Tag: small-town

The Conway Scenic Railroad, North Conway, New Hampshire

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The U.S. state of New Hampshire is one of the six states that make up the region known as New England.  It is a state that has much natural beauty.  Its most famous site was a rock formation that, when seen from a particular direction, had the shape of an old man.  Sadly, the rock face eroded years ago, but you can still visit the site where the rock face once was.  Then you have the world famous Mount Washington, the highest point in the state and it known to have the world’s worst weather.  Another popular thing in the state happens to be… a train ride.

Welcome to the Conway Scenic Railroad, one of the most popular train rides in the United States of America.  Why is it called the Conway Scenic Railroad?  As you drive to the town of North Conway, you will begin to see the answer to the question.  The scenery will amaze you, and you will be amazed as you see it from the seat of a train.

You arrive in the town of North Conway, and it is an impressive small town.  Then you arrive at the Conway Scenic Railroad, and you are totally amazed.  What is amazing you?  The first thing you see when you arrive at the Conway Scenic Railroad is the train station.  Yes.  Most train excursions leave from train stations, but the North Conway Train Station was built in 1874.  As you look at the old train station, you may find yourself in a different time.  You enter the ticket office to buy your tickets, and you walk through the small museum that tells the history of the railroad in the region and the gift shop.

The train station is amazing, but you did not come to the town of North Conway, New Hampshire to just see the old train station.  You came here to ride the train.  This is not just any train.  This is the Conway Scenic Railroad, one of the most popular train rides in the nation.

The time has come.  The vintage train pulls into the station, and you board one of the vintage train cars.  From your seat, you are already seeing the beauty of New Hampshire.  The train begins to pull out of the station, and you are shortly out of the town.  You cross over rivers and streams and see fields and mountains to include the world famous Mount Washington.  You ride to the end, and you return to the station.

The Conway Scenic Railroad has numerous excursion routes.  This means that you will need to return again.  After your first train ride, you will want to come back to ride the other excursion trains.

The Conway Scenic Railroad is located in North Conway, New Hampshire at 30 Norcross Circle which is just off of U.S. Route 302 and New Hampshire Route 16.  Parking is on site.  Please note that due to the age of the facility and the trains, they are not wheelchair accessible, but they are happy to assist those with mobility issue in any way they can so that they can enjoy the ride.  Learn more about the excursions, the train schedules, buy tickets, and read more into the railroad at https://www.conwayscenic.com/.

Why is the Conway Scenic Railroad one of the most popular train rides in the United States of America?  The best way to answer this question is to make your way to the small New Hampshire town of North Conway and to ride the train.  Once you ride the train, your question will be answered.

Calvin B. Taylor House, Berlin, Maryland

by jbcowgill, posted in Historic Site, Historic Structure

The U.S. state of Maryland is a state that is famous for many things.  It has the Chesapeake Bay which splits the state in two parts.  Baltimore, the state’s largest city, is famous for the National Anthem of the United States of America, known as the ‘Star Spangled Banner’, which was written by Francis Scott Key as he was a prisoner of war as he watched the British Navy bombard Fort McHenry during the War of 1812 only to see the flag still waving.  Baltimore is where the oldest Catholic Church in the nation, and it was here where the first railroad began operation in the Western Hemisphere.  In College Park, the home of the University of Maryland, is also the home of College Park Airport, the oldest continuous operating airport in the world.  You have Annapolis, the state capital, the home of the Naval Academy and the only capitol dome made with wood and has no marble or stone like most capitols.  The state of Maryland is loaded with historic sites, and it has small towns.  One of these small towns is the town of Berlin.  Located on the Delmarva Peninsula near the coastline, the town is considered as one of the best small towns in the nation.  The movie ‘Runaway Bride’ starring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts was filmed here, and Seabiscuit, a famous racehorse who won the Triple Crown (meaning that he won the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes in the same year), was raised in a barn in the area.  (The barn is now on a golf course and houses a restaurant.)  One thing you will not see in this town is the Berlin Wall, but you will find the Calvin B. Taylor House.  What is the Calvin B. Taylor House?  Yes, it was the home of Calvin B. Taylor who was the second owner of the home.  After Calvin B. Taylor’s ownership, the house was divided into apartments.  It was saved from demolition, restored, and made into a museum which is seasonally open for tours.

