There was a lot to explore in this part of Pennsylvania after Groundhog’s Day was over.
I had gone out to Punxsutawney, PA for the Groundhog’s Day celebrations on February 2nd and because of time and travel ended up spending three nights in the area. Once at the Community Center in Punxsutawney the night before Groundhog’s Day (highly recommended to save money as you will never be in your hotel room), I settled in for the night. It costs $10.00 to spend the night and you get to see the last showing of the movie “Groundhog’s Day” for free while eating fresh popcorn.
The Community Center in Punxsutawney, PA is the best place to spend the night before Groundhog’s Day.
https://www.facebook.com/p/Punxsutawney-Community-Center-100064684327267
The second night I spent in Indiana, PA just south of Punxsutawney because everything was sold out between Route 80 and Punxsutawney and they wanted a two night minimum with the few hotels and B & B’s selling around $400.00 a night. Just twelve miles down Route 119 and the hotels were practically empty in Indiana and I paid $85.00 at the Quality Inn. A much better deal and you get to explore the small town of Indiana, a college town and the County seat with its vibrant downtown of restaurants and stores and three interesting little museums.
My last night was just outside Mahanoy City, PA where I would be attending church services at our family church for the first time in fifty years and paying respect to my great-grandparents and my godparents who are buried in the cemetery on the hill. I had not done that in eight years as well. Trust me when I say there is not many places to stay in the three mining towns that surround the main mine company, Blaschak Anthracite and the open mine you can see in the middle of these three towns. It was an interesting look into my family’s past in the mining industry.
It is always fun seeing the Groundhog (this is Edwina of Essex at the Turtle Back Zoo).
The day after Groundhog’s Day, I decided to explore the area around Punxsutawney knowing that I had the full day to get to Mahanoy City, which was only two and a half hours away. I had spent Groundhog’s Day night in Indiana, PA and wanted to explore it a bit more. Once the Groundhog’s Day celebrations are over, there were food trucks and demonstrations in the Green but after an hour of this and a second visit to the Punxsutawney Historical & Genealogical Museum for a second time, there was not much else to see in Punxsutawney so I headed for Indiana to check in early at my hotel and visit the Jimmy Stewart Museum in Indiana, PA. That was an interesting experience as I did not know much about his past or his military service and that of his family.
Punxsutawney Phil seeing his shadow in 2024.
My Groundhog’s Day blog in Punxsutawney, PA in 2016 and 2024:
https://mywalkinmanhattan.com/category/exploring-punxsutawney-pa
(this also gives you my visits to see Staten Island Chuck and Edwina of Essex in New York City and New Jersey respectively and all the museums and cultural sites that surround them).
I was spending the night at the Quality Inn in Indiana, PA and knew nothing about the town when I booked the trip. All I know is that the hotel room was reasonable and it was away from the crowds of Punxsutawney. Indiana is a much different town. Its downtown is vibrant and lively with all sorts of shops and restaurants.
The Quality Inn Indiana, PA at 1545 Wayne Avenue.
https://www.qualityinnindianapa.com
https://www.choicehotels.com/pennsylvania/indiana/quality-inn-hotels/pa622
My review on TripAdvisor:
It is a college town, home to the University of Indiana, PA and the County seat of Indiana County. It is also home to actor Jimmy Stewart and his namesake museum is right downtown. For a small community, it has wonderful restaurants and three small museums to visit. Just watch the parking downtown. I got a ticket because I thought the parking was free like it is in New Jersey on a Saturday. I had to mail in a $12.00 ticket when the meter ran out.
Downtown Indiana, PA shopping district.
https://www.visitindianacountypa.org/member-categories/shopping
Before I checked into the Quality Inn, I checked out the Jimmy Stewart Museum at 835 Philadelphia Street, which is the main street of Indiana. It is part of the library complex and is an interesting museum on the actor’s life in town and in Hollywood. In this tiny space was the story of the actor’s life and the contributions both he and his family made to the community.
The Jimmy Stewart Museum at 835 Philadelphia Street
My review on TripAdvisor:
My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:
https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/17615
The museum covers his life growing up
The family business Jimmy Stewart grew up in.
The Awards Room with his Oscar.
The world of Jimmy Stewart.
After the museum, I walked around the downtown to explore all the stores and restaurants and enjoyed looking at all the historical buildings in the downtown.
Historic Downtown Indiana, PA.
Just off the downtown with the historical homes and churches near the Historical Society.
