Wellsboro Pennsylvania

...continuing with our October road trip through parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York and Virginia.  Our next stop was Wellsboro Pennsylvania.  It had been highly touted in the on-line 'travel-verse' as one of the best small towns to visit in the state. 

The Penn-Wells Hotel opened for business in 1870, although it was initially knows as the Cone House after the owner's name.  A.P. Cone actually built his hotel on the site of a previous hotel that had burned down in 1866.  Next it became the "Holiday Inn" as it was owned and operated by a fellow named B.B. Holiday.  Then it became the Parkhurst House and finally Coles House.  A fire in 1906 destroyed the 3rd and 4th floors.  

The hotel was reborn as the Penn-Wells in the mid-1920s as the area welcomed an increasing number of leisure travelers.  Elements of the structure from 1869 have been preserved and the old time elegance of the interior includes 1920s era finishings and decor.  Note the American flag in the second photo above.  It was created for a Corning Glass Works Christmas party in 1946 with the end of WWII.  It's made up with 1,438 glass Christmas ornaments.  To learn more about the Penn-Wells Hotel and it's sister Lodge, go to https://www.pennwells.com/.

This two-story red brick building in downtown was constructed in 1880.  It is part of the Wellsboro Historic District as list on the National Register of Historic Places.  The Historic District covers 360-acres and it includes 531 contributing buildings, 3 contributing sites and 4 contributing objects.  The properties include commercial structures, churches, residential areas, a park and 2 historic cemeteries.  As happens all to frequently, the paper work that was submitted to qualify the area for the National Register has never been input into the tracking NRHP system so detail is hard to come by...

Historically, in the early 1900s, Wellsboro was a shipping point and trade center for a large area.  It had fruit evaporators, flour and woolen mills, a milk-condensing plant, marble works, saw mills, a foundry, machine shops and manufacturing companies producing cut glass, chemicals, rugs, bolts, cigars, carriages and furniture.  In 1900, there were 2,945 residents and in 1910 there were 3,183.  Today the town is home to about 3,458 people.

Note: The biggest attraction in the area is the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania.  Officially Pine Creek Gorge is a 47 mile long gorge carved into the Allegheny Plateau by Pine Creek.  It's deepest point is 1,440 feet from the rim and the rim to rim distance is about 4,000 feet.  To learn more, just go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_Creek_Gorge.  We skipped it due to my Afib issues and the walking entailed...

The Wellsboro Diner remains unchanged from the time it opened in April of 1939 at the town's busiest intersection.  This is a Sterling Diner (#388 - eighth one built in 1938 by J.D. Judkins Co. from Massachusetts.  It was originally named Schanacker's Diner.  I borrowed the interior photo from the Internet.  Located at 19 Main Street, the diner has a stainless steel exterior, a low-arched roof and pale green porcelain walls.  The owners changed the diner's name to Wellsboro Diner in the 1960s.  It wasn't time to eat yet, so we didn't sample their diner fare... The Diner is on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/p/Wellsboro-Diner-100089417522142/.

I didn't find much information about this handsome United Methodist Church at 36 Main Street in Wellsboro.  The Gothic Revival style structure replaced an older Methodist Church in 1905 at the same location.  The previous building had been deemed unsafe for use in 1900.   The entrance to the church features a lintel stone from the Old Rectory in Epworth, Lincolnshire England...the original home of the Wesley family.

As in Ridgway Pennsylvania, Laurie was a bit disappointed with the number and quality of shopping opportunities in Wellsboro.  Still, she managed to find a couple of promising shops to peruse.  This Victorian style home at 15 Main Street offers two floors of antiques, collectables, gifts and home decor possibilities.  Learn more at https://www.facebook.com/p/Karens-Country-Store-100050564600457/.

When Wellsboro's Arcadia Theatre opened in December of 1921, it had one screen and it could seat 900 patrons.  The first film was of course a silent movie entitled "The Old Nest".  Having been built to show silent films, the theatre was equipped to provide the musical equipment needed...an organ, a piano and even an orchestra box.  In 1929, the Arcadia became one of the first theater in the northern states to start showing "talkies".

