Discovering hidden historical and cultural gems in Manhattan & Beyond
Category: Exploring Punxsutawney PA
Edwina of Essex is the queen of the event enjoying a sweet potato
The sign welcoming you to Turtle Back Zoo
The visit to Turtle Back Zoo to visit to see Edwina in action
Edwina and her trainer at Groundhog’s Day
Punxsutawney Historical Society & Genealogical Society
401 West Mahoning Street
Punxsutawney, PA 15767
(814) 938-2555
https://www.facebook.com/Punxsyhistory
Open: Sunday-Wednesday Closed/Thursday-Saturday 1:00pm-4:00pm
My review on TripAdvisor:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Profile/R4960NKjustinw/mediabatch/12467166?m=19905
My blog on Exploring Punxsutawney, PA for Groundhog’s Day:
https://mywalkinmanhattan.com/category/exploring-punxsutawney-pa
The Bennis Mansion across the street at 404 West Mahoning Street houses the furnishings, household items and dollhouse displays.
It had been eight years since I had visited the historical society and the organization has created a lot of interesting displays. The museum was busy during the Groundhog’s Day celebrations and there was a lot to see and do. They have an interesting display on the history of the movie “Groundhog’s Day” including a original script from the film. Since the film is being shown in establishments all over town, it is fascinating what the society was able to collect from the filmmakers over the years. They also have the history of the Groundhog’s Club as well and their development over the years.
The Native American and Coal Mining displays show the development of the area along the old Indian trails and how it gained it population and wealth due to the mines. When the mines closed after the war, the fortunes of the area changed. The Groundhogs Festivities have really brought this back.
The Bennis Mansion across the street shows life in Victorian times to a once wealthy and prominent family in Punxsutawney. Each room is decorated with period furnishings and decorations. There is also a Dollhouse Exhibit going on from December 2023 through February 2024.
The Founding of the Museum (from the Society website):
The Society was begun in 1978 with the primary purpose of preserving the history of the Punxsutawney Area.
The Mission of the Society (from the Society website):
The purpose of the Society shall be to receive, collect and preserve the historical and genealogical records and artifacts of the area; to maintain a library and museum for their perpetuation and care; to encourage the preservation and restoration of material things and places that are of historical significance to the area; to exhibit artifacts of historical, genealogical and cultural value; to educate persons about subjects of historical, genealogical and cultural significance.
The Main Gallery:
The main gallery entrance of the museum.
The Front Gallery Groundhog Club history.
History of the Historical Society (The HGSP website):
The Punxsutawney Area Historical and Genealogical Society has an extensive museum complex. There are many rooms full of historical artifacts from the area which include displays of:
Exhibits in the Griffiths’ Galleries of the Lattimer House include: “Punxsutawney Area Legacy of Artists & Artisans” which tells the history of the region through the eyes of past photographers, painters and illustrators, sculptors and crafters.
The founding of the Groundhog’s Club.
Groundhogs Day uniform for its members.
Displays in the Bennis House highlight other area artists, past and present, as well as the varied ethnic background which helped form our community.
The Bennis House Living Room display
The founding of the town displays.
The Founders Display
The Founding of the town.
The Snyder Hill Schoolhouse is located on Snyder Hill just south of town. It is a restored country schoolhouse.
The Snyder School was typical of the one- or two-room country schools used years ago. From 1886 to 1959 (73 years) the school provided education for hundreds of children, many of them living today. It was the sole means of education for most of our rural population.
A one-room school consisted of eight grades and one teacher willing to accept hard and trying work. Usually overworked, the teacher undertook to teach as many thirty or more pupils in the eight grades. Younger children learned from older children, as in a large family.
The Snyder Hill Schoolhouse has been restored with old desks, books and other materials that were used during the time this type of school existed. Snyder Hill Schoolhouse is surrounded by woods and rolling farm land. Your first steps inside are on hardwood floors. The only source of heat was a large pot-bellied stove that was once covered in the winter with little mittens being dried by the fire. The boys and girls each had their own separate cloakroom on either side of the main entrance. Chalk boards with the day’s lessons lined the front wall behind the teacher’s desk; all of this can be experienced during your visit. The school is open by appointment for individuals or tours.
The history of the movie “Groundhog’s Day”:
The script from the film.
The film was not shot here but in Woodstock, IN. Only some of the travel shots as you are entering town made the film.
