Stony Valley

Just minutes north of Harrisburg, Stony Valley (or Stoney / Bell's Valley) is part of the second largest roadless wilderness tract of land in Pennsylvania, commonly known as State Game Lands #211. Originally called Saint Anthony's Wilderness after Moravian Missionaries who trekked across the mountains in the Eighteenth Century, Stony Valley became... an industrial haven just a century later with coal mines, lumbering operations, a water bottling plant and ice harvesting industries. Most prominent in the valley's history, Stony Valley contained a railroad to service not only the local industries, but the 2,000+ people who lived there during its heyday. The Schuylkill & Susquehanna Railroad was constructed from the Susquehanna River to the Schuylkill River under its predecessor company from 1849-1854. Eventually containing 27 stops and stations starting in Rockville, Dauphin County and heading eastward towards Auburn, Schuylkill County, the railroad crossed through the Lower Anthracite Region of Pennsylvania, serving primarily for transportation of coal. The coal industry, and other industries serviced along the line, continued to decline throughout the coming years. By 1872, the railroad was officially purchased by the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad, and within a few decades taken over by their successor, the Reading Company. The Reading Company ended service on the line after the burning of the Red Bridge, a covered bridge used by locomotives on the line near Pine Grove, Schuylkill County, during the Great Depression. The Stony Valley portion of the line, which closed during 1944-1949, became the Stony Valley Rail-Trail, one of the first rails-to-trails in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Today, Stony Valley is visited by thousands every year. This website is dedicated to preserving the history of the region for present and future generations. Thank you for visiting StonyValley.com over the years! StonyValley.com was created and is maintained by Schuylkill & Susquehanna Railroad Historian, Brandy M. Watts ...Read More