⏲︎ This article is more than a year old.

Annville’s Quittie Creek Nature Park is the pride and joy of both its caretakers and its visitors, as detailed in LebTown’s recent profile of the park. Before the fall season ends, we’re taking one last look around the creek and surrounding trails to document what makes the park special.

All photos by Will Trostel.

The entrance to Quittie Park on Bachman Road just south of Route 422.
The park information sign located at the entrance and parking lot.
Trails in the park include a few woodland routes and one creekside walk.

The park is located off Bachman Road. Its focal point is, naturally, the section of the Quittapahilla Creek that runs through Annville (the 17-mile “Quittie” also runs through Lebanon before emptying into the Swatara Creek near Palmyra). Though the park comprises only about 37 acres, it packs a lot in, with trails, ponds, mill ruins, and a pedestrian bridge all part of the offerings.

The scenery and easygoing terrain make the park a favorite for joggers and hikers.
A map detailing the park’s highlights and trails just past the footbridge.
Scattered waste dumps in the 1960s and 1970s prompted concerned residents to try and preserve the area. Today, there’s plenty of healthy woodland flora and fauna.
The Raymond J. Swingholm Pedestrian Bridge, dedicated in 2007 in a ceremony that included a traditional Native American blessing.
The footbridge connects Annville to South Annville.

The park holds a lot of memories and remembrances of people and activities of the past. The Raymond J. Swingholm bridge, which connects Annville proper to South Annville, is named for a local biology teacher and park steward who passed away in 2019.

Though just a short distance from the heart of Annville, the Quittie Creek is a quiet refuge for those in the know.
Fishing on the creek is a popular activity for many visitors.
One of the features officials hope to add to the park is a more accessible fishing area.
The footbridge was built with funds from PA Department of Community and Economic Development as well as private donations.

Other memorials of loved ones can be found throughout as well. The park is maintained by the Friends of Old Annville, a civic group that also promotes Annville history through events like Historic Old Annville Day.

Memorials and artwork are displayed throughout the park.
Some visitors have added personal trinkets to the park in the form of toys like this that hang from a few of the bushes.
Others leave things to shout-out
A public art project, Betty the Bass, with a sign asking visitors to contribute a piece of “shell art” to the existing array.

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Josh Groh is a Cornwall native and writer who began reporting for LebTown in 2019. He continued to regularly contribute to LebTown while earning a degree in environmental science at Lebanon Valley College, graduating in 2021. Since then, he has lead conservation crews in Colorado and taken on additional...

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