Who is Calvin B. Taylor?  That is a good question.  Calvin B. Taylor made a big influence on the town of Berlin.  He was an educator and a lawyer, and he was the founder of the Calvin B. Taylor Banking Company in the town of Berlin.  Today, his home is a museum that tells the story of the town of Berlin.  If you want to learn more about an amazing small town, you must visit the Calvin B. Taylor Museum.

Some of you are saying, “This is nice.  Every time I think about Berlin, I think about Germany and the Berlin Wall.  I would not think about a small town in Maryland.  As for the Calvin B. Taylor House, well, it is nice to see that he was a great man who did great things for the town.  There is a very big problem.  Calvin B. Taylor is not a railroad man and has nothing to do with the railroad, and the Calvin B. Taylor House is not a railroad museum.  Therefore, I will not be running away to the town of Berlin, Maryland to visit this house.”

Calvin B. Taylor was not a railroad man, and the Calvin B. Taylor House is not a railroad museum.  Why visit the Calvin B. Taylor House in Berlin, Maryland?

What is now the Calvin B. Taylor House was built in 1832.  Before it was called the Calvin B. Taylor House, the home had former owners.  One of the former owners is a man named Robert J. Henry.  Who is Robert J. Henry?

When you visit the town of Berlin, Maryland, you see a charming small town with historic buildings.  Although a railroad line passes through the town, the town has never been a big railroad town nor does the town have a big history of the railroad.

So what is the big deal?

In the early days of railroading, the railroad served many cities and towns.  Robert J. Henry was the man who was instrumental in bringing the railroad to the town of Berlin.  Being on a large peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay, you wonder if anybody rode the train here.

Well, they did.  Where did they come from, and where did they go?

The town had a train station that was called Berlin Union Station.  Why the name Union Station?  It was located at a junction of another railroad line.  People came from Baltimore by way of a ferry that went across the Chesapeake Bay between Baltimore Harbor and Love Point, a point on the east side of the bay near where the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.  Others came from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and rode a train down the peninsula.  The Baltimore, Chesapeake, and Atlantic Coast Railroad and the Baltimore and Eastern Railroad had passenger service to the town.  Today, the train station is long gone, and there is no passenger railroad service on the Delmarva Peninsula. Only freight service by Norfolk Southern and smaller railroads today.  Today, you can ride a rail bike along the tracks through the town.

Some of you are saying, “It is nice that the man who brought the railroad to the town once owned the house, but that is not a reason to visit.”

Why visit the Calvin B. Taylor House?  The home is left in the way it is as the second owner, Calvin B. Tayler, left it as he added additions to the home.  With a tour of the house, there is an exhibit gallery that displays artifacts and items from the town of Berlin.  There is a small exhibit on the old train station to include a sign from the station, the only surviving part of the station, and pictures of the train station.  There are also old train schedules on display.

You see.  You do have a reason to visit the Calvin B. Taylor House.  While you are here, you will find other reasons to walk around the town and maybe visit the Mermaid Museum and the Old Atlantic Hotel where many of the railroad passengers spent the night.

The Calvin B. Taylor House is located in the town of Berlin, Maryland at 208 N. Main Street (Maryland Route 818) just north of the town center and one mile south of U.S. Route 50.  It is open seasonally from April to October on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 11:00am to 3:00pm.  Only street parking is available.  Due to the age of the home, it is not wheelchair accessible.  You can read more into the history of the house and checkout the events at https://www.taylorhousemuseum.org/.

Now you have a reason to visit the Calvin B. Taylor House in Berlin, Maryland.  It is a great place to runaway to.

Prince, West Virginia

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

How many of you have heard of the small town of Prince located in the southern region of the U.S. state of West Virginia?  Unless you live in that region or work for the National Park Service or are a railroad historian, you most likely have never heard of this town.  It is a suburb of Beckley that is on the New River inside the New River Gorge which is famous for its beauty and an engineering marvel, the New River Gorge Bridge.

Some of you are saying, “I bet that the town is named after some prince in a foreign country.”

Sadly, you are wrong.  That town is named for William Prince, who happened to be a settler in the region and was never part of any royal family.

