Pine Grove Furnace State Park is located at the northern edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains in an area known as South Mountain with the Appalachian trail running through the park. The Park is surrounded by the Michaux State Forest and the park has two lakes, Laurel Lake, the larger and Fuller Lake. In 1764 a couple of entrepreneurs build an iron furnace along Mountain Creek and established the Pine Grove Iron Works. There, they manufactured ten-plate stoves, fireplace backs, iron kettles and possibly munitions. Interestingly, a ten-plate stove was the first really portable stove which it gets its name from the fact that they required 10 different iron poring parts for their assembly. The park lies about halfway between Gettysburg to the south and Shippensburg to the north.

My wife went to undergraduate school in Chambersburg, PA and later in life was asked to be on their Board. Consequently, we travel 3 times a year to Chambersburg, fall winter and spring. On these trips I got a chance to tour all parts of Southeast Pennsylvania photographing barns, covered bridges, Civil War battlefields and the local scenery. One of my favorite drives was out Highway 30 (which takes one to Gettysburg) to Caledonia State Park and then North, NE along State Route 233 through Michaux Forest to Pine Grove Furnace SP and beyond.

It's always problematic trying to guess when fall colors would be at their peak. This late October day the birch, blackgum, dogwoods, red maples, sassafras and tuliptree were at their peak. State Route 233 takes one to the Northeastern side of Laurel Lake where there is a boat ramp and boat rental. Being a thinly overcast day, it was perfect to highlight the fall color without strong shadows so at the ramp I took this shot looking across the lake at the person fishing in their boat.