bridges in the United States. They are located on Huntington Creek in Fishing Creek Township, east of Forks in Columbia County. The Twin Bridges, constructed as a Queenpost Truss in 1884 by W. C. Pennington for $720, named after John Paden, who operated a nearby sawmill. Twin Bridges County Park was created in 1963 when a new road bypassed the structures. The original West Paden was washed away by floods waters in June 2006. It was reconstructed in 2008. These bridges are only open to foot traffic, the inside of each are utilized as picnic areas for the park. Look close to see they have picnic tables lined up down the center.

We love visiting Eckley and have been here multiple times. Just to visit and for events. Today was…read moretheir first ever Hooch Wagon Brew Fest. We purchased two tickets for a little over $80 with fees. We arrived at opening at checked in, showed our ID's and were given wrist bands. The woman at the table started to hand us small plastic cup. We said we were supposed to receive actual glasses. The other lady said there wasn't anything 'special' on our tickets to receive the small tasting glass. Not sure why there would be when you read what they posted. Another lady scanned our tickets - again. According to all of the Eckley posts (photo attached) you were to receive a tasting glass as long as you purchased tickets ahead of time, which we did. Finally after back and forth between 4 different women we were given the small glass. It was a hastle and didn't need to be. The two older women didn't want to give them to us, but eventually did with hesitation. That was definitely not a good start to the event. We feel that everyone going should receive the small glass, especially when paying over $40 per ticket. There were probably a dozen breweries/wineries. Two food trucks and one table selling cookies. We were familiar with most of the breweries and were surprised there weren't more involved. We have a lot of great local-ish breweries. I understand it's their first time having this event. We would attend again if there's not the hastle with the glass and if there are more vendors there.

Nice, relatively small museum with an informative video describing the era. The "open" buildings…read morehave a clear front door that is locked. I was not on a guided tour as they were not available when I visited so that experience may be different. The photo I uploaded was from my iPhone placed against one of the windows. It came out great considering I couldn't see anything but the plates from outside looking in. There is a cellphone tour you can take to describe the buildings in the patch.