In 1987, the Wellsboro Hotel Company, owner of the Penn-Wells Hotel and Lodge, purchased the theatre.  With the success of television, the theatre's attendance and it's condition declined. However, in 1996, the theatre was completely renovated.  In March of 1997, it reopened as a state of the art 4 screen cinema...while preserving that classic old-time theatre feeling.  Special features now include "Dinner and a Movie" and live theatrical shows have been added and the theatre is prospering... Learn more at https://arcadiawellsboro.com/.

The Tioga County Courthouse, or at least the core building, was completed in 1835.  The architectural embellishments evident today came along much later.  For nearly a century, this courthouse was a trim but modest Federal-style 'block' built with dressed local sandstone.  By the 1920s local politicians decided that they wanted a more distinctive structure to represent the county.  Consequently, a Scranton Pennsylvania based architect replaced the two-over-two windows with nine-over nine windows.  He also added a rear wing, added a Federal-style entrance with the fan-light window and he erected the Corinthian portico with those impressive columns.  Further expansions have added to the original structure as the county's needs increased.

This red brick building at 114 Main Street is the former Tioga County Sheriff's residence.  It was built in 1860 at a cost of $10,000.  Later, until 1985, it served as the County Jail.  The structure is now the home of "Develop Tioga", "Wellsboro Chamber of Commerce", and "Growth Resources of Wellsboro".  Unfortunately I didn't capture a picture of the elm tree in at the front of the building.  It is one of the largest in existence and has been growing since sometime in the 1700s.

This is Wellsboro's "Green Free Library".  As you can see, it is not your typical small town (or large town) library!  The library was the former home of a wealthy lumber baron and banker.  It was built in 1855.  The home was remodeled by the owner's daughter in 1898 and it was named "Chester Place".  The woodwork is top notch.  Note the classic grandfather clock in the corner.  The former home also features a marble fireplace and a Tiffany window.

In 1910, citizens of Wellsboro organized a group to raise money to open a public library.  In 1911, Charles S. Green, a wealthy local lumberman bequeathed $50,000 for the incorporation of a "Green Free Library" in Wellsboro.  The owner and her heirs donated the home to the Green Free Library in 1916.  After some remodeling, the Green Free Library moved from its temporary location in a vacant storefront to "Chester Place", which opened in 1917.  Learn more at https://greenfreelibrary.org/.

The Jesse Robinson House or Manor at 141 Main Street in Wellsboro is a three-story Queen Anne style home that was built in 1888.  It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  This 5,342 square foot home, located on a half acre of land features stained glass windows and two prominent balconies.  In the past it has served as a hospital as well as home for several owners.  Currently it serves as a residence and dentist office.

This eye-catching Italianate home at 140 Main Street in Wellsboro was built ca 1850.  It's known as the "Lincoln Door House".  That red front door of the residence is purported to have been a gift from Abraham Lincoln to Dr. and Mrs. J.H. Shearer when they purchased the home in 1858.  Allegedly the door came from a building in Springfield Illinois.  It is well documented that the Shearers were close friends with Lincoln when they lived in Springfield.  While no one has been able to document the door's origins, it certainly may be a true story...

Laurie would have loved to browse through this shop at 6 East Avenue in Wellsboro!  She's always been interested in the possibilities of the supernatural.  Unfortunately, "Enchanted Hollow" was closed when we stopped by. (Probably fortunate for my wallet!) In any case, Enchanted Hollow sells, crystals, oils, incense or witch balls and they say that they have "your Faery, Witchy and Angel needs all covered".  You can check this store out at http://www.enchanted-hollow.com/.

As we rolled east out of Wellsboro toward Mansfield Pennsylvania, Laurie got lucky when we spotted The Farmer's Daughters Antiques and Gifts shop along US Hwy 6.  They offer lodge and cabin decor, antiques, re-purposed furniture, unique lighting and (unfortunately for me) candles...as well as a year-round Christmas room.  After helping the local economy at Farmer's Daughters, we headed down our final stretch of highway to our overnight stay in Mansfield.  For more about this shop, go to https://www.thefarmersdaughtersshop.com/.  

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave