Mt. Pisgah
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Mt. Pisgah includes scenic overlooks from which you can view all the way to New York state. The 600 acres of the park is a great place for animal wild life, berry picking and picnicking. Nearby Mt. Pisgah state park offers boating and swimming. Mt. Pisgah Park is centrally located between Towanda and Troy. Facilities include two pavilions, although camping is currently not allowed. The park is open daily from dawn to dusk. Activities include picnicking, hiking trails, nearby swimming, fishing, & boating at Mt. Pisgah State Park. History of Mt. Pisgah County ParkIt is said that in the fall of 1817, John Dobbins with Myron Ballard and Elam Kendall started from Sugar Creek for a general hunt to the nameless mountain. They went to the very apex where they found a nice clear spring water, where they pitched their tent for the night. In the morning Dobbins said “boys, this is too nice a place without a name’ and taking his knife he cut in the smooth bark of a Norway pine the word, Pisgah, then stepping back a few feet, looking to the east and seeing the rising sun in all its splendor, said, “From Pisgah’s top I view the promised land.’” As thus christened so has the name of the mountain ever remained. In 1831 a man by the name of John Salisbury of Phelps, N.Y. purchased approximately 400 acres of land that included Mt. Pisgah. Prior to his death, knowing his health was diminishing, he divided the land amongst his five children. Mary Salisbury, his daughter received the northeast section of the property which encompassed Mt. Pisgah. Mary married Moses Gustin in 1856, who was a photographer in Troy, Pa. The views from the summit of Mt. Pisgah were so beautiful that he built an observation tower made of wood in 1876. The tower was approximately 75-80 feet tall and it was said that on a clear day both Elk Mountain near Scranton, Pa. and Cayuga Lake in Ithaca, N.Y. could be seen. Locals who visited the tower vowed it would never withstand the overpowering winds on the mountain. A storm, one month after the towers completion, leveled all the trees, large and small, yet the tower remained unharmed. Locals said the spirits of the great Indian warrior Chief Wetona, who once lived in the area and frequented the top of the Mt. Pisgah to pray to the Indian gods, saved the tower. It has been speculated that Chief Wetona was buried atop Mt. Pisgah and has since been moved to an Indian burial ground elsewhere. Around 1918 the tower had seen its better days and the harsh weather had taken its toll. The tower was closed to the public for safety reasons and eventually had to be destroyed. In 1965 the Bradford County Commissioners decided to purchase the land that encompassed the mountain that is now known as Mt. Pisgah County Park. Mount Pisgah County Park is located almost exactly halfway between Troy and Towanda, near U.S. Route 6, at the top of Mt. Pisgah. Take Rte 6 to Pisgah Rd. Follow Pisgah Rd. to the end and make a left onto Pisgah State Park Rd. Following the signs for the County Park, turn right onto Shaylor Drive. This will take you to the top of Mt. Pisgah. Related LinksDocuments & Forms
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