Description
On a sunny Saturday in March, Jonny Cool, Big Z, the Ice Man, Bubba Grizz and the Little Grizzes trekked through a place called the Barrens. The trip took the group past ruins from the ghost towns of Scotia and Tow Hill, over beaver dams and along ponds both beautiful and sad.
Here is some background on the towns from “The Short Hiker” by Jean Aron.
Scotia
“An iron mining town of 450 people, called Forest City, was begun in 1882. It was later named ‘Scotia’, after Scotland, the homeland of Andrew Carnegie, who planned to turn it into the ‘Model Iron City of Pennsylvania’. But the dream died. When operating costs became too great, Scotia was sold to the Bellefonte Furnace Co. in 1898 and came to a final standstill in 1911.”
According to the Centre County Historical Society, Scotia was “reopened, briefly, during World War II; remaining traces of buildings date from that time.”
Tow Hill
“An iron ore mine was operated by the Juniata Iron and Furnace Company in this area between 1880 and 1895. The town of Tow Hill consisted of about two dozen log houses; a school house for twelve students grades 1 to 5; two big frame houses for the head boss; a company grocery store and train station; an ore washer, and loading platforms.”
Clearwater Conservancy is working to conserve the Scotia Barrens.
Scotia
Tow Hill
