Laurel Hill State Park
| Laurel Hill State Park | |
| Pennsylvania State Park | |
 Laurel Hill State Park
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| Country | United States |
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| State | Pennsylvania |
| County | Somerset |
| Townships | Jefferson, Middlecreek |
| Location | |
| - elevation | 2,316 ft (705.9 m) |
| - coordinates | 40°00′48″N 79°15′32″W / 40.01333°N 79.25889°WCoordinates: 40°00′48″N 79°15′32″W / 40.01333°N 79.25889°W |
| Area | 3,935 acres (1,592 ha) |
| Founded | October 1945 |
| Management | Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |
| IUCN category | III - Natural Monument |
| Website: Laurel Hill State Park | |
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Laurel Hill RDA
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| Location | 4 mi. W of New Centerville and PA 281, Somerset, Pennsylvania |
| Area | 1,352 acres (547 ha) |
| Built | 1935 |
| Architectural style | Other, rustic style |
| MPS | Emergency Conservation Work (ECW) Architecture in Pennsylvania State Parks: 1933-1942, TR |
| NRHP Reference # | 87000738 |
| Added to NRHP | May 18, 1987 |
Laurel Hill State Park is a 3,935-acre (1,592 ha) Pennsylvania state park in Jefferson and Middlecreek Townships, Somerset County, Pennsylvania in the United States. Laurel Hill Lake is a 63-acre (25 ha) man-made lake with a dam that was constructed during the Great Depression by the young men of CCC camps SP-8-PA and SP-15-PA. Laurel Hill State Park is 8 miles (13 km) from Interstate 76 just off Pennsylvania Route 31 near Bakersville and on Pennsylvania Route 653 near Trent.
The lumber boom that swept through the hills and forests of Pennsylvania did not reach Laurel Hill Valley until 1886. At this time the area was one of the last in Pennsylvania that had not been touched by the lumbermen. The mountains were stripped of the old-growth forests of hemlock and white pine. The lumbermen took the logs to the sawmill where they were cut into lumber. Smaller logs were used to reinforce the mine shafts of the many coal mines throughout southwestern Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The bark of the hemlock tree was used as a source of tannin at the tanneries of the area. The only thing the lumbermen left behind was the treetops. These tree tops were left to dry. The passing steam locomotives on the railroads would ignite this dry brush causing massive wildfires that swept through the mountains and valleys. The Laurel Hill area was left to waste. The forests struggled to regrow in the wake of the wildfire. The hills began to erode. The streams were dying and wildlife was scarcely found.
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Wikipedia