The town history:
The Groundhog Display.
History of the Native Americans in the area (Society website):
Punxsutawney’s Groundhog legend pre-dates the area’s first white settlers. The first inhabitants of the area, the Delaware Indians, shared in the Punxsutawney “Groundhog” roots with their own Indian version of “legend and lore.”
The Native American display at the museum.
Punxsutawney was originally a campsite halfway between the Allegheny and Susquehanna rivers. It is located on the earliest known trail to the East, the Shamokin path. The area was, at times, occupied by Shawnee or Delaware Indians and, sometimes, by Senecas or Iroquois.
According to the original “Creation” Story of the Delaware Indians, the “Lenni Lenape” (or original people), who were their forebears, began life as animals in “mother earth” and emerged centuries later to hunt and live as men. Thus it was that Oijik (Wejak), or Wojak, which was carried over to us as “‘Woodchuck”, came to be recognized as the “grandfather” of the earliest known inhabitants of this area.
The Native American display at the museum.
Although the area previously served as a “border” between Indian nations, the displaced Delawares settled in large numbers about 1723 because of the pressures from white men in the East and Iroquois intrigue. The main move toward the west followed between l740 and l760 as the result of further pressure.
It was during this period that an lndian sorcerer first appeared in various forms and attacked travelers from the East. He was hunted and killed in combat by a young chief. His body was burned to destroy the “evil medicine” but miraculously turned to searing sandflies, or “ponksad,” which plagued the area and the Indians. From that time the Indians called the location, ” Ponksaduteney,” which meant the “town of the sandflies.” The sandflies are now gone, but the “ghost of the spelling” is with us to stay.
The Native American display at the museum is quite extensive. There are many interesting artifacts.
The displays at the Museum:
As part of the Christmas celebration in 2023 and held over for Groundhog’s Day is the Native American Christmas tree display. The theme was dedicated to the Native Americans from the area.
The Christmas tree display dedicated to the Native Americans.
The beautiful decorations on the tree.
The sign describing the tree and its decorations.
Across the street at the Bennis House, the museum had a display of Dollhouses and the different houses that had been donated over the years to the museum.
The history of the Bennis House (from the Society pamphlet on the Bennis House history):
Edward C. McKibbon, secretary of the Punxsutawany Iron Works, purchased this town lot from the James E. Mitchell estate in 1901. T.E. Bennis purchased the McKibben property located on the corner of West Mahoning Street and Morrison Avenue in 1918. Members of the T.E. Bennis family occupied the house until 1982. In 1902, Mr. McKibbon contracted with E.J. Lawrence to build the house, which he first occupied in 1903.
The Bennis House display of the Log Cabin made with Lincoln Logs. In the cases are collections of china patterns over the years. In the Parlor are a portrait of Jefferson County Judge William P. Jenks, son Punxsutawney’s of first settlers, John and Mary Barclay Jenks. The dress from 1866 was worn by Mary Rebecca Jenks, the daughter of Judge William P. and Sarah C. Jenks.
The family china in the displays.
The Gingerbread House in the Parlor on the first floor.
The Bennis House Living Room on the first floor.
Dorothy Bennis Cooney, the youngest daughter, donated the house and property to the Punxsutawney Area Historical & Genealogical Society in 1982. The house has served as a place to display artifacts of Punxsutawney’s history since that time. The house is designed in a “Craftsman Style” with a Swiss influnence. When the Society received the house, the previous owner advised that it had been designed by a “Famous New York Architect”. (PHS Society)
On display in the entry-way is a unique piece of furniture which accommodated the need of visitors for a place to hang hats and coats and to store items.
The Second floor of the Bennis House has a wonderful display of Children’s Toys.
The Children’s Room with the display of the Fisher Price Doll House. The toys range from the 1850’s through the 1960’s.
The Toy display on the second floor.
The Bennis House second floor bedroom.
The Military Room on the second floor has all sorts of interesting uniforms on display.
The upstairs room dedicated to religious artifacts and furnishings.
The clothing and Electronics display on the second floor. These items range from the 1850’s to 1930.
The Cash Register and switchboard machine on the second floor. The cash register was originally used in Loeb’s Store and last used in Harl’s Shoe Store. The switchboard operation was from Punxsutawney.
After the tour is over, you have to visit their gift shop in the Lattimer House.