What is this town known for?  Well, it is mostly a ghost town like the nearby town of Thurmond.  Like Thurmond, it is a railroad town as the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (now CSX Transportation) passes through.  Like Thurmond, the town has three amazing features.  The first is the New River.  The second is the surrounding natural beauty.  The third is the train station.  Both towns are known for their train stations.  The train station in Prince has a special history.

What is special about the train station in Prince, West Virginia?

The train station in Prince, West Virginia serves as the Amtrak station for the city of Beckley as the city does not have its own train station.

There is more to the story.  The railroad line was originally built by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway serving the region’s coal industry by transporting coal from the mines of West Virginia to the ships in the harbor of Norfolk in the U.S. state of Virginia.  The town of Prince, West Virginia did not have a rail yard.  What put the town on the railroad map?  It is on a junction of two railroad lines with the main line going into the gorge and the other line going to the southern region of the state, but what put the town on the railroad map was the train station.

Well, many towns were put on the map by their train station, but what makes the town of Prince, West Virginia special?

The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway had a plan to build modern train stations on their railroad lines between Charleston, West Virginia and Norfolk, Virginia.  As you look at the train station, it looks old with the old C&O symbol on the side.  When the station was built, it was very modern.  Of all of the planned stations, this was the only station to be built.  Yes, you are looking at the only planned station by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway to be built on the line.

Today, the train station retains its original look.  It is the main building in the town.

The next time you think about the town of Prince, West Virginia, think about a town surrounded by natural beauty that had railroad royalty.

Hinton Railroad Museum, Hinton, West Virginia

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The U.S. state of West Virginia is called the Mountaineer State because it is a state that is completely mountainous with no plains or flatland.  One of the state’s greatest natural wonders is the New River Gorge where the New River carves it way through a deep gorge through the southern region of the state.  South of the New River Gorge is the river town of Hinton.  Hinton is a town on the New River, and it is also a railroad town with an old Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Station that was built by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, and it is served by Amtrak today.  The town has a railroad festival in the fall to celebrate the railroad heritage, but the town also has another railroad treasure.

Welcome to the Hinton Railroad Museum.  It looks small on the outside, but it has so much on the inside.  No, you will not see full size locomotives on display nor will you see old boxcars or a caboose.

Why visit the Hinton Railroad Museum?  As you see the museum from the street, you will want to go inside.

Before you even enter the museum, you will see a wooden model train.  Be advised that this is just the beginning.

The museum is filled with artifacts mainly from the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway.  The displays are full of models trains, old photos, old rail equipment, uniforms, and other items, but there is one item that will catch your eye.

The main thing that you will see is the full scale wooden display.  The display is a carving by Charlie Permelia telling the story of John Henry.  Who is John Henry?  In the nearby town of Talcott is the Great Bend Tunnel of which the original has been replaced by a new tunnel used by CSX Transportation today.  The original tunnel was built by railroad workers.  One of them was John Henry, a muscular man.  It was here where John Henry challenged a steel drill with his hammer.  Even though he defeated the steel drill, it cost him his life.  The wooden display is a memorial to the famous worker.

The Hinton Railroad Museum is located at 206 Temple Street (West Virginia Route 20 North) in the town center.  Only street parking is available.  Sadly, the building is not wheelchair accessible.

The Cumberland Valley Rail Trail, Chambersburg, Pennsylvania

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The town of Chambersburg in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania was a town that was established and named after Benjamin Chambers.  The town has man historic sites and has a history that is older than the United States of America.  Even though a railroad line passes through the town today and there were railroad structures in the town, the town has no real history with the railroad and was never a railroad town.  As you walk through the downtown area, the one thing you will see is the Cumberland Valley Rail Trail.

What is the Cumberland Valley Rail Trail?  It is a trail under two miles that runs through the heart of the town of Chambersburg.  It was built on the railroad bed of the Cumberland Valley Railroad which ran through much of the south central part of Pennsylvania and into the U.S. state of Maryland connecting Chambersburg with the rest of the nation.  The main line, owned by the Norfolk Southern Railway today, continues to serve the town.  The rail trail parallels the Conococheague Creek and is next to the Fort Chambers Park.

