Eerie Pennsylvania

Travel 5 Minutes
Erie PA is upper left by the lake

Eerie Pennsylvania is not about Lake Erie, or the town or the county either. Instead it refers to the WEIRD stuff found IN Pennsylvania. And trust me, there’s some weird stuff! ( I’m saving the creepy, spooky stuff for October though!)

The Haines Shoe House in York

The giant Haines Shoe House

Without a doubt, one of the strangest and most popular roadside attractions in PA has to be the Haines Shoe House. Located along Route 30 east of York, the Shoe House has been drawing curious stares since it was completed in 1949. The Shoe House was built as an advertisement for a local shoe company and never served as more than a temporary residence. Today, it is open for tours, which offer the chance to learn more about this amazing oddity.

Whistler’s Mother Statue in Ashland

Enchanting, isn’t she?

Located in Ashland, PA, which is better known as the gateway to Centralia and the home of the Pioneer Coal Mining Tour, the Whistler’s Mother Statue is well worth a quick stop. Known officially as the Mother’s Memorial, it was designed to appear like like 1871 painting “Arrangement in Grey and Black: Portrait of the Painter’s Mother” by artist James McNeil Whistler. The statue was completed in 1938 by the Ashland Boys Association to honor the mothers of the world. The statue is very stark and appears rather humorless and severe, which is quite different from how we typically picture mothers today. The phrase “A mother is the holiest living thing” appears on the statue. It claims to be the only statue dedicated to all mothers in the country.

Flying Saucer in Mars

With a name like Mars, you gotta have a flying saucer somewhere in town!

A miniature flying saucer might seem out of place in western Pennsylvania, but when the town’s name is Mars, it almost seems logical. That’s right, in a small park in the center of Mars, Pennsylvania, is a small UFO statue. The flying saucer stands three feet tall and is six feet around. But what it lacks in imposing height or intergalactic history, it certainly makes up for in humorous curiosity. While visiting the town, take a few minutes to walk around and notice some of the humorous Mars stores, such as “Mars Travel” or “Mars National Bank.” The Flying Saucer in Mars, Pennsylvania, is located at 100 Pittsburgh St., Mars, PA 16046.

The Reading Pagoda in Reading

The Reading Pagoda is a beautiful and odd spot in eastern PA. Located high atop a hillside above Reading, Pennsylvania is a curious sight. The Reading Pagoda is a Japanese-style pagoda that was built at the beginning of the 20th century and was planned to be one part of a resort that would site on the top of Mount Penn. However, the rest of the resort never came to be. While the Reading Pagoda can be seen from throughout the valley below, you can also drive right up to it and enjoy breathtaking views of the surrounding area. Visiting in the evening offers the chance to see this amazing spot lit up at night.

Sherman Memorial Lighthouse in Tionesta

Towering above the small borough of Tionesta, in the middle of Forest County, rises the Sherman Memorial Lighthouse which serves absolutely no significant purpose. In fact, the lighthouse is located roughly 60 miles from the closest navigable body of water, Lake Erie. The 75-foot tall lighthouse was completed in 2004 and was built by local Jack Sherman as a memorial to his family and to hold his large collection of miniature lighthouses.

The Giant Cowboy

If you are driving along Route 422 just east of Kittanning, you can’t miss another roadside oddity in Pennsylvania: the Giant Cowboy. Located outside of the Cadet Restaurant since 1962, this 30-foot cowboy known as Sam welcomes guests with a giant hamburger in his right hand. Interestingly, Sam was one of many characters made from the same mold in the 1960s. The first was a Paul Bunyan statue that was placed in Flagstaff, Arizona. The statues would be commonly seen outside of car shops holding a muffler and became known as a “Muffler Man.” The Giant Cowboy can be found outside the Cadet Restaurant at the following address: 13514 US-422, Kittanning, PA 16201.

