12/11/2025
Pennsylvania Heritage Managers Visit Austin During Retreat
On October 29, 2025, the managers of the twelve PA Heritage Areas traveled to Austin as
part of a retreat commemorating PA Route 6’s recent designation as a Pennsylvania Scenic
Byway. They visited the three LHR "Austin Heritage Trail" sites: the CCC camp, Town of
Austin, and Austin Dam Ruins. The group learned about local history, the CCC camp’s
legacy, Austin’s resilience, and the story of the 1911 Austin Dam Flood—all highlights for
our interpretive trail project. Each site will include displays and be connected by multi-use
trails and key roads (PA 872, PA 607, Bark Shanty, Gas Well). Participants expressed their
appreciation for the shared stories and encouraged others to visit the Austin area.
Tour Highlights
The visit began at the Bark Shanty CCC camp, where Mark Thompson delivered an in-depth
presentation about preservation work and the site's historical importance. The group then
traveled down Gas Well Road—a route originally constructed by CCC workers—passing
through a CCC-restored White Pine Forest before reaching Austin. On Main Street, they
observed notable sites such as the E.O. Austin Museum and the historic Austin Bark
Building. The agenda continued with a guided tour through the Austin Dam Memorial Park,
which included crossing the Jones Run Bridge, another CCC-era project. The tour wrapped
up at the Austin Dam Ruins, featuring a discussion of Cora Brooks’s well-known warning
given during the dam break.
Retreat Activities and Regional Collaboration
After touring, attendees gathered for the PA Heritage Regions meeting at Go Denton. The
event celebrated the o icial recognition of PA Route 6 as a Scenic Byway and ended the
following day with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its inauguration as the state’s newest
scenic route.
Ongoing Projects and Acknowledgments
E orts are ongoing to repurpose an existing snowmobile path into a multi-use trail
extending from Austin to Bark Shanty Road, enabling access for ATVs, UTVs, hikers, gravel
bikers, and horseback riders. Hiking-only routes are also being planned within the Austin
Dam Memorial Park and on former farm roads within State Forest Lands. The Austin Dam
Memorial Association (ADMA), in partnership with the Lumber Heritage Region (LHR), is
leading this initiative. With a 2026 LHR Mini Grant, ADMA proposes signage and
informational panels at the CCC camp site, matching the design of regional markers like
the “Cora Brooks/Bayless Paper Mill” sign in Austin Dam Memorial Park.
The Town of Austin is collaborating with a USEPA-supported group, funded through a
Cameron County grant, to evaluate the Bayless Paper Mill property and several other
inactive sites along Main Street. Due to ongoing revitalization assessments, installation of
the similarly LHR themed "Austin Kindling Factory" panel on Austin’s Main Street has been
postponed until 2026.
Special thanks were extended to the history advocates of Pennsylvania Heritage Regions,
the PA Route 6 Alliance, and the Lumber Heritage Region for making the event and its
initiatives possible.
Story by Alvie Fourness, President of the Austin Dam Memorial Association
Photographs by Candace Hillyard, Executive Director of the PA Route 6 Alliance
See these sources for more information:
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=122143069550910098&set=a.122107567208910
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https://www.facebook.com/dentongollc/posts/-a-big-day-for-the-pennsylvania-wilds-
today-we-joined-12-heritage-area-managers-/122206171898287724/
Here’s a link about the Pennsylvania Heritage Regions:
https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dcnr/programs-and-services/community-outreach-and-
development/heritage-areas
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