I got back to the Quality Inn Hotel just south of the downtown and went back to relax for the rest of the evening. I slept really well considering that I had not gotten much sleep the night before. After a good breakfast, it was off to visit the Indiana Historical & Genealogical Society. That was an interesting little museum.
The entrance to the Historical and Genealogical of Indiana County at 621 Wayne Avenue.
My review on TripAdvisor:
My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:
The Indiana Historical & Genealogical Society was a small but interesting museum that told the story of the town from the time of the Native Americans to the era of the mining companies dominating industry to modern day life.
The galleries flowed though the history of the town from its successes of the coal mining companies and conditions and strikes that came with it to its modern day era as a college town.
The second-floor Military exhibition covered from the area’s participation in the Revolutionary War through WWII. The area’s population saw more than their fair share of action during the wars.
After I toured the museum, I walked outside and toured around the grounds and looked over the Crawford House which is a Victorian home that is part of the Society. This is only open for special tours and during the holidays.
I toured the downtown quick enough to realize that I had gotten a ticket when I left my car in a downtown parking spot too long. So much for free parking on the weekends. Be very careful when parking in Downtown Indiana. There are no signs posted about parking hours especially if you are from out of town.
I left Indiana and made my way back to Punxsutawney for one last tour of the town. Things had calmed down a lot since the previous day but still the Green was busy with food trucks, outdoor vendors and bands. There was still a sizable crowd in town.
I revisited the Punxsutawney Historical & Genealogical Society, touring the Bennis House, the other historic home that was part of the museum. It gave me a chance to really tour the house and admire the displays. Both houses display such interesting artifacts on the local history.
The Punxsutawney Historical & Genealogy Society at 400-401 West Mahoning Street
My review on TripAdvisor:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Profile/R4960NKjustinw/mediabatch/12467166?m=19905
My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:
The Bennis House is filled with historical furnishings, artwork and had an interest dollhouse display that expanded through many rooms.
The museum takes you on a journey through the excesses of the Victorian Age in the town with its growth from coal mining through the generations of the Bennis family who lived here until the 1980’s.
The Lattimer Mansion across the street most of the Society’s collection of local, Native American and Groundhog’s Day memorabilia. Some of this is on the Groundhog’s Club and the other display cases is on the movie (which was not shot here). It is an interesting little museum.
The museum is very unrated in that there are so many interesting displays shown throughout each building and so much local history on how important this area once was for industry and travel and not just for the groundhog’s Day celebration.
The display from the movie “Groundhogs Day” with Bill Murray.
After another quick tour of downtown, I stopped for lunch at Punky’s Pizza for lunch. I could not leave town again without having one of their fantastic calzones. That alone is worth the trip.
Punxsy Pizza at 115 North Findley Street
My review on TripAdvisor:
This amazing little pizzeria is in one of the nicest historical buildings in Punxsutawney and was extremely busy during the Groundhog festivities. The couple of times I have eaten here the food was excellent and the family who run the pizzeria are super nice.
The entrance to Punxsy Pizza
Knowing that I had an almost three hour journey in front of me I needed a good lunch and their calzones more than met that.
God, I love coming here when I am in town and I swear the night before Groundhog’s Day and on Groundhogs Day you will wait in line to get in here.
After my tour of the Green again and lunch, I took a quick stop at the Community Center to see about ten minutes of the last showing of the film “Groundhog’s Day”, it was off to Mahanoy City for the next day’s tour and church services.
When I left Punxsutawney, I took the longer way through the Amish farms and the back roads passing through small farming towns. The Amish have really turned some these small communities around.
As they have moved in and taken over some of dying communities, they have made the farms vibrant again and these tiny towns with their historic churches and cemeteries and tiny downtowns are seeing new life. The homes are all being renovated and rebuilt and new businesses are sprouting up catering to the new residents.
It was interesting to see the young families in horse drawn carts driving through the roads and leaving the farms on business and to church continue their traditions in communities that were left for dead since the 1970’s. You see this transformation in each of the small towns that I passed. It will be interesting to see what this area looks like in the Spring and early Summer when everything starts growing again.
I finally reached Route 80 again, that never ending highway back to the eastern part of Pennsylvania. I got to my hotel in the early evening with the trip taking longer than I thought. It was dark by the time I got to the Comfort Inn.