Schaefer’s Auto Art

Schaefer’s Auto Art is located a few minutes south of downtown Erie and is the work of local artist Richard Schaefer. Schaefer uses old cars to create interesting sculptures that are well worth taking the time to see. In the front yard of his house, visitors can see everything from a giant bumblebee to a rocket and a two-headed dinosaur. Visitors are welcome to park and walk amongst these strange, but quite awesome creations. Schaefer’s Auto Art is located at 3705 Hershey Rd, Erie, PA 16506.

The Statue of a Hooded Man on the Gallows

The Statue of a Hooded Man on the Gallows is located in the heart of Mahanoy City and pays tribute to the Molly Maguires. The Molly Maguires were comprised of Irish immigrants that worked in the anthracite coal mines in northeastern PA. In the 1870s, there are labor issues in the mines that threatened to upend the systems that had been created. Whether the Molly Maguires were a real secret society or more of a boogeyman, at least 20 miners were hung in Schuylkill County between 1877 and 1879 for crimes associated with the group. This statue, which is somewhat hidden behind a stone wall (presumably because of the subject matter), is a sad reminder of this history. The statue can be seen at 212 W Centre St, Mahanoy City, PA 17948.

The Pioneer Woman and Child Statue

Without a doubt, the Pioneer Woman and Child Statue in Frackville is one of the strangest roadside oddities in Pennsylvania. Located just off of I-81 in Frackville, the statue consists of a 15-foot tall mom in pioneer clothing being clutched by her daughter. While the subject is certainly nice, the actual statue is somewhat disturbing. The large mom is clutching a pie and has a rather odd look on her face. No matter how strange she is, however, it’s nothing compared to her daughter. Standing about half as tall as the mother statue, the daughter is clutching her mother’s leg and holding a giant decapitated doll. The strangest part, however, is the daughter’s head, which would be more appropriate looking on the statue of a middle-aged man. This is simply an odd statue that seems totally out of place in the middle of Pennsylvania’s coal country.The Pioneer Woman and Child Statue stands next to the closed Granny’s Restaurant at 115 W Coal St, Frackville, PA 17931. 

Published by FJB

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18 thoughts on “Eerie Pennsylvania”

  1. Morning All!
    what a day yesterday…just my hubby and son left to work on the roof…my daughter-in-law (who works from home) had to work Thursday and Friday, so i was the gopher and ground crew…taking roof caps, water and whatever up and down the ladder. and they have a new boxer puppy so i had to also comb the grass around the house so she doesn’t step on nails.
    then right before lunch dil came out and said there’s severe thunderstorms coming–and a tornado warning–so they worked feverishly to get everything as watertight as they could…
    dang…i went on the ladders trying to clean the gutters and it was a mess!!
    nothing looks damaged this morning though.
    hubby is hurting…but he’s a dad and he’s here till it’s done.

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Crap! The weather sure isn’t cooperating at all!!! Again: BE CAREFUL! Every state has it’s oddities and you always have to wonder….why? how? Mom used to collect lighthouses and I remember the Muffler Man!!! Mom and I also spent a week-end in PA, touring Amish country, and I think we saw the shoe house. Schaefer’s Auto Art reminds me of CarHenge here in NE! Glad you explained that woman and child statue – I noticed the man’s head on the little girl! You have to admire peoples’ ingenuity on some of this stuff, even if it is a bit odd! Interesting, Pat!

      Speaking of Amish country – saw on Fox this morning an Amish man was arrested for drunk horse-and-buggy driving in Ohio! ROFL

      https://www.foxnews.com/us/ohio-deputy-drunk-amish-guy-buggy

      Liked by 2 people

    3. Good luck! Was thinking about you guys and the roofing job earlier today while cutting brush and mowing. The piece of mind having the roof done will be worth it!

