THE
BEST PLACES, EVENTS AND OTHER GOOD THINGS IN TURKEYFOOT
YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO SUBMIT A DESCRIPTION OF YOUR FAVORITE PLACES, PEOPLE OR EVENTS IN EITHER OF THE TWO TURKEYFOOT TOWNSHIPS
THE
The first picture was submitted by Michele Q. Hayes and taken near an
ancestor's home, Norman Beal. The bridge is on the Laurel Hill Creek, a short
distance from Ursina, and on the road to Humbert. In earlier days, it was
called the
Barbara Goss provided the second picture
showing the lower entrance to the bridge.
OUR CABIN
The log cabin was built in 1927 by my uncle, George
Groff, Jack Fick and a number of their cronies. They built it on land that was
leased from old Bud Tannehill located about 200 yards below Mr. Tannehill's
house. It was unique in that it was constructed of Chestnut logs, wood that is
no longer available. A blight destroyed all the Chestnut trees in
At that time the cabin was in a cathedral of
huge tall oaks and was adjacent to State Game lands. It provided a great deal of
privacy and a starting point for enjoying the many outdoor activities that
CRANBERRY GLADE RUN AND
We loved to walk down past Glen Tannehill's saw mill
to the stream we called Laurel Run. It has since been named Cranberry Glade
Run. The run had beautiful large stones and cascading white water with native
trout. Some of the pools were large enough to take a bath. The stream turned
red and was polluted a number of years after its feeder was dammed up to make
The last time we walked down there, the road
was fairly well grown over, but the State keeps it open for hunting. One can
continue on past the run and end up beyond
THE MITCHELL HOLE
We had a favorite place on the Laurel Hill
Creek we liked to hike to, have lunch and take a swim. It used to be an annual
event for my family to make the two-mile hike from our cabin to what we called
the Mitchell Hole. The farm adjacent to the creek there was once owned by the
Mitchell Family. The swimming hole is actually only a mile or two above
Humbert, but we always walked down from our cabin on the Tannehill Farm through
the woods and onto the dirt road leading from the
Anyhow, the spot is one of the most beautiful
on the Laurel Hill Creek. It is probably only four or five feet deep,
surrounded by mild rapids above, a sheer cliff with overhanging pines on the
far side and an island with a small sandy beach on the near side. One must
cross the island from the foot of the road to get to the spot.
When we visit
FLATROCKS AT HARNEDSVILLE
The most popular swimming hole in the area
has got to be Flatrocks on the
THE BLUE HOLE
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Another favorite swimming hole, at least to the Groff Family, is the Blue Hole. It is in the Laurel Hill Creek at the foot of the Groff Farm. The small hole hasn't changed much in 60 or 70 years, but the bank has. In earlier days the bank came right up to the edge of the hole (like the picture). Over the years, due to high water, the bank has eroded back a good twenty feet and washed away the beautiful tree that overhung the water. In the early days it was a place to cool off after a hard days work in the fields or to take a weekly bath (whether you needed it or not). Over the years, during vacations it has been one sure place to visit and to experience with ones children and grandchildren. |