The Comfort Inn in Frackville/Barnesville, PA at 1252 Morea Road.
https://www.choicehotels.com/pennsylvania/barnesville/comfort-inn-hotels/pa675
My review on TripAdvisor:
This hotel may be ten years old but I swear I thought it was brand new. They take such good care of it and it is such a welcoming place. The rooms were bigger than I thought and even had small kitchens and sitting areas for business. This made this convenient to get work done. They just need more outlets and better Wi-Fi. I slept like a log that evening and did not want to get up for church services. I had not slept that well in a long time. The beds were so comfortable you will want to stay in bed all day.
After I dressed for church that morning, I went down for breakfast. Hotels are having this annoying habit since COVID of closing breakfast at 9:00am and that means having to wake up earlier than you want. The breakfasts at the Comfort Inn were well worth it.
After a long travel the night before and not being hungry when I arrived at the hotel, I was starved the next morning.
I dived right in knowing that after church services I would be on my way traveling through the three towns before my trip home. I love breakfast!
I think I had three breakfasts that morning.
After hitting the buffet about four times ( the other guests seemed perplexed at this guy in a suit going back to the buffet so many times), it was off to Sunday services at St. Mary’s Byzantine Church.
This is our family church on my mother’s side of the family and I had not been here since Easter services fifty years ago. We had visited our great aunt and her family at Easter and had come to services here that day. Even in such a depressed town, it is one of the most beautiful churches I had seen.
St. Mary’s Byzantine Church in Mahanoy City, PA.
https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=116392985048797
I swear that I had to park a block away and I had seen better condition housing in Paterson, NJ and that is saying a lot. People here have no respect for their homes and treat them horribly (that is the kind word I use when blogging).
The inside of the church is a contrast of worlds as it is a beautiful place of refuge from the outside community. I had never seen such elegant and detailed artwork with paintings, statuary and iron work. This was a church built to make a statement.
The front of St. Mary’s Byzantine Church before service started.
I had time before services started and was just stunned not only at the beauty of the inside of the church but on the vibrancy of the artwork and the colorful, elaboration on the way it celebrates God. This church was built with a very different mindset than some of the Catholic Churches I have been to over the years.
The stained glass windows were artwork on to themselves and the banners were so vibrant.
The banners were interesting to look at up closely.
The banners that line the front of the church.
When I walked around the church admiring the artwork, I caught the attention of many of the regular parishioners who were probably not used to seeing such over dressed person in a suit and tie at church. After services were over, more than one person walked up to me to ask who I was.
The artwork along the walls and ceiling were gorgeous.
The back of the church.
Walking up to the altar after services were over.
Catholic services are very different from the Byzantine Catholics from the Roman Catholics. The lecture is continuous without stopping for anything. The priest talks and talks and then you sing, cross yourself and then talk again. It is not like being in a Roman Catholic church where it is stand up, sit down and then stand up again and keep repeating that all through the service. It was a lot of chanting and almost singing your way through the service. I was not used to a hour long service that was continuous. It was a different way of looking at the same service. Very different from the Reformed service I sat through for the Epiphany.
The Sunday Pentecost Services 2020.
After the services were over, I had a chance to talk to Reverend Carroll and the other parishioners, who were dying to know who I was and what I was doing here. It was like new blood had arrived. It was a very interesting morning service.
After the services were over, I ran back to the hotel to change and then I started my tour of the three towns that surrounded the mine. This would be an interesting experience in life in a mining community and discovering my roots in this part of Pennsylvania. Even though my family is from Hazelton, it is still a similar experience.
My first stop was up the road past Mahanoy City to Cemetery Hill where all the church’s graveyards were located overlooking the valley. I had thought this was an odd place for a set of cemeteries but things must have been different in town when they were created and maybe they wanted them out of sight. Frankly, the dead have the best views of the area.
I went to pay my respects to my Great-Grandparents. my Godparents and my second cousin and great uncle who were all buried in the family plot on the hill. It was very touching and humbling to visit my family here. I was always told that they know you visit and you know when they are there. I got got a good feeling to let my family know that they are not forgotten. I feel the same way on Christmas Eve when I visit the cemeteries by my home.
The St. Mary’s Byzantine Cemetery up on the hill overlooking the valley.
This is only the second time I have been here. The first time that I came here, I was just passing through in 2016 and the priest took me up to the cemetery. It was a cold, very gloomy and misty afternoon. With all the mist, it looked like something out of a horror film. This time around the visit was a bright sunny afternoon and could admire the views from the hill. You could see the working mine in the background from the hill.