      Like

    1. HI Kea! Just came in from mowing my front yard – more rain possibly so…..dang, it was cold! Only 53 and I had on a light t-shirt, a sweatshirt and my jean jacket, with sweats. I had to come in and put on a hoodie under my jacket – the cold wind was making my ears hurt! And I wore my lined leather gloves but my fingers were still numb! The back yard can wait!!!!

      Liked by 1 person

  3. “Got Science? Are you sure?

    Dr. Brian Hooker invites some of the leading voices in science and medicine to break down the studies and weigh in on the controversies so the rest of us have an opportunity to understand the science that drives public health policy and medical progress.

    *The opinions expressed by the hosts and guests in this show are not necessarily the views of Children’s Health Defense*

    Video – https://live.childrenshealthdefense.org/shows/doctors-and-scientists-with-brian-hooker-phd

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  6. EXCERPT: “The Supreme Court could issue a ruling on abortion as soon as Monday, which would be days after a memo leaked from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reveals the Biden administration is preparing for a nationwide wave of violence following the decision on the future of Roe v. Wade.

    A leaked draft opinion by Justice Samuel Alito signaling the high court plans to overturn landmark abortion case Roe v. Wade sparked pro-choice protests nationwide and an uptick in violence. Protesters have targeted the homes of conservative Supreme Court justices and vandals have targeted at least five pro-life crisis pregnancy centers across the U.S. and Catholic churches have been threatened and vandalized.

    Additionally, a memo dated May 13 from DHS reveals that the Biden administration is investigating threats to the Supreme Court building and to justices in the weeks since the leak. The memo first reported by Axios details ongoing investigations into threats to “burn down or storm” the Supreme Court building.
    ——————–
    The Supreme Court issues opinions on Mondays at 10 a.m. ET, so the next opportunity to hand down a decision in the case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Center, would be on May 23. As the court reaches the end of its term, usually by the end of June or first week in July, sometimes it adds additional dates to release opinions with a few days notice in advance. Historically, decisions in more closely watched cases are issued in the last weeks of the term immediately before the justices adjourn for the summer months.”

    https://www.foxnews.com/politics/supreme-court-roe-wade-ruling-biden-admin-braces-violence-decision

    Liked by 1 person

  7. EXCERPT: “The Second Amendment is part of the Bill of Rights, a set of rights expressly singled out by the Founding Fathers for special protection. They’re not the totality of rights possessed by the people, but they are expressly laid out as rights the government shouldn’t be messing with. Unfortunately, three Senate Democrats apparently didn’t get that memo.

    Sens. Cory Booker and Bob Menendez of New Jersey and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut just re-introduced the “Federal Firearms Licensing Act,” which was previously introduced in 2019 but failed to go anywhere.

    “The Federal Firearms Licensing Act would put in place a certification process that includes firearm safety training and a thorough criminal background and identity check requiring the licensee be 21 years of age,” Menendez said, according to a press release. “We have a moral obligation to prevent these senseless massacres in our schools, supermarkets, places of worship and shopping malls that are tearing communities and families apart.”

    For his part, Cory Booker said that “This bill moves us in the right direction and is based on a simple concept—if you need a license to drive a car, you should need one to buy and possess a gun.
    ———————
    But the Democratic lawmakers claim that a licensing scheme worked well to reduce homicides in Connecticut: “Several studies have shown that licensing laws reduce gun violence in states that have enacted them. According to the Giffords Law Center, Connecticut saw its gun homicide and gun suicide rates decrease by 28 and 33 percent, respectively, after passing a state licensing law.”

    Now, if this is accurate, it would appear to be evidence in favor of the law. And, to be fair, the study cited actually does present those findings. However, this study used bizarre methodology and cherry-picked its data, as Reason explained. The trends it observed did not hold outside of its artificially-selected time period and data set. So, it doesn’t actually back up a federal licensing regime.

    Still, there are some who may believe that even if it doesn’t work perfectly, why not try requiring licenses for people to buy guns? It might seem common sense at first glance, and as Cory Booker points out, you do have to get a license to drive a car and do many other things in this country. But driving a car isn’t a constitutional right.