The two homes house an interesting display of life in Punxsutawney over the years and the artifacts represent life from the early 1800’s to the 1960’s. If you are interested in more than the history of Groundhog’s Day, the society offers that and so much more.
Gobbler’s Knob and Trail
1548 Woodland Avenue Ext.
Punxsutawney, PA 15767
https://www.facebook.com/weathercapital
https://www.groundhog.org/getting-here-and-around
Open: Sunday 10:00am-4:00pm/Monday-Tuesday Closed/Wednesday-Saturday 10:00am-4:00pm (Visitors Center) Site open: Dawn to Dusk.
Admission: Free
My review on TripAdvisor:
My review on Exploring Punxsutawney, PA for Groundhog’s Day:
(this will give you some great places to stay, eat and visit)
https://mywalkinmanhattan.com/category/exploring-punxsutawney-pa
“Are you off to see the Groundhog?” is a famous line in the movie “Groundhog’s Day”. The one thing is that the scene in the movie was shot in the square of Woodstock, ID. The real Gobbler’s Knob is located in Punxsutawney, PA, the real home of Phil.
The welcome sign to Gobblers Knob.
Located just outside the downtown (ironically behind a Walmart; talk about progress), Gobblers Knob is located in what was once woods in the back of town has become an open field with a stage, Visitors Center and gift shop. Every years thousands of people flock to this small town literally in the middle of Pennsylvania to see the Groundhog’s Day Festival.
Gobbler’ Knob is the famous home of the “Groundhogs Day” festival and swells into a crowd of more than thirty thousand people from all over the world. It is an incredible event to join in.
I attended the festivities here twice. Once in 2016 and again in 2024 and I have to say that it is something you have to do once in your life just to experience the excitement of the morning that Phil sees his shadow.
The signs were out and lit for the prediction. No one knew how Phil would react. Would he see his shadow or not?
The History of Groundhog’s Day (From the Groundhog’s Club website):
The Christian religious holiday of Candlemas Day has become most commonly associated with the current celebration, but it’s roots are older than that. The celebration started in Christianity as the day, (February 2nd), when Christians would take their candles to the church to have them blessed. This, they felt, would bring blessings to their household for the remaining winter.
As time rolled on the day evolved into another form. The following English folk song highlights the transition to weather prognostication.
If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Come, Winter, have another flight;
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Go Winter, and come not again.
This “interpretation” of Candlemas Day became the norm for most of Europe. As you can read, there is no mention of an animal of any kind in the preceding song. It wasn’t until this traditional belief was introduced to Germany that an animal was introduced into the lore, hence another evolution of February 2nd. If, according to German lore, the hedgehog saw his shadow on Candlemas Day there would be a “Second Winter” or 6 more weeks of bad weather. As German settlers came to what is now the United States, so too came their traditions and folklore. With the absence of hedgehogs in the United States, a similar hibernating animal was chosen. This leads us to yet another evolution in the legend and to present day Punxsutawney.
In Punxsutawney, 1886 marked the first time that Groundhog Day appeared in the local newspaper. The following year brought the first official trek to Gobbler’s Knob. Each year since then has seen a steady increase in participation of the celebration from people all over the world.
When the knob is full that morning you can feel the excitement of the crowd. From three in the morning until Phil comes out to make his prediction, there are all sorts of bands, comedians and singers to entertain the crowds all morning.
The crowds get bigger as the morning gets later, most arriving before 6:00am.
The stage was always filled with entertainment acts.
The entertainment for the evening until the top hats arrive and the fun begins. First they are the introductions of the VIPs, like the Governor of Pennsylvania showed up as well as all the other politicians to follow him.
Watch my video of Phil seeing his shadow in 2024:
Then there is a fantastic fireworks display. This lasted about a half hour.
Watch the fireworks display and you will see why you need to be there at 3:00am to enjoy the festivities:
The video on the finale was the best:
Then the camera’s arrive and it time for the prediction. Will it be an early Spring or will Winter keep going.
The arrival of the Punxsutawney Groundhog’s Club starts the program.
Phil did not see his shadow in 2024. Spring is on its way!
On the day after Groundhog’s Day, I went back to Gobblers Knob to visit it when it wasn’t so chaotic and crowded. It can magical in its own way in that you see the field and knob empty and realize that people all over the world watch the activities here every February 2nd. It is fascinating to just think about.