After my visit to my family, I made my way back to downtown Mahanoy City to walk around and see what the town was all about. Talk about depressed. It was sad to see so many of the houses here were falling apart as well as most of the businesses are closed. I counted two pizzerias (that both had horrible TripAdvisor reviews), a Chinese restaurant and two bars that you had to be buzzed into. Most of the businesses on the Main Street were closed or boarded up. The tiny Historical Society was shut tight on a weekend and on a late Sunday afternoon there was not much open.
Downtown Mahanoy City on a Sunday afternoon.
Here and there were some bright spots. A few of the businesses including the florist from the last trip here were still open. There was an open park near the high school and when you drove up Cemetery Road towards the back of the city up on the hill, there were two blocks of homes where the houses were in pristine shape like its own little enclave. That’s why I think St. Mary’s Church was such a treasure. Such beauty in the middle of all of this.
I did come across this interesting monument on dedicated to the “Molly Maguire’s”, a militant group of miners who protested the mine owners.
The plaque dedicated to the men who faced such hardship “The Molly Maguires”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molly_Maguires
The statue in the display of intolerance of the “Molly Maguires”.
Near the sculpture was also home to the B & B I had planned to stay out but was closed for renovations and for the season, the Kaier Mansion B & B.
The Kaier Mansion was once home to a Coal Mining millionaire. Now it just sits in the middle of the downtown. It is funny how the beautiful sits among the business district. Maybe for a future stay. This is at 729 West Centre Street in Downtown Mahanoy City, PA.
The Review on TripAdvisor:
After my walk around the downtown area and getting some strange looks from the few residents that I saw and who all managed to say hello to me, I left to explore the next town that surrounded the mine, Shenandoah.
Driving through Shenandoah was a bit better than Mahanoy City. The lower part of the downtown was a bit more vibrant than Mahanoy City and there were more businesses that were open (but not on this Sunday). There was a small section down by their Historical Society where I could see a block of buildings that had been renovated and there were a few restoration businesses and some ‘hipster’ businesses across the street. It looked a group of artists had moved in and were trying to do something so there was some hope here.
One of the highlights of Downtown Shenandoah was the Pennsylvania Anthracite Miners Memorial on the northern section of the main street in a small park that was not well maintained. This beautiful memorial to the memory of the miners who sacrificed their lives for the mines were honored here. The memorial was life size and just amazing in its details.
The Anthracite Miner’s Memorial in Shenandoah, PA.
The Anthracite Miner’s Memorial dedicated to the miners who dedicated their lives to the field.
https://www.zenosfrudakis.com/anthracite-miners-memorial
My review on TripAdvisor:
My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:
As I exited out of Shenandoah down Route 924, I passed the area where they were strip mining and wondered what that was really doing to the environment and to the current roster of miners who were still working in the mines. Blaschak Anthracite is still mining this area and you can see the open mines from the highway. This is the company these towns were created for. It made me wonder what these three towns must have been like when it was still a vibrant industry and all the other manufacturing had not left the area.
The last town that I traveled through on the way back to Route 81 and then home was Frackville, another small mining town that again had more life in it than Mahanoy City but not by much. The core of the town was falling apart like the other two towns. There again was more small businesses trying to keep it together but it was not until you got closer to the highway exit that there was some vibrance to the town. It just seemed that the closer you got the main roads, the more people could hop on and then off.
One of the institutions that I do remember outside the church from my childhood is the Famous Dutch Kitchen at the Route 61 exit by Route 81 in Frackville. I remember coming here with my parents back in the 1970’s when we visited my great aunt and her family. I still order the same thing when I come here, the Turkey Croquettes with Mashed Potatoes and their vegetable, usually corn but I had canned string beans that did not measure up.
To start my traditional lunch in Frackville, I waited to have lunch here. I still tasted those croquettes from eight years earlier in 2016 when visiting the Groundhog and had waited for them again. They never miss. This restaurant has good old-fashioned Pennsylvania Dutch cooking which I love.
The Dutch Kitchen Restaurant at 433 South Leigh Avenue in Frackville just off Route 61 and 81.
https://www.facebook.com/p/The-Dutch-Kitchen-100050922140635
My review on TripAdvisor:
I always have to start with the homemade Pierogi with a side of sour cream. These are a real treat when they are cooked in butter and a little onion. They are so light and delicious. With a couple dabs of the sour cream makes them even better.
The potato pierogi with sour cream on the side
For my main part of the meal, I ordered the Turkey Croquettes with mashed potatoes which was the first thing I ordered here when I was a kid. They still taste the same with the wonderful turkey gravy on the top of both them and the mashed potatoes. The green beans were straight out of can and I should have never ordered them. I thought they would be fresh.
