Fascinating Facts About Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania is a state full of history and contrast. Since its founding by William Penn it has become the home of many peoples and places that are both interesting and educational.

1.America's first paved road constructed in 1795 went from Philadelphia to Lancaster, PA.

2.No where in Pennsylvania are you further than 25 miles from one of the state's 114 parks.

3.Dorney Park in Allentown, PA hosts Steel Force, the largest steel roller coaster east of the Mississippi River.

4.Most know that the Mountain Laurel is PA' s state flower, and that the Ruffed Grouse is the state game bird, but some of the state's symbols are not as widely recognized. For example, the state drink is Milk, and PA even has a state fossil, the Phacops rana. This is a trilobite (related to crabs and lobsters) that flourished in PA in the middle Paleozoic time period, 570 - 365 million years ago.

5.The Ohio River, which begins in Western PA at the confluence of the Allegheny and the Monongahela Rivers, provides thirty-five percent of ALL the water emptying into the Gulf of Mexico.

6.Lancaster, PA is the largest Amish settlement in the world, Kennett Square, PA is the mushroom capital of the world.

7.Boulder Field, located at PA's Hickory Run State, is literally a field of boulders created by the Ice Age. It covers an area 400 ft. by 1,800 ft., approximately 12 ft. deep with some of the boulders measuring 26 ft. long.

8.Pennsylvania is the proud home of Crayola Crayons, Hershey Chocolate, and Silly Putty!

9.Pennsylvania has had the honor of three different U.S. Navy ships being named after it; the first was the largest sailing warship ever built by the U.S, it was burnt to the waterline in 1861 to prevent her capture by the Confederacy. The second PENNSYLVANIA sailed again in 1901 as the Armored Cruiser 4, the first boat to launch and retrieve an aircraft on her deck; this ship's name was changed to PITTSBURGH to make way for the new and larger battleship PENNSYLVANIA which received 8 battlestars for her service in WWII.

10.The 1st streetlights, designed by Ben Franklin, were installed in Philadelphia in 1757.