The Cumberland Valley Rail Trail in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania is located on the west side of downtown and U.S. Route 11 crossing U.S. Route 30.  It is completely paved making it easy for those in wheelchairs.  Only street parking is available.  It is mainly flat, and it is accessible from sunrise to sunset.

Chambersburg, Pennsylvania may not be a famous railroad town, but it does preserve a piece of railroad history for hikers, bikers, walkers, and many people for many years to come.

The Falls Park, Pendleton, Indiana

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

Oh the U.S. state of Indiana is a state famous for the Indianapolis 500 in the capital city of Indianapolis, The University of Notre Dame in South Bend, and for basketball which inspired the movie ‘Hoosiers’ starring Gene Hackman.  Like other states in the United States of America, Indiana has great hidden treasures.  One of these treasures is the town of Pendleton, a suburb of Indianapolis.  What is the town of Pendleton, Indiana famous for?  Well, unlike Indianapolis, South Bend, Fort Wayne, and Elkhart, there is not much fame in the town of Pendleton.

Some of you are saying, “Well, it looks like I am not going to visit this town.”

Well, this town has a great treasure.  What is this great treasure?  Welcome to Falls Park in Pendleton, Indiana.  What is great about Falls Park?  Well, it does have a waterfall.  It may not be as grand as Niagara Falls or Iguazu Falls or Victoria Falls, but just like most waterfalls, it is a beauty to see.  Now you have a great reason to visit Falls Park in Pendleton, Indiana.

Some of you are saying, “Oh, I love waterfalls.  They are such a beautiful thing to see.  I also enjoy parks.  There is a big problem.  This park is not a railroad park.  Therefore, I will not ‘fall’ in love with the town of Pendleton, Indiana.”

So why visit Falls Park in Pendleton, Indiana?

The park itself has a deep history that goes deep.  As you enter the park, you will notice what appears to be railroad bridge abutments.  Why are they there?  Pendleton is not a railroad town nor was it ever a railroad town even though a railroad line does pass through the town.  The old abutments are from a railroad line that did cross over the falls.  The ‘Bee Line’ passed through the park.  Originally part of the ‘Big 4 Railway’ which came through the park in 1851.  One of the trails follows the old railroad bed.  Like many unused railroad lines, they were abandoned, and the rails were taken up leaving the remnants of the railroad today.

Falls Park is located at 460 Falls Park Drive in Pendleton, Indiana just north of Indiana Route 38 and minutes from Interstate 69 and U.S. Route 36.  The park also has a museum and a veterans memorial.  The park is open sunrise to sunset, and access to see the waterfalls is available for wheelchairs.

You now have a reason to visit Falls Park in Pendleton, Indiana.  Be warned.  You will fall in love with this place.

The Cumberland Valley Rail Trail, Shippensburg, Pennsylvania

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

In the heyday of the railroad, there were railroad lines all over the United States of America.  As the railroad declined, less used railroad lines were abandoned.  Although many of these railroad lines are lost forever to time, many were preserved as rail trails.  Among these rail trails is the Cumberland Valley Rail Trail that runs between the towns of Newville to Shippensburg in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, the U.S. state that produced the Penn Central Transportation Company (simply known as the Penn Central) and the world famous Pennsylvania Railroad of which, sadly, neither of them exist today.

Why is it called the Cumberland Valley Rail Trail?  Although Conrail was the last owner of the railroad line who took over the line from the Penn Central Transportation Company, the railroad line was originally owned by the Cumberland Valley Railroad that ran railroad service throughout what is called the Cumberland Valley with railroad line through much of the south central region of Pennsylvania and in the northern parts of the U.S. state of Maryland.  Very little of the railroad lines of the Cumberland Valley Railroad were preserved.

This brings us to the Cumberland Valley Rail Trail.  As mentioned, it begins in the town of Newville and it ends in Shippensburg.  What it special about Shippensburg?  Well, although it is not a famous railroad town, the Norfolk Southern Railway does continue to pass through the town, but it was also served by the Cumberland Valley Railroad that was taken over by the Penn Central Transportation Company and, the railroad line’s last owner, Conrail, who donated the railroad line to be converted into the railroad trail.