The Turkey Croquettes with Mashed Potatoes and turkey gravy with a side of string beans.
This is the best late lunch on a cool afternoon. I was thinking about these since I left Punxsutawney. There are just some places that stick with you over the years and the Turkey Croquettes at the Dutch Kitchen is one of those things. They are that good!
For dessert, I bypass all the Apple and Cherry pies and the cakes for the Shoo Fly Pie, which they make homemade here. It is so good with the savory taste of the molasses and the buttery crust is the perfect combination to satisfy any sweet tooth.
The Shoo Fly Pie at Dutch Kitchen is so good!
The one thing I really love about this place is the prices are so reasonable. They do not gouge people like restaurants by me. The whole bill with the tip was less then $15.00. I actually gave the waitress a bigger tip because I felt she earned it she was so attentive.
It was the perfect way to end my adventure through coal country. It to me is a step back into time to a part of my life that I am revisiting from a Easter vacation long ago. It is nice that some things don’t change.
While time has done a number on these three towns, here and there are special gems in each of them. The places look like they are falling apart but it is the resilience of the people who live there and the small business owners who are keeping the spirit alive. You just have to see the special things that are tucked here and there.
I will keep coming back to return to my roots and discover more about this area of Pennsylvania.
Groundhog’s Day in 2024:
My review on Exploring Punxsutawney, PA for Groundhog’s Day:
https://mywalkinmanhattan.com/category/exploring-punxsutawney-pa
Places to Stay:
The Punxsutawney Community Center
209 N Jefferson Street
Punxsutawney, PA 15767
(814) 938-1008
https://www.facebook.com/p/Punxsutawney-Community-Center-100064684327267/
The night before Groundhogs Day: $10.00 to stay the night donation includes 11:00pm showing of the movie “Groundhogs Day”.
The Quality Inn in Indiana, PA
1545 Wayne Avenue
Indiana, PA 15701
(724) 349-9620
https://www.qualityinnindianapa.com
https://www.choicehotels.com/pennsylvania/indiana/quality-inn-hotels/pa622
My review on TripAdvisor:
The Comfort Inn
1252 Morea Road
Barnesville, PA 18214
(570) 773-5252
https://www.choicehotels.com/pennsylvania/barnesville/comfort-inn-hotels/pa675
My review on TripAdvisor:
Places to Visit:
The Historical & Genealogical Society of Indiana County
621 Wayne Avenue
Indiana, PA 15701
(724) 463-9600
Open: Sunday-Monday Closed/Tuesday-Friday 9:00am-4:00pm/Saturday 10:00am-3:00pm
Admission: Free but accepts donations.
My review on TripAdvisor:
My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:
https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/17640
Pennsylvania Anthracite Miners Memorial
Girard Park, at Washington & Main Streets Shenandoah, PA
570-622-7700
https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=86761
Open: 24 Hours in the park
Admission: Free
My review on TripAdvisor:
My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:
https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/17649
The Jimmy Stewart Museum
835 Philadelphia Street
Indiana, PA 15701
(724) 349-6112
Open: Sunday 12:00pm-4:00pm/Monday-Saturday 10:00am-4:00pm
Admission: Adults $12.00/Seniors $11.00/Children 7-17 $9.00/Children Under 7 and members Free
My review on TripAdvisor:
My review on VisitingaMuseum.com:
https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/17615
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 review on VisitingaMuseum.com:
https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/17613
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 VisitingaMuseum.com:
https://wordpress.com/post/visitingamuseum.com/17605
St. Mary’s Byzantine Church
621 West Mahanoy Street
Mahanoy City, PA.
(570) 773-2631
Open: Check the hours on the website.
https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=116392985048797
Molly Maguires Monument
West Centre Street
Mahanoy City, PA 17948
Open: 24 hours
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/molly-mcguire-memorial-mahanoy-city
Places to Eat:
Punxsy Pizza
Punxsy Pizza
115 North Findley Street
Punxsutawney, PA 15676
(814) 938-8132
Open: Sunday 11:00am-10:00pm/Monday-Thursday 10:00am-10:00pm/Friday-Saturday 10:00am-11:00pm
My review on TripAdvisor:
The Dutch Kitchen Restaurant
433 South Leigh Avenue in Frackville just off Route 61 and 81.
Frackville, PA
(570) 874-3265
Open: Sunday-Saturday 7:00am-8:00pm
https://www.facebook.com/p/The-Dutch-Kitchen-100050922140635
My review on TripAdvisor:
