Penn State--visit to the Creamery and the Nittany Lion

The Nittany Lion sculpture

If you are not a Penn State alumni or fan, there is one, delicious reason to visit—the Creamery. The Creamery has become a Penn state tradition since it opened in the late 1800’s. Penn State is the only university with an Ag Department that offers a degree in ice cream making. The ice creams are sold at the Creamery.

Except for the most popular flavors, the selection of flavors changes during the year. You can also buy other dairy items such as cheese at the Creamery.

The second reason I visited Penn State was to see the statue of the Nittany Lion. My dad graduated from Penn State and I have heard about the Lion for years. The statue is about 4 short blocks from the Creamery. You can walk the distance without much trouble. Otherwise you can drive to the Nittany Inn and park in their parking area.

An extra bonus if you walk is you get to see some of the campus. I was there in early September. The campus is beautiful with a lot of small garden areas with seats and shade and flowers as well as various places that you can stop and get coffee or lunch.

The ice cream is delicious. Don’t plan to go on a home football game day. Lines will be long, long, long, long.

The Creamery occupies the first floor of the new Food Science Building on the corner of Bigler and Curtin Roads. Park in the East Parking Deck on Bigler Road. The garage is located behind the Creamery. You can park free for a ½ hour. If you stay longer, you will be charged. We stayed about 45 minutes and were charged $1.00 when we left.

For more information or to order your own ½ gallon of ice cream delivered to your home—http://creamery.psu.edu/

Map of Penn State. http://www.campusmaps.psu.edu/print/

Additional pictures—sorry, I forgot to take one of the Creamery.

Leo Petroglyph

The Leo Petroglyph is comprised of 37 incised drawings of humans, footprints, and animals. It is fun to try and find all of the glyphs and to try and identify what they are.

The petroglyphys were carved into a large, flat surface of sandstone. Currently, it is believed that they were carved by the Fort Ancient Indians sometime between 1000AD and 1650AD. Why the Indians cared these images or what they meant to the Fort Ancient peoples is unknown.

The petroglyphs are protected by a small, roofed shelter located in a very small park. The park has some picnic tables but no other amenities.

Local teens have been busy decorating the shelter with spray painted names. There is some evidence that some have also tried their hand at making petroglyphs. The only supervision of the park was provided by a neighbor’s two dogs who came by to see what we were doing.

Additional pictures:
Hours:
Location:
Fees (if applicable):

• none

Additional information:

Related sites:

• Ohio History Central: Leo Petroglyph


• Ohio History Central: Leo Petroglyph—photo


• Leo Petroglyph


• State Parks.com


• Appalachian Adventure Trail: Leo Petroglyph


• Ohio State Parks: Leo Petroglyph, nearby sites of interest

Buckeye Furnace

I was impressed with the reconstruction effort that has been made at Buckeye Furnace. The furnace is located deep in the hills of southern Ohio. Today it seems quiet and remote. During its heyday, the area was bustling with workmen and their families.

The furnace is a reconstructed charcoal-fired iron blast furnace. The sandstone stack is original. The blast furnace was located in an area where all the materials needed for producing iron were available—iron ore, limestone to separate the iron from the slag, and trees to produce the charcoal needed to fuel the furnace.

The furnace was built in 1852 and produced iron until 1894. During that period, the forest around the furnace was cut down to produce charcoal.
The site also contains a reconstructed company store which functions as the visitor’s center and a reconstructed supervisor’s house which is a private residence.

Open hours are limited. The Historical society has provided kiosks describing the buildings and the activities. You can use them to give yourself a self-guided tour if there is no staff available.

Additional pictures:
Hours:
Location:
Fees (if applicable) :
Additional information:

• Not handicapped accessible .

Related sites:

• Friends of Buckeye Furnace


• State Parks.com


• Ohio Iron Furnaces

Buffington Island Mound I

This is a conical mound about 20 feet high and with a base diameter of 125 feet. Concrete steps up the side allow you to walk to the top. You cannot see the river from the top of the mound but you can see the river bottom lands. There are supposed to be 2 smaller mounds nearby. We were unable to identify them.
The mound was probably excavated sometime around the beginning of the 20th century but there are no records of the work. The mound was restored in 1931 and is in good condition.

The mound is located on the Buffington Island Battle Memorial.

Hours:
Location:

Fees; (if applicable): none

Additional information:

Ohio History Central: Buffington Island Mound

Buffington Island Battleground

This site has two points of interest—one is the memorial to the only Civil War battle fought on Ohio soil and the second is an Indian mound.
In 1863, General Morgan, a Confederate officer, led a column of men across the Ohio. The Confederates were stopped by a Union army led by Major Daniel McCook together with eight of his sons and five of his brothers.
The memorial to the battle, made of glacial boulders, is set in a small 4 acre park that contains a shelter, picnic tables, and a restroom with pit toilets.
Near the memorial is the Buffington Island Mound 1, also known as Price Mound.
We visited the memorial and mound on a beautiful early fall day. This was the first of three stops. We went exploring and also visited the Leo Petroglyphs and the Buckeye Furnace.

Hours:
Location:
Fees; (if applicable): none
Additional information:

Related sites:
Ohio History Central: Battle of Buffington Island
Battle of Buffington Island

Buffington Island, Ohio

Clark’s Dining Room

Update: on October 31, 2009, Clarks closed.

Clark’s is not far off Interstate 70, exit 132. I have driven by Clark’s many times. The parking lot is always full of local cars which is usually a good sign.
Clark’s is a homey restaurant decorated with quilt hangings. The current owners and managers are the third generation to operate the restaurant. The Clark’s purchased the old hotel in 1918. The hotel had originally served as a stagecoach stop on the National Highway (Old Rt. 40). In 1954, the old hotel burned down. The family rebuilt the restaurant.
The food is home-cooked and served family style. Their specialties are fried chicken and pies. We ordered burgers and salad and tried the apple pie. The food was good and the price reasonable. The couple at the next table had the fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy and it looked delicious.
Take cash or check. Credit and debit cards are not accepted.
To round out our trip, we visited several Indian Mounds located near Clark's dining Room: Flint Ridge, Huffman or Tippet Mound at the Taft Nature Reserve, Fairmount Mound, and the Dawes Arboretum Mound.

Hours:

• Tues.-Sat.: 11:30-8:00; Sunday: 11:00-7:30; closed Mondays.
  Location: Corner of Rt. 40 and 13 in Jacksontown, Ohio.

Fees (if applicable):

• The restaurant does not accept credit or debit cards.

Additional information:

• 740-323-3874, call ahead for take-out; reservations accepted Tuesday-Saturday.

Related sites:

• Clark’s Dining Room
• ColumbusChefs.com

Fairmount Mound

This mound is in a graveyard next to the Fairmount Presbyterian Church. It is about 15 feet high and 80 feet in diameter. You will see it looming over you as you drive up the road to the church. Like the other mounds we visited during this trip, it is located on a ridge.
Because there is no forest hiding it, this was the most impressive of the mounds we saw on this visit. The mound looks well preserved.
The mound is on private property. Do not trespass. There is limited parking at the church.
We also visited these nearby sites on this day trip: Flint Ridge, Huffman Mound, Dawes Arboretum Mound, Clark’s Dining Room.

Additional pictures.

Hours:

• View from CR 323 at any time. The cemetery is open dawn to dusk.
  Location: From I70, take Exit 132. Go north to US 40. Turn right (east) on US 40 and go 1.5 miles. Turn left (north) on CR 323 (also called Fairmount Road). Fairmount Church and the mound are straight ahead at the top of the hill.

Fees (if applicable):

• none

Additional information:

• Do not trespass on the mound. It is located on private property.

Related sites:

• Fairmount Mound, Ohio History Central.