What is special about Shippensburg?  The town’s claim to fame is that it is the home of Shippensburg University.  The west end of the Cumberland Valley Rail Trail begins at the south side of Shippensburg University.  What is special about the rail trail beginning at Shippensburg University?  It is here where the Cumberland Valley Railroad Museum is located.

Why here at Shippensburg University?  Shippensburg University was a benefactor of the Cumberland Valley Railroad.  Here, you will find the Shippensburg Station, a replica train station that serves as a restroom stop for those utilizing the rail trail and is located where a passenger stop for the university was located.

Then you have a boxcar from the Penn Central Transportation Company.  What is special about this boxcar?  Well, it was not originally owned by the Penn Central Transportation Company but the New York Central System, a railroad company that was taken over by the Penn Central Transportation Company.  The boxcar was abandoned at a warehouse in town and was spared from being scrap metal and restored to house artifacts of the Cumberland Valley Railroad and its history and impact on the region.

Then you have another boxcar.  This one is from Conrail.  Inside, you will see artifacts and the history of Conrail and its people.

You take a short walk down the trail and you see a coal car From the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.  Why is it here if the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad never came to Shippensburg?  The coal car came from a train wreck, and it was brought here as coal was shipped to Shippensburg University, and it is a reminder of how coal impacted the region.

So, if you need a reason to visit Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, you now have one.  The rail trail is easy for wheelchairs and so are the boxcars which are open from sunrise to sunset.  Most important, the rail trail and the boxcars are free to visit.

Train Station, Niles, Michigan

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

As the railroad was built to connect cities and towns across the United States of America, each town and city had their own passenger station.  You have train station in the major cities that are still in use today like the Main Street Station in Richmond, the capital city of the U.S. state of Virginia, Union Stations in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Illinois, Saint Louis, Missouri, and Kansas City, Missouri, Penn Station in Baltimore, Maryland, and Grand Central Station in New York City, New York.  You have those old train stations like the terminal in Cincinnati, Ohio and the old train stations in Salt Lake City, Utah and the Reading Terminal in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania plus the old train terminal in Detroit, Michigan and the Central Railroad of New Jersey terminal in Jersey City, New Jersey.  Oh, how it would have been great to see the original Penn Station in New York City, New York.  How about those small towns?  The train stations in Point of Rocks, Maryland, Tamaqua, Pennsylvania, and Lebanon, Pennsylvania were very impressive when they were in service.

Then you have the town of Niles in the southwestern region of the U.S. state of Michigan.  The train station in Niles was built by the Michigan Central Railroad in 1892.  For a small town, it is one fancy Richardsonian Romanesque style station built with brownstone and gabled roofs with a sixty foot clock tower and a garden surrounding the station.  The station was featured in the movies Continental Divide, Midnight Run, and Only the Lonely.  If the builders were to see this station today, they would see the same train station that was built in 1892 as the exterior has not been altered.  The interior has been rearranged with the elimination of the smoking rooms.

Some of you are saying, “This is very nice.  Too bad the station is not being used.”

Do not be mistaken.  The station is still in use today except Amtrak, not the Michigan Railroad or the New York Central System who took over the Michigan Central Railroad, brings passenger service today.  As mentioned, if the builders were to see the station today, they would see little change.  The station is also on the National Register of Historical Places and the Michigan State Register.

The Niles Train Station is now owned by Amtrak.  It is located on Dey Street just east of Michigan Route 51 north of the town center.  Parking is on site.  As mentioned, it is still an active train station.

You may not have heard of the town of Niles, Michigan.  When you visit, you will see a very special town with an amazing train station.

Marie’s Candies, West Liberty, Ohio

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

The U.S. state of Ohio has many major cities like Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Akron, Dayton, and Toledo just to name a few.  It is the home of Bob Evans, the man who founded the company of the same name.  It was where the Wright Brothers, the brothers who made the first successful air flight on the beaches of North Carolina, spent most of their childhood.  The state has small towns like West Liberty in the western region of the state.  What is special about West Liberty?  It is the home of Ohio Caverns, Piatt Castle, and Marie’s Candies.

Some of you are saying, “Wait a minute.  Marie’s Candies?  What is so special about Marie’s Candies?”

You are asking what is special about Marie’s Candies.  As you already figured out, it is a place that sells candy.

