New Geocoin Aims to Draw Visitors to Region's State Park and State Forest

 by Mike Henderson, Project Manager

   Thanks to a grant from DCNR's Bureau of Recreation and Conservation, there will soon be a new perk designed to entice more people to visit Oil Creek State Park and the Kennerdell Tract of Clear Creek State Forest. A new geocoin has been

Photo by Mike Henderson

produced that depicts both the state park and the state forest on one side, and the Oil Region Heritage Area on the other side. Following on the heels of the wildly popular Allegheny GeoTrail, this coin differs, in that it can actually be found hidden within the geocaches in the field. Like the AGT coins, the state park/state forest coin will be trackable on geocaching.com; but unlike the AGT coins, the tracking number is cleverly hidden along the outside rim of the coin.

   Volunteer geocachers have agreed to periodically place the coins in geocache containers located within the state park and state forest at random intervals, so that they can be found by geocachers visiting from abroad. A note attached to each coin explains the purpose of the coin, encouraging its finder to spread the word about the recreational resources to be enjoyed throughout the Oil Region. Finders are asked to play fairly and only take one coin per registered geocacher. Only 1,000 of these unique coins have been minted, and it is expected that they will become prized possessions among the participants.

Work Continues on

 by Mike Henderson, Project Manager 

   The Pleasantville firm of RDS Contracting is wrapping up their work on the Neilltown Church for Phase I of rehabilitation. The church building now sports a new cedar-shingled roof, probably the single most important component of the work. The old asphalt-shingled roof had begun to leak, presenting a major threat to the structure. Now, with a new roof, work can begin on other parts of the building without concern of further moisture damage. Also completed during Phase I was a completely new handicapped entrance at the rear of the building. This entrance includes a new steel door and concrete pad, along with a sloped approach and an aggregate walkway from a designated handicapped parking space next to the building.

   The original front doors to the building were completely repaired and refinished, and new reproduction period door latches were installed. Electricity has been restored to the building, and new period light fixtures installed. Perhaps the biggest challenge facing the contractor has been the reinforcement of the north wall, where an original timber sill has rotted. A new sill is being installed, which requires jacking up the entire north wall to accommodate the new wood.

   Funding for this phase of the project has been provided by PHMC through their Keystone Historic Grant program, by a Forest County Community Development Block Grant, and by numerous generous private donations. The Neilltown Church music series continues this summer, with the next concert, Judy Marti - "A Banjo Pickin' Girl", being performed on Sunday, August 8. On Sunday, August 22, the church will play host to the Dempseytown Ramblers. Both concerts begin at 2:00 p.m.

Alliance Co-sponsors International Heritage Development Conference

by Marilyn Black, VP-Heritage Development

   The International Heritage Development Conference was held in Charleston, SC, June 27 through July 1.  This professional gathering is operated by the Alliance of National Heritage Areas.  The Alliance was among the co-sponsors.  The Alliance logo and name appeared on conference materials, website announcements, publications, displays, etc.

   Marilyn Black, Alliance VP-Heritage Development, attended the conference, including a Pre-Conference Tour about the Gullah Geechee culture & Traditions.  Gullah Geechee National Heritage Area includes a corridor along the eastern seaboard and islands off North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, which is the region in which slaves from the rice-growing portion of Africa introduced the rice culture which even today is distinctive to this area.

   The making of sweetgrass baskets is a traditional craft concentrated today in the community of Mount Pleasant, which is across the harbor from Charleston.  The boro recently constructed a Sweetgrass Pavilion in its new public park, providing a central location at which any of the approximately 250 families which still make these baskets may rent tables by the day.  Until now, these lovely baskets were sold only from ramshackle stands along Highway 17.   

    During the conference, Marilyn moderated a panel on "Leveraging Money."  She also (as Secretary of ANHA) witnessed the signing of an agreement between ANHA and a delegation from Mexico for information and leadership exchanges regarding heritage development; this parallels an arrangements already in place with the French heritage parks, which kicked off at the IHDC held in Detroit several years ago.