COUNTY REPORTS: McKean County got some pretty special treatment
in a history project undertaken recently by two 4th graders at the
South Mountain Elementary School in Dillsburg, Pa.
The students were working on county projects as part of the
class study of Pennsylvania history and geography, and the two who
picked McKean County had some close connections to our region.
Barbara Abbey of Bradford dropped off two scrapbooks which were
filled with all sorts of interesting information about our locale.
The scrapbooks were created for the history class taught by her
daughter, Sue Abbey Funk.
The students were Sue’s daughter, Alison Reed, and Kyle Goss,
whose father lived in Eldred.
We liked the “unbiased” ways Alison portrayed us: “McKean County
is a rural area. Perfect, breathtaking and stunning in all seasons,
it’s a fisherman’s dream and a hunter’s paradise. It has awesome
hills, forests and streams that are inside its boundaries. Look a
little closer and you’ll discover that this beautiful area has
hard-working, creative and excited people. They prove that they are
dedicated to the progress and development of their community.”
Ali reports that McKean County, located 90 miles from Canada, is
the home of Zippo lighter and “brags of being ‘the Black Cherry
Capital of the World.’ ” Also mentioned are our oil and timber
heritage as well as the university, medical center and many
manufacturing companies.
Ali points out our county was founded March 26, 1805, and by
2007 had 43,633 people, and 21,718 houses.
“Our very own PA History teacher, Mrs. Funk was born there,”
Alison wrote. “We hope everyone enjoys this scrapbook of McKean
County. My mom and I worked very hard on it. Maybe one day we will
go and see the things we learned!”
Kyle Goss, in his scrapbook, broke the county down into about a
dozen sections – Zippo, ATV trails, the World War II Museum,
Penn-Brad Oil Museum, Knox and Kane Railroad and Kinzua Bridge, and
“historical Kane, Pa.” The Bradford Era – “popular newspaper in
McKean County – is also included.
Kyle also had a section on his dad who moved to Eldred from
Olean, N.Y., in 1973, and graduated from Port Allegany High in 1986
at which time he moved to Shippenburg.
We’re certain both students earned an “A+” for these well-done
projects.
