The Friends of the Cornwall Iron Furnace unveiled an interpretive three-sided sign at the Cornwall trailhead of the Lebanon Valley Rail Trail that focuses on local history.
The three panels include a large map of the area with 219 historical sites, the history of Cornwall and the seven Cornwall villages. Each side has a QR code that allows visitors to interact with the information through their smartphones.
Read More: Interpretive signs for rail trail will be unveiled this weekend in event at Cornwall furnace
“Journey into the past to reveal Cornwall’s historic neighborhoods, picturesque ironmaster estates, industrial blast furnaces, elegant railroad stations, community businesses, marvelous educational buildings, religious houses of worship and other important structures along the vast network of rail trails,” one panel says.
John Wengert, president of Lebanon Valley Rails-to-Trails, said public places benefit from these sources of information.
“I’ve been on a lot of rail trails throughout the state, throughout the country, and the ones you remember, the ones that are the best trails are the ones that really do a good job of telling their local history about the area,” he said. “The ones where amenities like this are prominent are the ones that stick in my mind.”
He said the amount of information contained in the signs is “just absolutely amazing.”
Hundreds of thousands of visitors pass through the Lebanon Valley Rails Trail on walks or bike rides.
Mike Emery, site manager at the Cornwall Iron Furnace, said this is why the sign was erected there.
“If we want to meet people where they are, we have to go where they are,” he said.
Susan Wentzel, chairwoman of the interpretive signage committee, said Visit Lebanon Valley and Friends of the Cornwall Iron Furnace contributed funds to buy the $5,000 sign.
She said the project had been five years in the making, but the work that went into it took much longer.
A team of people compiled information and photos and compared various historical maps to provide accurate information.
“All the historians that compiled things, they’ve been collecting this history for years,” Wentzel said. “We’re just putting it all together on a rail trail for people to see, which is awesome.”
She also said she has plans to add more signs along the trail.
“We have to get the history out because there’s so much,” Wentzel said.
Questions about this story? Suggestions for a future LebTown article? Reach our newsroom using this contact form and we’ll do our best to get back to you.
Join our community of local news champions.
Cancel anytime.
Monthly
🌟 Annual
- Fewer ads
- Member newsletters
- Exclusive events
- All monthly benefits
- Most popular option
- Make a bigger impact
Already a member? Log in here to hide these messages
Our community deserves strong local journalism. LebTown delivers in-depth coverage of Lebanon County that helps you navigate daily life and stay informed about what matters most. Join our community of supporters with a monthly or annual membership to fuel more local reporting. Cancel anytime.
