Inside Out
Written by Joanne Arbogast
Once upon a summer time, the place to be was high atop a cliff in Shamokin Dam. There, looming 360 feet above the river, towered a structure the likes of which the area had never seen before, or since. The Hotel Shikellimy. For a short spell in the 1890s, the East Coast's high society flocked to the impossibly enormous, luxurious summer resort. Then, less than eight years after it was built, the structure mysteriously burned to the ground. The view from the site, now known as Blue Hill, remains commanding and worth a visit. One of the highest points in the region, the outlook is within the Shikellamy State Park. You can get there from either Route 15 (south of Winfield, turn left on County Line Road and follow the road until you see the signs on the left) or from Route 11 (north of Shamokin Dam before reaching the bridge into Northumberland, look for the signs on the left). You will find picnic tables and fields in which to play, but you won't find any trace of the hotel. Old - and rare - photographs (one is hung at the Cameron Park Cafe in Sunbury, which is featured on page 54) of the place will give you chills, even on the hottest summer day. Like photographs of the Titanic and her frolicking passengers before disaster struck, images of the doomed hotel in its heyday are proof that despite being bigger and better, what may be today may not be tomorrow.
Other places to be in the summer ... how about catching some baseball games, cruising on the Susquehanna river or participating in some lawnmower racing? Or how about just heading out into the tomato and sweet corn fields when the time is right (and ripe)? We think corn and tomatoes go well with sausage - from hot sausage sandwiches to summer sausage - and we suggest washing it all down with something pretty and cold. We are so sure we're right that we've filled this issue with people sharing stories about all of these things, and more. Much more. Where's the best place to be this summer? Right here, of course. Inside Pennsylvania
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