Some of you are saying, “Well, we already knew that, but there are places across the country and around the world that sell candy.”

That is true, but there is something special about Marie’s Candies.  What is special about Marie’s Candies?  Let us say that many people drive great distances, past other candy shops, to buy candy here.

Some of you are saying, “That is definitely special, but who is Marie?”

That is a good question.  The answer, sadly, has a tragic beginning.

It begins with a man named Winfred King, a farmer, and he worked very hard on a farm in Ohio, but then he got polio, and the disease confined him to a wheelchair, and he was no longer able to work the farm.  Friends and neighbors stepped up to help his family.  Of course, when people help you, you want to show gratitude to those who helped you.  He and his wife, Marie, gave boxes of homemade candy.  The candy was made in their kitchen of their home.  A business began, and people traveled great distances to by their candy.  The business moved from their home to a home in the town of West Liberty, and their business continued to thrive.  Today, a trip to Marie’s Candies in West Liberty, Ohio will be rewarded with a very sweet and delicious ending.

Some of you are saying, “Well that is so sweet.  It is really sad what happened to her husband, but at least the business has been successful.  There is one problem.  As you can see.  This is a candy shop.  This candy shop has nothing to do with the railroad.  Therefore, I find nothing sweet about this place.”

Ladies and gentlemen, this story is not over.  There is more to this story.  What is special about Marie’s Candies?

The answer goes back to the Golden Age of Railroading.  What does the Golden Age of Railroading have to do with Marie’s Candies?  As passenger train service declined, many places were no longer served by passenger trains.  The small town of West Liberty, Ohio was one of those places.  When a town lost train service, the train station was no longer used by the railroad.  While some train stations were demolished or converted into museums or visitor centers, some were just abandoned like the one in West Liberty.

What is special about Marie’s Candies?

When Marie’s Candies needed a new space, they looked at the old train station that was deteriorating.  The train station was relocated from its original location to its current location on the north side of the town, and it was fully restored, and Marie’s Candies moved in, and the business continues out of there today.

Now you see what is special about Marie’s Candies.  Even though the business runs in an old train station, most people really visit for the candy.  Once you taste it, you will develop a sweet tooth and will want more.  Even though they sell candy that they make, they do sell candy from other candy makers as well.  A business that began with gratitude from Wilfred and Marie King still remains in the family today along with thirty other employees.

Marie’s Candies is located at 311 Zanesfield Road (U.S. Route 68) in West Liberty, Ohio.  Parking is on site.  You can get more information on store hours and read more into the family history at https://mariescandies.com/.

Marie’s Candies is a great place to visit, not for candy lovers and railroad lovers alike.  Who ever thought that railroad history could be so sweet?

Please note that the photos of the farm and barn are AI generated photos.

The Red Lion Mile, Red Lion, Pennsylvania

by jbcowgill, posted in Uncategorized

What is the Red Lion Mile?

Some of you are saying, “I know.  It is a lion that is red and is a mile long.”

Well, that is not the correct answer.  What is the Red Lion Mile?  It is a rail trail in the town of Red Lion in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.

Some of you are saying, “Wow.  I did not know that.  I bet the town got the name because a red lion was once here.”

Even though the ‘red lion’ is the symbol of the town, it is not named after an actual lion.  It is named after a pub when it was settled in 1852 called the Red Lion Tavern, and that tavern is still in business today.

Today, the town of Red Lion, Pennsylvania is not served by the railroad, but it was once a major railroad town on the York and Peach Bottom Railroad and later the Maryland and Pennsylvania Railroad.  (It was commonly referred to as the ‘Ma and Pa Railroad’.”)  The town was a place of industry to include furniture and cigars.  As you walk along the rail trail, you will see some of the old factory structures.  The remaining structures have been converted into housing or businesses.  The old train station also remains, and it is the home of the Red Lion Historical Society.

The Red Lion Mile mainly runs west from the old train station located on Pennsylvania Route 24, and it is mostly paved.  Parking is available along the trail.  You can learn more about the town at https://redlionareahistoricalsociety.org/area-history/red-lion/red-lion-history/.

The Red Lion Mile: you may not see any red lions, but you will see the places that was once seen by those who once ran the trains through the town.