    The right to bear arms in self-defense is both a natural and constitutional right, and we must not license away our rights. A licensing scheme, by its very essence, requires the government’s permission to exercise a given right. We wouldn’t begin to tolerate licensing the ability to speak about politics or religion, because that’s our First Amendment right. So why should we accept licensing on the right to own a firearm?

    If a license can be granted, then it can be denied. (Especially if the government is planning on instituting a training requirement before you can even ask for that permission.) We need to look no further than New York to see how permitting processes can be used to block almost all people from fully exercising their gun rights.”

    https://www.based-politics.com/2022/05/21/new-cory-booker-plan-makes-the-2nd-amendment-a-privilege/

    Liked by 1 person

  8. EXCERPTS: “Congressional lawmakers have proposed legislation to break Google and Facebook’s monopoly over digital advertising, accusing the tech giants of profiteering off their market dominance. Both the House and Senate have introduced the “Competition and Transparency in Digital Advertising Act,” which proponents say would restore and protect fair competition in digital advertising markets that have been dominated by Google and Facebook.
    ——————
    The bill would ban large digital advertising companies like Google from owning more than one part of the digital ad “ecosystem,” and it would block them from playing a dual role in the advertising process. Large companies, namely Google, would have to end their ownership of both supply-side platforms and demand-side platforms that have helped them generate significant revenue. In 2021, Alphabet earned more than $209 billion from advertising and Meta made roughly $115 billion from advertising. Other Big Tech firms would also be impacted.
    ——————-
    The bill is co-sponsored by Sens. Ted Cruz, Texas Republican, Amy Klobuchar, Minnesota Democrat, and Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut Democrat. An identical measure was introduced Thursday in the House. It was sponsored by Rep. Ken Buck, a Colorado Republican who has long sought to bring massive tech companies to heel. Support in the House also spans the political spectrum. Mr. Buck is a member of the arch-conservative House Freedom Caucus. The co-sponsors include Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington who chairs the Democrat’s Progressive Caucus. Reps. Matt Gaetz, Florida Republican, and David CiccilineCicilline, Rhode Island Democrat, are also sponsors.

    The bill has advanced in the Senate and House but has yet to receive a floor vote in either chamber because other lawmakers in both parties say the bill is too broad and would potentially hurt consumers. Big Tech has enjoyed a firewall of protection from the House and Senate delegation of lawmakers from California.
    ——————–
    The tech giants spent millions of dollars lobbying Congress to block federal controls over their industry. They argue government controls would cause a wide range of problems that would hurt advertisers and consumers. In a January blog post, Google Global Affairs President Ken Walker said legislation to check big tech could stifle innovation by requiring firms to get approval from the government before launching new programs. Consumers could end up with less helpful apps, lower-quality search results and less security from cyberattacks.

    “Antitrust law is about ensuring that companies are competing hard to build their best products for consumers,” Mr. Walker said. “But the vague and sweeping provisions of these bills would break popular products that help consumers and small businesses, only to benefit a handful of companies who brought their pleas to Washington.”

    https://amp.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/may/21/bipartisan-bill-targets-near-total-control-online-/

    Liked by 1 person

  9. “All we will have in the end is righteous retribution…..”

    “Let Darwin sort it out….”

    “Warning! Assholes are closer than they appear….”

    “With intent….that’s how!”

    Liked by 1 person

  11. EXCERPT: “First of all, the Judge accepts the notion that there is a medical condition called gender dysphoria. The DSM-5, the bible of the psychiatric profession, lists gender dysphoria as a “clinically significant distress or impairment related to a strong desire to be of another gender, which may include desire to change primary and/or secondary sex characteristics.”

    Once you assume “gender dysphoria” is a medical-psychiatric condition, then the medical treatments—e.g., public blockers—naturally follow. Therefore, parents can OK these treatments for their children. But is gender dysphoria a real condition? If it is, then there must be a test for it. A physical test. Blood, urine, hair, genetic assay, brain scan. But there is no defining test. None.

