Buchanan's Birthplace State Park

Geobox Protected Area
name = Buchanan's Birthplace State Park
native_name =
other_name =
other_name1 =
category_local = Pennsylvania State Park
category_iucn = V


image_caption =
etymology_type = Named for
etymology = Birthplace of James Buchanan
country = United States
state = Pennsylvania
region_type = County
region = Franklin
district_type = Township
district = Peters
city =
location =
lat_d = 39
lat_m = 52
lat_s = 15
lat_NS = N
long_d = 77
long_m = 57
long_s = 14
long_EW = W
location_note = cite web
url=Gnis3|2351403
title=Buchanan's Birthplace State Park
date = August 28 2007
work=Geographic Names Information System
publisher=United States Geological Survey
accessdate=2008-04-03]
elevation_imperial = 912
elevation_round = 1
elevation_note =
area_unit = acre
area_imperial = 18.5
area_round = 1
area_note =
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geology =
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established_type =
established = 1911
management_body = Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
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free_type = Nearest city
free = Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
free1_type =
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map_caption = Location of Buchanan's Birthplace State Park in Pennsylvania
map_locator = Pennsylvania
map_first = yes
website = [http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/buchanansbirthplace.aspx Buchanan's Birthplace State Park]

Buchanan's Birthplace State Park is a convert|18.5|acre|km2|2|adj=on Pennsylvania State Park near Cove Gap, in Peters Township, Franklin County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is on Pennsylvania Route 16 along Tuscarora Mountain. Buchanan's Birthplace State Park was created from land donated to the state by Harriet Lane in honor of her uncle, the 15th President of the United States, James Buchanan.

Recreation

Recreation facilities are limited. There are two pavilions and a number of picnic tables. Drinking water and two restrooms are located near the picnic area. A pyramid built with native stone stands at the site of the cabin where President Buchanan was born. Buck Run runs through the park and has a population of native trout for fishing. Tuscarora Trail, a bypass trail for the Appalachian Trail, passes just to the west of the park.cite web
url = http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/buchanansbirthplace.aspx
title = Buchanan's Birthplace State Park
accessdate = 2006-12-19
publisher = Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources]

Buchanan's Birthplace

President James Buchanan was born on April 23, 1791 near the village of Cove Gap. He was born in a log cabin on property owned by his father. The complex was known as Stony Batter, named for the family home in Northern Ireland. At the time of Buchanan's birth the Cove Gap area was on the edge of the American frontier. Today it is a quite isolated area, but when President Buchanan was born it was a center of frontier commerce. Stony Batter was a complex of cabins, barns, stables, storehouses, a general store and an orchard. Pioneers travelling from the East Coast through Cove Gap stopped at Stony Batter to rest and restore their supplies. Buchanan lived at Stony Batter until he was six years old, when his father moved his business to Mercersburg.

The Monument

Harriet Lane Johnston was President Buchanan's niece and since he never married she served as his First Lady. She led the effort to create a memorial to her uncle. She made several efforts to purchase his birthplace, Stony Batter, but was ultimately unsuccessful. Upon her death, in 1895, the responsibility for building the monument was transferred to a lawyer from Baltimore, Lawrason Riggs and a banker from Washington, D.C., E. Francis Riggs. After years of trying to purchase Stony Batter, the Riggs' were finally successful in 1907. The monument in the shape of a pyramid was built of native stone. Wyatt and Nolting, an architectural firm from Baltimore, designed the memorial. The pyramid is convert|38|ft|1 square and convert|31|ft|1 high. It is made of 50 tons of American Gray Granite and 250 tons to mortar and native stones. Construction of the pyramid began in October 1907 with a work force of 20 men. They built a small railroad to haul the heavy materials from the mountainside to the construction site. The work force grew to 35 men and the monument was completed by late winter with a surrounding iron railing. The Pennsylvania General Assembly of 1911 accepted the monument from the trust of Harriet Lane Johnston and Buchanan's Birthplace State Park was formally established.

Nearby state parks

The following state parks are within convert|30|mi|0 of Buchanan's Birthplace State Park: [cite web | url = http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/region_dutch.aspx
title = Map Location Reference | accessdate = 2006-12-19
publisher = Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources ] [cite map |scale = 1:65,000| publisher= Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Bureau of Planning and Research, Geographic Information Division | url= ftp://ftp.dot.state.pa.us/public/pdf/BPR_pdf_files/Maps/GHS/Roadnames/franklin_GHSN.PDF | title= 2007 General Highway Map Franklin County Pennsylvania | accessdate= 2007-07-27 "Note: shows Buchanan's Birthplace State Park"] cite web
last = Michels
first = Chris
year = 1997
url = http://www2.nau.edu/~cvm/latlongdist.html
title = Latitude/Longitude Distance Calculation
publisher = Northern Arizona University
accessdate = 2008-04-20]
*Berkeley Springs State Park (West Virginia)
*Cacapon State Park (West Virginia)
*Cowans Gap State Park (Fulton County)
*Caledonia State Park (Adams and Franklin Counties)
*Fort Frederick State Park (Maryland)
*Greenbrier State Park (Maryland)
*Mont Alto State Park (Franklin County)
*South Mountain State Park (Maryland)
*Trough Creek State Park (Huntingdon County)
*Warriors Path State Park (Bedford County)

References

External links

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