The entrance to Gobblers Knob the Saturday after Groundhog’s Day 2024.
The history of the site.
The historical marker of the site.
The stage area when it is quiet.
The end of the ceremony on Groundhog’s Day people were still milling around.
Gobbler’s Knob from the stage area.
The entrance display to the field.
The field when things were quiet after the event the next day.
Groundhogs Day in Punxsutawney, PA is a real experience that you should experience once. To sit out in the field with thousands of others to celebrate the day is a lot of fun. Until next year.
Turtle Back Zoo
500 Northfield Avenue
West Orange, NJ 07052
(973) 731-5800
https://www.facebook.com/TurtleBackZoo/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtle_Back_Zoo
Open: Sunday-Saturday 10:00am-3:00pm
My review on TripAdvisor:
The entrance to Turtle Back Zoo
I have been coming to the Turtle Back Zoo since I was in elementary school when we used to come here on field trips. I remember as a child having lunch on the lawn with my class and feeding the animals. That was back in the 1970’s with the old zoo set up. I had read that the zoo was falling apart by 1995 and they were ready to close it down. Like anything else, these zoos and parks need an update every few years to keep them relevant.
The directions on where to go when you enter the zoo
In 2000, as master plan was started in what direction the zoo wanted to go and in the next twenty years, I have seen the results of that hard work. You have many nicer displays, some still being too small for the respective animals, but a more realistic environment created for them. Back in 2016 when I joined the board of another zoo, I visited the Turtle Back Zoo for the first time since 1976. I visited a much improved and engaging zoo with nice displays and more diverse animals.
The new zoo set up has a good flow
On Groundhog’s Day, I went to see the small festival that the zoo was running that ended up being a ten-minute talk with an audience of the staff, volunteers and local politicians. I thought the zoo could do so much more to build on the reputation of this event. They introduced the new groundhog, Miss ‘Edwina of Essex’, who replaced ‘Essex Ed’. They said he had retired to Florida (I was not sure if he died or was somewhere else that day). Still, it was a cute little event with the groundhog trying to walk off and escape and a weather prediction of an early spring.
Groundhog’s Day Celebration 2023:
Miss ‘Edwina of Essex’ will be the star of Groundhog’s Day festivities in the future
The indoor set up for Groundhog’s Day at the Turtle Back Zoo in 2023
Read my blog on MywalkinManhattan.com” Day “Two Hundred and Sixteen: Meeting ‘Edwina from Essex’ at the Turtleback Zoo-Happy Groundhog’s Day”:
https://wordpress.com/post/mywalkinmanhattan.com/21731
Edwina and her trainer
After the event was over, I got a chance to walk around the zoo for an hour and even though it was the middle of the winter, there was a lot going on at the zoo. I spent the next hour or so walking the exhibits and watching the feedings. Being the middle of the winter with snow all around, a lot of the displays were closed, and the animals were inside as it was too cold for them.
The flowers that line the paths of the zoo from the old days
I started the tour of the zoo at the Flamingo pool. Watching these graceful animals communicate in their own language amongst themselves was interesting. The flamingos looked at us humans with amusement almost as if they were cracking a joke at our expense. They walked around their pool in groups, and it was fascinating to see how they moved in cliques. Some stayed at one part of the display while others moved around conversing about something.
The flamingos sleeping on this cold morning
The flamingos carried on a nice conversation at our expense
I visited the Petting Zoo that was pretty much closed, but the animals were out having their afternoon meal. I swear the rams and sheep looked at me like an alien from Outer Space. I have never gotten such an inquisitive look from another animal before. They all just stared at me and stopped eating. I guess they had not seen a visitor in a long time with the exception of the staff with the weather being what it has been.
The goats gave me the strangest looks that afternoon
The lions and giraffes were all inside warming up as this weather was not something they are used to, and I will have to revisit these exhibits in warmer weather. The Penguin House was a lot of fun to visit. The penguins are so engaging and had just finished their feeding time. They looked like they were ready to play.
The pelicans were swimming around in the Penguin tanks
Penguins’ dove and swam all around me, looking at me through the glass and trying to communicate with a lot of chirping. They looked so happy to see another person beside the trainers. As I followed them as they swam around the tank, they looked to me like they were trying to show me their swimming skills. I felt like they were trying to befriend me as some sort of strange new penguin. They are really used to seeing humans and find ways to engage with us.