    Second, labeling something a disorder or a disease or a medical condition and giving it a name means nothing, unless you can point to a cause. A cause you can prove. If you have no cause, you just have a list of symptoms, or thoughts or ideas or feelings going on in the mind and body of the patient. Gathering up these symptoms or thoughts and claiming they add up to a singular CONDITION is arbitrary.

    No matter how many medical societies and drug companies want to claim otherwise. There is no defining cause of “gender dysphoria.” No defining test, no defining cause. It’s all smoke. The authorities say: “We have a singular condition called gender dysphoria. We have drugs to treat it (puberty blockers, hormones). Therefore, as with any other medical condition, parents can OK the treatments for their children.” Wrong. Wrong on all counts. It’s all smoke. It’s a devious strategy, applying a fake veneer of medical legitimacy to a situation that has no proven medical basis.

    If you had a vast social/political movement behind you; backed by elite medical groups and federal agencies; supported by schoolteachers and gullible idealistic blind insane parents; you could sell a judge the idea that a condition called PROTEIN DYSPHORIA is at the heart of many of society’s problems.

    You could say, “Many adults, and especially children, are experiencing this condition. They want to stop consuming protein altogether, but traditional destructive habit patterns are being forced on them. This medical-psychiatric condition, PROTEIN DYSPHORIA, can be treated with drugs that block the desire to consume protein. There is no reason to stop parents from permitting their children to undergo this recognized and certified treatment.” And the judge would buy it. Idiot that he is, he would cite medical authorities in his ruling.

    The battleground for “gender dysphoria,” and all the implications that follow, has been marked out: IT IS MEDICAL. You need to understand that. That’s what’s going on here. We’ve just had two years of the MEDICAL crossing over into political. It’s called COVID. And that war (which is not over) was launched by predatory agencies and politicians and elites who claimed to be taking the medical high ground. The strategy is not new.”

    https://blog.nomorefakenews.com/2022/05/19/court-oks-puberty-blockers-medical-con-for-the-ages/

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Here’s a quick report on my husband’s trucking adventures…

    God was so good to my husband “today” (technically yesterday, but not having gotten sleep yet it feels like “today”):

    He passed his driving test!!!

    He wasn’t asked to pay the nearly $200 re-test fee!

    The evaluator asked why he’d failed yesterday & when Michael told him the particulars he was like “What/?? I would have passed you!” Such a huge confidence booster 🙂

    Weather & schedule delays had him drive for just under a half hour.

    During the wait & before & after testing he was able to pray w/ 2 classmates, one of whom was only there “accidentally” for he wasn’t on the schedule. God Might have not let M pass on Thursday for just this appointed inter-racial encounter…& so much more! Can’t wait to get the details sometime after church (he’s playing worship)

    M & my father got to spend hours together while Mom & I were at the birth cousin’s memorial. We all had times of encouraging fellowship & shared some meals together, though hundreds of miles apart (I came home to needed to refill Josiah’s pill box, which took like an hour & a half so am Quite Exhausted)…

    M spoke w/ his brother who Loaned us 2 grand to help cover expenses & when M articulated some of the rigors of the training process his Bro was blown away & told him to keep the money that he’d “already earned it”. (both my husband’s brothers are quite well off so this “small” amount was likely not noticeable to the bro but Huge to us!!!) This is a major blessing for us as we need to look toward wedding expenses for our son’s wedding in 2 months…

    Monday the paperwork should be in so he can get the actual CDL license at the Secretary of State.

    We are so thankful & feel as if a huge weight has been lifted, though the job search, etc., is now upon us!

    We have been buoyed by many prayers & encouragements from the Body of Christ, fellow travelers, friends, & relatives. Thank you so much for being a part of this huge transition in my family’s life…God Bless YOU!!!

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