![Buchanan-Birthplace-Monument-Franklin-County-PA Pyramid-shaped monument marking the birthplace of President James Buchanan.](https://pabucketlist.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Buchanan-Birthplace-696x522.jpg)
Buchanan’s Birthplace State Park is home to a large pyramid that marks the birthplace of the James Buchanan, 15th President of the United States.
![Portrait of President James Buchanan.](https://pabucketlist.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/James-Buchanan-portrait-public-domain-image.jpg)
Located near Cove Gap in Franklin County, this 18 acre park has 2 picnic pavilions and a few picnic tables, but the dominant feature is the 31 foot-tall pyramid that marks the spot where James Buchanan’s early childhood cabin once stood.
![Approaching the pyramid at Buchanan's Birthplace State Park near Mercersburg, Pennsylvania.](https://pabucketlist.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Buchanans-Birthplace-State-Park-Pyramid-Monument-front-view.jpg)
Buchanan’s Birthplace
In 1789, James Buchanan’s father purchased Tom’s Trading Place, a busy trading post on what was then the western Pennsylvania frontier.
![Stony Batter was the name of the trading post that James Buchanan was born at near Cove Gap in Franklin County PA.](https://pabucketlist.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Buchanans-Birthplace-State-Park-Stoney-Batter-artists-rendition.jpg)
He renamed it Stony Batter, after the Buchanan family home in Ulster, Ireland.
![James Buchanan plaque near the entrance to Buchanan's Birthplace State Park.](https://pabucketlist.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/James-Buchanan-Plaque-near-Buchanans-Birthplace-State-Park.jpg)
James Buchanan was born at Stoney Batter in 1791, and he lived there until age 6 when his father bought a general store in nearby Mercersburg.
![The cabin that president James Buchanan grew up in is now located in Mercersburg Pennsylvania.](https://pabucketlist.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Buchanans-Birthplace-State-Park-Buchanan-cabin-photo.jpg)
Buchanan graduated from Dickinson College in nearby Carlisle, became a lawyer, and eventually a politician.
![James Buchanan's political career.](https://pabucketlist.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/James-Buchanan-Political-career-Buchanans-Birthplace-State-Park.jpg)
He became President in the years leading up to the Civil War, was succeeded by Abraham Lincoln, and passed away at his home in Lancaster, PA in 1868.
![James Buchanan is buried in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.](https://pabucketlist.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Buchanans-Birthplace-State-Park-Where-is-James-Buchanan-Buried.jpg)
The Pyramid-Shaped Monument at Buchanan’s Birthplace State Park
The pyramid-shaped monument was funded by Buchanan’s niece Harriet Lane Johnston, and was constructed of local stone that was transported to the construction site by a temporary railroad.
![This pyramid in Franklin County Pennsylvania marks the birthplace of James Buchanan, fifteenth President of the United States.](https://pabucketlist.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Buchanans-Birthplace-State-Park-Pyramid-Monument-Franklin-County-PA.jpg)
Construction took 35 laborers two months to complete, and the project was finished on November 15, 1907.
![The pyramid at Buchanan's Birthplace State Park was completed in November 1907.](https://pabucketlist.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Buchanans-Birthplace-State-Park-Pyramid-Monument-Side-view.jpg)
The base of the pyramid is 38 feet square and the pyramid is 31 feet high.
![Statistics about the pyramid-shaped monument at Buchanan's Birthplace State Park in Franklin County Pennsylvania.](https://pabucketlist.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Buchanans-Birthplace-State-Park-Pyramid-Monument-construction-details.jpg)
These simple words inscribed on a granite tablet at the front of the monument are the only markings on the pyramid.
![Inscription on the pyramid-shaped monument at Buchanan's Birthplace State Park in Franklin County Pennsylvania.](https://pabucketlist.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Buchanans-Birthplace-State-Park-Inscription-on-Pyramid-Monument.jpg)
This historic site was donated to the state by the trust of Harriet Lane Johnston in 1911, becoming the first private land donation in Pennsylvania to be turned into a state park.
![James Buchanan historical marker near Buchanan's Birthplace State Park.](https://pabucketlist.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/James-Buchanan-Historical-Marker-near-Buchanans-Birthplace-State-Park.jpg)
Directions to Buchanan’s Birthplace State Park
Buchanan’s Birthplace State Park is located just off Route 16 in Cove Gap, Franklin County.
![How to find Buchanan's Birthplace State Park in Franklin County Pennsylvania.](https://pabucketlist.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Map-to-Buchanans-Birthplace-State-Park-Franklin-County-PA.jpg)
If navigating by GPS coordinates, use 39.870079, -77.952623 to navigate to the parking area near the pyramid.
![PA state park sign near the entrance to Buchanan's Birthplace State Park in Franklin County.](https://pabucketlist.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Buchanans-Birthplace-State-Park-Road-Sign-Franklin-County-PA.jpg)
Nearby Attractions
Cowans Gap State Park is a fantastic 1,085 acre park located in Fulton County (with a small portion extending into neighboring Franklin County as well).
![A fisherman at Cowans Gap State Park.](https://pabucketlist.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Fishing-Pier-Cowans-Gap-State-Park-October-2020-.jpg)
At the heart of this “park in the valley” lies 42-acre Cowans Gap Lake, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the mid 1930’s.
![Fishing at Cowans Gap State Park in October.](https://pabucketlist.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Cowans-Gap-State-Park-Fall-Foliage-2020.jpg)
Big Mountain Overlook is one of the most impressive and most popular scenic overlooks in the Buchanan State Forest.
![Big Mountain Overlook near McConnellsburg Pennsylvaia.](https://pabucketlist.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Big-Mountain-Overlook-Buchanan-State-Forest-October-2020.jpg)
The Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike, quite possibly the most unique bike trail in all of Pennsylvania, spans portions of Bedford and Fulton counties.
![Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike Rail Trail at Rays Hill Tunnel.](https://pabucketlist.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Abandone-PA-Turnpike-Rays-Hill-Tunnel-Breezewood-.jpg)
The 7 Best Scenic Overlooks in the Buchanan State Forest is your guide to discovering the most sensational scenic vistas in Bedford, Fulton, and Franklin counties, along Pennsylvania’s southern border.
![Fisher Road Vista in the Buchanan State Forest](https://pabucketlist.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Fisher-Road-Hang-Glider-Launch-Fulton-County.jpg)
The Abandoned South Penn Railroad Aqueduct in Fulton County is a 140 year-old, perfectly-preserved remnant of a railroad that never was.
![The intricately-crafted South Pennsylvania Railroad Aqueduct in the Buchanan State Forest.](https://pabucketlist.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Abandoned-South-Penn-Railroad-Arch-Buchanan-State-Forest-Fulton-County-PA.jpg)
The abandoned Sideling Hill POW Camp in Fulton County was used to house German prisoners of war after the Nazis surrendered in May, 1945.
![The former officers quarters at the abandoned Sideling Hill POW Camp in Fulton County, PA.](https://pabucketlist.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Abandoned-Sideling-Hill-POW-Camp-Officers-Quarters-Buchanan-State-Forest-Fulton-County-Pennsylvania.jpg)
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