Happy New Year!

Another year has quickly come to an end, which means it's time to drop unused items and celebrate the New Year. Here in the keystone state (Pennsylvania), we seem to take the quirkiness to another level. Sure, in Tallapoosa, Georgia they drop an opossum, or East Port, Maine, a sardine. But here we get a smorgasbord full of foods and oddities.

In Dillsburg, they drop a pickle; Ickesburg, a french fry; Lebanon a 100 pound stick of bologna - and these seem like the normal ones. In Frogtown, they lower a frog; Mechanicsburg, a wrench; and in Newport, a plywood hardhat.

No matter how you celebrate, have a Happy New Year! Stay out of our way, cause we're going Outta the Way!

Tiny World Shippensburg, Pennsylvania

In Tiny World it's always Christmas, even in July you'll see lights on houses, trees in homes and wreaths on doors. Christmas all year is pretty strange, but what's even stranger in the world you're about to enter is that Tiny World is an array of buildings built by its owner for his cats to play in. Sounds normal enough until you see these tiny buildings and the detail astounds you. These cats must have their own systems in place also. There is a firehouse, a courthouse and a church, all built for the owner's lovable felines, who can't seem to get enough holiday cheer!

Happy Holidays from Outta the Way!!

(For more about Tiny World and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and the surrounding area, check out this month's zine!)

Ghosts at Farnsworth Inn Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

One of the most historic Inns in the country has quite a dark past. The Farnsworth Inn, located in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, is a ghost hunter's delight. Numerous tales of ghostly apparitions paying nighttime visits is nothing new here. The Inn played a key part in the Civil War, acting as a lookout tower for Confederate soldiers, and also as a hospital for the wounded. It is said the bullet used to kill Jennie Wade was fired from this historic building. Right in the heart of Gettysburg lies this haven for the unrested.

(Make sure to check out the Outta the Way zine this month for more about the Farnsworth Inn and other sites in Gettysburg, PA and the surrounding area!)

The Howard Tunnel

Just outside the small town of York-New Salem, Pennsylvania, along the York County Rail Trail lies the oldest continuously running railroad tunnel in the world. The Howard Tunnel, named for the young man whose idea it was to build the tunnel through a small mountain. The tunnel was built during the years of 1836-1837 and opened up in 1838. The 370 foot tunnel expanded to two rail lines in the 1870's.

On a somber note, the tunnel has seen 3 Presidential Funeral Processions. Presidents Lincoln, Harding and McKinley's bodies all have passed through the tunnel.

Rehmeyer's Hollow in Pennsylvania

Shortly after midnight on a chilly November night in 1928, one of York County's most infamous murders was about to occur. A local farming neighbor with his two teenage accomplices were about to burn a man alive. All for a book, a book of spells. Mr Rehmeyer was going to become a man that legends are built around.

Rehmeyer was a Pow Wow doctor or a witch. His neighbor Mr. Blymire was having trouble on his farm and blamed Nelson Rehmeyer for these troubles. What ensued that chilly, rainy night on November 28, 1928 was sure to change history and become one of the most prominent murders in American history.

{For directions to Rehmeyer's Hollow and more information, along with 3 other stories, check out the Outta the Way Zine, Volume 7: Southern York County. }

Abandoned Foust Distillery York County, Pennsylvania

A few miles outside the small town of Glen Rock are the remnants of the town that could have been. The town of Foustown came to be because of the booming Faust distillery, which at one time produced 3,000 barrels of whiskey per year. The town acted as housing for the employees, a railroad station, a town square with an elaborate water fountain, as well as telephone service - extremely rare in the late 1800's.

Prohibition of the 1930's put a damper on the distillery and the small town and they have both since gave way to the ruralness the distillery and town tried to escape.

{For even more information and directions to Foustown, check out the Outta the Way Zine, Volume 7: Southern York County, Pennsylvania}

Brandywine Battlefield

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Originally uploaded by B.B. Bellezza

Not only is the Chadd's Ford area home to Devil's Road, one of the most sinister roads in Pennsylvania, but it is also the heart of the Brandywine Battlefield.

General Washington and Lafayette both had headquarters located in the area. The battle took place over a 10-square-mile area. The British had maneuvered into the Chadd's Ford area by way of Kennett Square in order to attack the City of Philadelphia.

The final conflict in the battle occurred near the Birmingham Friends Meeting House. As with all historic battlefields, and this one is no different, the whole area is said to be very active with spirits.