The penguins at the Turtle Back Zoo are so friendly
I got to watch the sea lion feeding and watch the seals and otters swim around their tanks. The otters, which are an outdoor animal looked so cold that they swam for a bit after their feeding and then raced inside their burros to get out of the weather.
I stopped into to the Sea Turtle Recovery Building to see what the zoo was doing to help the turtles with their health and how the recovery was done. Separate tanks where the turtles are monitored for their therapy are on display and you can see the different stages they go through before being released into the wild.
The display sign by the tanks
The Sea Turtles in the rehabilitation center
The Big Cat Country exhibition had the poor cougars and mountain lions walking around in circles in the snow looking like they were not too sure what to do next. They did not look that happy to be outside, but I am sure being cooped up was not good for them either.
The Cheetah looked so cold that day
The Train Ride through the park was closed for the season as was the carousel and the restaurant. Those will have to be revisited in the Spring. I revisited the Reptile House one more time before I left for the day.
The giant turtle in the Reptile House
There is a variety of snakes, lizards and other wild creatures on display here and it the one exhibit where the animals seemed happy in their environment as they had plenty of room to move around and stretch. I swear that those snakes know that you are there. They just stare at you when you walk by looking like they are plotting to get out of the glass displays.
The giant lizard in the Reptile House
I will visit again in the Spring and talk about the comparisons with the weather and how it affects the animal’s behavior. They are no different than us with adapting to the change of the seasons. Many of these animals come from environments where this type of cold is not what they are used to and it is hard for them.
The Puff Fish in the Fish Tanks in the Touch Tank Display
There will be a lot more to see in the warm weather when I return.
The Bear Statute by the Bear Den
The History of Turtle Back Zoo:
(From the Zoo’s Website)
The Turtle Back Zoo came into conception in 1962 when the Essex County Parks Commission President, William Wachenfeld, awarded a $400,000 contract to Max Drill Inc. to build a 15.5-acre zoo in the South Mountain Reservation Park. It was designed to be a seasonable park for children.
The Turtle Back Zoo logo
Designer Tjark Reiss was hired to design the park and he created exhibits based on Hans Christian Anderson’s nursery rhyme themes and other children’s stories. There were to be farm animals and an antique train ride that took visitors on a mile round trip ride through the zoo’s surrounding woodlands.
The Turtle Back Zoo opened June 3rd, 1963, with a collection of 140 animals of 40 species. The zoo took its name from a rock formation located on the mountain side east of the zoo. The Lenape Indians called this formation Turtle Back Rock. The pattern on the rocks created by large basaltic crystals makes it appear that you are standing on the back of an enormous tortoise.
In 1973, the zoo’s animal collection had grown to 850 animals of 275 species. In 1975, a Zoological Society was established to promote the zoo and provide funding support through memberships and other fund-raising efforts. The first board meeting took place in September of 1975. In 1978, the Board of Commissioners that directly administered the park was replaced with Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs under the direction of the County Executive.
The Children’s Statute by the entrance of the zoo
In 1995, the zoo fell into disrepair and the zoo was almost shut down in 1995 (Wiki).
In 2000, the zoo completed a new master plan with accreditation from the American Zoo and Aquarium Association as its major focus. The zoo started to replace the antiquated 1960’s style cages with larger, more naturalistic habitats for its animals. In 2005, the zoo completed a new 1.8-million-dollar Essex County Animal Hospital at the Turtle Back Zoo to serve the zoo’s animal residents and serve as a animal quarantine facility for the growing animal collection.
That year the zoo demolished the original administration building and education center and replaced them with a new 11,000 square foot complex that included a walk-through gift shop, a new visitor friendly entrance and exit, a 4,000 square foot reptile center, administration offices a new group entrance and two classrooms opening to an auditorium. A new picnic pavilion and an animal themed playground were opening in 2006.
In September of 2006, the Turtle Back Zoo was granted accreditation by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association. This distinct honor places the Turtle Back Zoo amongst the elite zoos and aquariums of the United States and means that the zoo adheres to the highest standards of zoos in the country.
The Touch Tanks with stingrays in them
Come to the Zoo on Groundhog’s Day to meet “Edwina of Essex”
Edwina of Essex County on Groundhog’s Day 2023
Visiting a Museum: The Unique, Unusual, Obscure and Historical 