Exploring the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in Potter County

Exploring the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in Potter County.

The Pennsylvania Lumber Museum features a beautiful blend of historic artifacts and interactive exhibits related to one of the most important industries in the state in the 19th century.

The lobby of the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum along Route 6 in Potter County PA.
The lobby of the museum.

Situated along historic Route 6 in the mountains of Potter County, the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum helps visitors understand the history of the lumbering industry in the Keystone State, from the arrival of the first Europeans to the present day.

Trees of Pennsylvania exhibit at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in Potter County PA.
Trees of Pennsylvania exhibit.

One of the most interesting attractions at this museum complex is a full-size, re-created lumber camp, giving visitors the opportunity to immerse themselves in the life of 19th-century logger in Pennsylvania.

Log pond and sawmill at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in Potter County PA.
Log pond and sawmill at the re-created lumber camp.

What follows is a brief overview of some of the best things to see and do at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum – I would recommend allowing yourself 2-3 hours to fully experience and enjoy it all.

Locomotive barn at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in Potter County PA.
Locomotive barn at the museum.

The Visitor Center

The Visitor Center is a beautiful two-story, lodge-like structure.

Front of the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in Potter County PA.
Front of the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum on an October afternoon.

Inside you’ll find an exhibit hall that takes you on a journey through the history of PA’s lumber industry.

Exhibit hall at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in Potter County PA.
Entrance to the exhibit hall at the museum’s Visitor Center.

You’ll see how the tools of the trade evolved over time.

Early lumberjack tools exhibit at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in Potter County PA.
Early lumberjack tools exhibit.

You’ll learn about the heyday of the lumber boom in PA, when Williamsport became the “Lumber Capital of the World”.

Williamsport exhibit at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in Potter County PA.
Williamsport exhibit at the museum.

You’ll also learn about the aftermath of the lumber boom, when many of the forests in the state had been clear cut and the land left in ruins.

Pennsylvania Desert exhibit at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in Potter County PA.
“Pennsylvania’s Desert” exhibit.

Personalities like Joseph Rothrock, the “father of Pennsylvania forestry”, are featured in exhibits related to the restoration of what had become “Pennsylvania’s Desert”.

Joseph Rothrock exhibit at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in Potter County PA.
Joseph Rothrock exhibit.

The works of the Civilian Conservation Corps are featured as well, a Great Depression-era public works program that put hundreds of thousands of young men to work on environmental conservation projects like replanting forests, building trails, and creating many of the state and national parks we enjoy today.

Civilian Conservation Corps exhibit at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in Potter County PA.
Civilian Conservation Corps exhibit.

The Lumber Camp

I found the re-created early 20th-century lumber camp to be one of the most interesting aspects of visiting the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum.

The re-created lumber camp at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in Potter County PA.
The re-created lumber camp.

It’s one thing to read about what the camps were like, it’s another to actually walk through a full-scale model of one.

Bunkhouse sleeping area at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in Potter County PA.
Bunkhouse sleeping area in the lumber camp.

Interpretive signs throughout the lumber camp help you understand what you’re seeing.

Bunkhouse dining exhibit at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in Potter County PA.
Bunkhouse dining exhibit.

There’s a 70-ton Shay geared-locomotive on display, that would have been used to haul logs from the forest to the camp’s sawmill, as well as haul finished lumber from the sawmill to markets.

Shay locomotive at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in Potter County PA.
Shay locomotive exhibit.

The steam-powered sawmill itself is another highlight of the lumber camp.

Inside the circular blade sawmill at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in Potter County PA.
Inside the circular blade sawmill at the museum.

The museum’s operable sawmill is a good representation of the mills in use in PA during the lumber boom of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Logs to Lumber exhibit at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in Potter County PA.
Logs to Lumber exhibit.

Perhaps the most picturesque spot at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum is the sawmill’s log pond.

The sawmill is a focal point of the a re-created early 20th-century lumber camp at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in Potter County PA.
The sawmill is a focal point of the a re-created early 20th-century lumber camp at the museum.

A nearby interpretive sign describes the many functions the log pond served.

Log pond exhibit at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in Potter County PA.
Log pond exhibit.

The Webber Cabin

Situated on a hill between the Visitor Center and the lumber camp, you’ll find the Webber Cabin.

The Webber cabin at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in Potter County PA.
The Webber cabin.

Bob and Dotty Webber lived in this cabin on the west rim of the PA Grand Canyon for more than 50 years, without electricity, running water, or indoor plumbing.

Bob and Dotty Webber exhibit at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in Potter County PA.
Bob and Dotty Webber exhibit.

The interior of the cabin is simple but functional, and there’s a film playing on a loop inside you can watch that tells you more about the Webbers and their “off the grid” life.

