This is a hidden gem. Well, partly hidden. The bookmobile goes out into the community, and the home…read morebase is easy to get to on Sawmill Road. The bookmobile is state of the art and well-equipped. It makes stops all over and you can request specific books to be brought to your stop. The home base has a great colorful and comfy area for kids, and there is weekly story time. Adults will also find the library space comfortable and pleasant. A computer is available, and there are lots of books (including audiobooks and large-type). Whether they come to you or you go to them, everyone is friendly and helpful. They really go out of their way to help.

Danville is a Photo License Center, meaning you need to have your camera card with you, and you get…read moreyour picture taken. If you need other services? Go check the Department of Transportation website for the correct location. The Danville Photo License Center is located in a complex with several other businesses, so parking at times can be tight, but there are spots all around the building. Parking lot needs some work as there were several potholes during my visit. They are only open on Fridays and Saturdays. Interior is a handful of chairs, the staff member to help you, and the photo machine. Staff member will confirm your information and ask you to use a number pad to answer several questions. If everything goes correctly, you'll be out of here in five minutes. Real ID renewal? That gets mailed to you. I would suggest coming here at an off time to avoid the rush, like mid-morning or afternoon. The Danville Photo License Center is not fancy but gets the job done.

A beautiful spot. Its been a couple of years since I've been but it was wonderful even in the rain…read more We enjoyed a picnic in one of the bridges on a table that was amazingly painted, along with every other table. Even in the rain it was a wonderful spot. Check it out!

Twin Bridges Covered Bridge, Circa 1850 at 103 feet long…read more The Twin Bridges - East Paden and West Paden The only twin covered bridges in the United States. They are located on Huntington Creek in Fishing Creek Township, east of Forks in Columbia County. The Twin Bridges, constructed as a Queenpost Truss in 1884 by W. C. Pennington for $720, named after John Paden, who operated a nearby sawmill. Twin Bridges County Park was created in 1963 when a new road bypassed the structures. The original West Paden was washed away by floods waters in June 2006. It was reconstructed in 2008. These bridges are only open to foot traffic, the inside of each are utilized as picnic areas for the park. Look close to see they have picnic tables lined up down the center.

The Joesph Priestley Memorial Chapel was built as a country church in 1834 by descendants of…read moreJoseph Priestley. It was built as a Unitarian Church whose congregation included descendants of Joseph Priestley's grandson, Joseph Raynor Priestley. The congregation was dissolved in the early 20th century because it was too small to continue. And yet when you look at how small the chapel really is, you think to yourself, "Just exactly 'how' small was this congregation?". The chapel has however been maintained by various groups over the years and in the early 1990s, new Unitarian Universalist Congregation was formed. This time however they outgrew the little chapel. Today a secular, non-profit organization, the Priestley Chapel Associates, operates the chapel. Today the chapel has been lovingly maintained. It really isn't used for religious services much anymore. But you may rent the chapel out for private events such as weddings and memorial services. The chapel also has its "First Sundays Program", a short 40 minute program of music and words. They also have a poetry program, recognizing US Poet Laureates and Consultants in Poetry to the Library of Congress. These events include poetry readings, guest poets, and musical accompaniments. I'm not much into poetry--classic fiction is my game (just ask my mother, the librarian), but am I sorry we weren't here for that. I would have also liked to have heard a recital on the chapel's organ. I did however find the stained glass windows to be quite exquisite. If you're in Northumberland, spend a few minetes at the Chapel, especially after visitng the Joseph Priestley House.

Joseph Priestley (1733-1804) was known for identifying carbon monoxide, but mainly as the…read morediscoverer of oxygen in 1774. He was also a theologian, educator, political activist and writer. He spent the last years of his life in then rural Northumberland, Pennsylvania. He was a strong supported of the political ideas of the french revolution and had supported many religious Dissenters (both no-no's in his homeland of England), for this his house, library & laboratory were burned down, he was accused of treason and then he immigrated to The United States. First settling in Philadelphia, then moving to northumberland, he had hoped that moving to such a rural and secluded area would perhaps give him some breathing-space and time to think. He wasn't welcome as a preacher in Northumberland, but founded the first congregation of Unitarian faith in Philadelphia. His house was equipped with a laboratory, where he conducted experiments. His ideas greatly influenced Thomas Jefferson and the Constitution, and also his education planning is the basis for the liberal arts college. This is basically a tour of his original house, it has been modified since then. takes about a half-hour. 4.00 admission per person.

Dan pretty much hits the nail on the head in his review. I'd heard of the Joseph Priestley House…read morebefore, but I'd never visited it. Not only did Priestley discover oxygen, he also conducted early experiments in electricity and counted Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and James Watt among his friends. His teachings were so controversial that his house in Birmingham England was burned to the ground. He and his family fled Engand and Priestley spent the last decade of his life in Northumberland. The Joseph Priestley House is a National Historic Landmark and from the outside, it looks like a typically unassuming English gentleman's estate. But it's really easy to spend some time in here. Priestley and his family not only lived here, he had his laboratory here too. And I'm happy to say that the lab has been recently renovated. When the lab was renovated, it was done so without intruding on the elements of the house. The exhibit is set as though Priestley is at work investigating carbon monoxide in his Northumberland laboratory. Reproduction glassware pieces were selected, based on pieces that Joseph Priestley was known to have used here. The original laboratory glassware is now at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC. Other renovations include two representative furnaces with chimneys and a fume hood spanning the width of the lab. There's also a lot of family history in the house. His spouse Mary Priestley did a lot of the planning for the new house. She passed away, however, two years after they arrived in Northumberland and she never saw the completion of the house. As a widower, Joseph Priestley lived here with his eldest son, Joesph Priestley Jr and his daughter-in-law and his grandchildren. In 1919 Dr. George Gilbert Pond bought the house at auction. Dr. Pond was dean of the School of Natural Sciences at Pennsylvania State College (now Penn State). After his death in 1926, the college purchased the house and built the Pond House in his honor. It was used as a firepoof museum for Joseph Priestley's artificats. It once served as a visitor center, however plans are afoot to adapt it for public meetings and exhibits. I think that visiting small historical houses such as Priestley's can be just as rewarding as visiting well-known museums. If you visit the Priestley House, do the "Priestley Pilgrimage" by also visitng the Joseph Priestley Memorial Chapel, Riverview Cemetery and Northumberland's Historic District.

I went to the Gratz Historical Society to do some research on my family tree. All of the…read morevolunteers were so friendly and willing to help. I also took a tour of the museum and was surprised at the amount of stuff they have. I highly recommend visiting the Gratz Historical Society if you like local history.

Josiah Hess Covered Bridge, Circa 1875 at 110 feet long…read more This Burr Truss bridge is located between the towns of Forks and Jonestown; the Josiah Bridge is one of the two dozen historic covered bridges in Columbia County crossing Huntington Creek. The bridge was built by Joseph Redline at a cost of $1,349. This bridge is only open for foot traffic and picnics at the tables provided.