Lumber Heritage Region: Uplifting the lumber industry’s history, impacts
Cameron County | Dark Skies landscape of the Pennsylvania Wilds
Just what is the Lumber Heritage Region?
The Lumber Heritage Region, established in 2001, is one of twelve designated Heritage Areas in Pennsylvania. It spans a 15-county region in north west and north central Pennsylvania that encompasses the entire PA Wilds region. It accentuates the importance of the lumber industry for the past, present, and future. The goal of this Heritage Area is to market its assets to potential visitors, to serve as a resource to the PA hardwood industry and to keep the economic impact of the region in the forefront.
After years of research and planning, the state of Pennsylvania established its first Heritage Area in 1991. Heritage Areas are geographic regions or corridors that span two or more counties and contain a multitude of historic, recreational, natural and scenic resources of state and national significance that exemplify the heritage of PA. Through this designation and regional partnerships, resources are identified, protected and enhanced.
As with many Heritage Areas, the Lumber Heritage Region is rural and sparsely populated. Some of the key focal points and highlighted features in the Lumber Heritage Region are Millionaires Row in Williamsport, once home to the most millionaires per capita due to the lumber industry; the Kinzua Viaduct (now the Skywalk at Kinzua Bridge State Park); old growth forest areas such as Cook Forest State Park; and the PA Lumber Museum, which is home to historical information and artifacts and hosts a number of fun events.
The Lumber Heritage Region conducts other education and outreach programs and has created a lumber themed trail throughout the region with maps, a heritage water trail pictorial, and a collaboration of local lumbering legends. In addition to all this, LHR also offers a mini-grant program to help enhance work to grow the region. LHR features regional industry partners and organizations as members in its online directory.
Pennsylvania and its Penn’s Woods played an important role in our national history and the Lumber Heritage designation is invaluable in keeping the history preserved, stewardship enhanced and the current lumber industry vibrant.
“The true way to save forests is not to plant new ones, but to protect and rightly use those that are standing now,” Gifford Pinchot, former Pennsylvania Governor and father of American Conservation.
The Lumber Heritage Region is a community partner member of the Wilds Cooperative of Pennsylvania. Learn more about the Lumber Heritage Region and leave them a review or recommendation on their WCO profile.
RECENT WCO MEMBER SPOTLIGHTS
- Entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders connect at Spring 2025 WCO Member Meeting in Williamsport
Current and potential members of the Wilds Cooperative of PA met at Lycoming Arts in Williamsport on Tuesday, April 29 for the first of two WCO Membership Meetings in 2025. These meetings are held twice a year, typically with the spring meeting on the eastern side of the Pennsylvania Wilds region and the fall meeting on the western side, giving as many Wilds Cooperative (WCO) members as possible the chance to attend. The Kellettville Campground in Tionesta will host the fall WCO Membership Meeting on September 23, 2025. - Otto Bookstore: Where the books are calling
Nestled in the heart of downtown Williamsport, PA in the I-80 Frontier landscape of the PA Wilds Region is the Otto Bookstore. Established in 1841 by Alexander M. Dean and named for his partner H.Y. Otto, the bookstore has been a cornerstone of literary culture. - Edge of the Woods Photography: Highlighting the beauty of the PA Wilds through photography and more
Bernadette Chiaramonte, the owner of Edge of the Woods Photography, is a multi-talented artist and Juried artisan of the Wilds Cooperative of Pennsylvania. Nestled in the serene Pine Creek Valley and PA Grand Canyon Landscape of the PA Wilds, Chiaramonte draws inspiration for her artwork from her surroundings. Her passion for art and nature can be seen throughout all her creative endeavors.