The interior of the Webber cabin at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in Potter County PA.
The interior of the Webber cabin.

Dotty passed away in 2012, Bob in 2015, and the cabin was relocated to the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum and opened as a tribute to the Webbers in 2018.

Wall hanging inside the Webber cabin at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in Potter County PA.
Wall hanging inside the Webber cabin.

The CCC Cabin

Located on the eastern side of the Visitor Center, you’ll find a Civilian Conservation Corps cabin that was originally built in 1936 and subsequently relocated to the museum grounds to preserve it.

Exterior of the 1936 CCC cabin on display at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in Potter County.
Exterior of the 1936 CCC cabin.

Inside and out, this rustic log cabin build by the CCC showcases the program’s iconic craftsmanship.

Interior of the 1936 CCC cabin on display at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in Potter County.
Interior of the CCC cabin.

Tannery Exhibit

Located near the CCC cabin you’ll find yet another outbuilding, this one housing the Tannery Exhibit and a model railroad display.

Restored Brookville locomotive at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in Potter County PA.
Restored Brookville locomotive.

A restored 1945 Brookville locomotive, used at an Elk County tannery, is one of the highlights of the exhibit.

Brookville Locomotive Works exhibit at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in Potter County PA.
Brookville Locomotive Works exhibit.

The model railroad exhibit located in the rear of this building features a large diorama depicting logging trains moving logs from the mountains to mills.

Model logging train display at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in Potter County PA.
Model logging train display.

Hours and Directions

The hours of operation for the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum change seasonally:

WINTER HOURS: (in effect between December 1st and March 31st) Friday-Saturday-Sunday, 10 AM to 4 PM.

SUMMER HOURS: (in effect between April 1st and November 30th) Wednesday through Sunday, 9 AM to 5 PM.

The Webber cabin sits on a hillside behind the exhibit hall at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in Potter County PA.
The Webber cabin on an October afternoon at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum.

The address for the museum is 5660 US-6 W, Ulysses, PA 16948, directly across the road from the entrance to Denton Hill State Park.

Denton Hill State Park entrance along Route 6 in Potter County.
Denton Hill State Park entrance along Route 6 in Potter County, directly across the road from the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum.

For more information, be sure to check out the museum’s OFFICIAL WEBSITE.

Sawmill engine room at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum in Potter County PA.
Sawmill engine room.

Nearby Attractions

Boone Run Vista is a beautiful roadside scenic overlook near Cherry Springs State Park.

Bright red staghorn sumac at Boone Run Vista in Potter County PA.
Bright red staghorn sumac at Boone Run Vista in Potter County.

Ole Bull State Park in Potter County is named in honor of Ole Bornemann Bull, a famous Norwegian violinist who purchased 11,144 acres in Potter County in 1852 and attempted to develop a Norwegian colony there that he dubbed “New Norway”.

Exploring Ole Bull State Park in Potter County PA
Scenes from Ole Bull State Park.

Lyman Run State Park is a 595-acre park located in northern Potter County, with 45-acre Lyman Run Lake at its heart.

Exploring Lyman Run State Park in Potter County Pennsylvania.
Scenes from Lyman Run State Park.

The abandoned ski resort at Denton Hill State Park in Potter County is a case study in dystopian beauty.

Ski lift at the abandoned Denton Hill State Park ski resort.
An abandoned ski lift at Denton Hill State Park.

Abandoned nearly a decade ago, the resort sits empty and decaying, with no buildings or even a restroom open to the public, even though the state park is still open to visitors.

Fall foliage surrounding one of the lifts at the abandoned ski resort at Denton Hill State Park.
Fall foliage surrounding one of the lifts at the abandoned ski resort at Denton Hill State Park.

Austin Dam Memorial Park in Potter County is the site of the second-deadliest flood in PA history.

Roadside historical marker about the Austin Dam Flood.
Roadside historical marker about the Austin Dam Flood.

Today you can tour the ruins of the dam and learn more about this historic tragedy through interpretive exhibits there.

Freeman Run passing through the ruins of Austin Dam in Potter County PA.
Freeman Run passing through the ruins of Austin Dam in Potter County.

14 Must-See Attractions in Potter County is your guide to even more great things to see and do near the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum.

Cherry Springs Vista along Route 44 in Potter County Pennsylvania.
Cherry Springs Vista along Route 44 in Potter County.

Leonard Harrison State Park in neighboring Tioga County is synonymous with one of the Keystone State’s most famous natural wonders – the PA Grand Canyon!

Looking out over the Pine Creek Gorge at Leonard Harrison State Park.
Scenic overlook at Leonard Harrison State Park, on the eastern rim of the PA Grand Canyon.

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Rusty Glessner
Rusty Glessner is a professional photographer, lifelong Pennsylvanian, and a frequently-cited authority on PA's best travel destinations.