Westmoreland 250: 10 things to see in Sewickley, South Huntingdon

(Editor’s note: To mark Westmoreland County’s 250th birthday this year, we’ve come up with a list of 250 things — 10 things in 25 communities — that we consider to be important to the makeup of our area. This is the final installment of the 25-part series.)

South Huntingdon and Sewickley townships fit together like puzzle pieces.

The two have a lot of similarities — they are rural with homes and businesses clustered in small villages that at one time were centered around mining operations. They are on the western edge of Westmoreland County and have the Youghiogheny River snaking along their western borders.

South Huntingdon was one of Westmoreland County’s original municipalities, later split into East and South Huntingdon. Sewickley came decades later.

Both are marked by farmland and industry while relics from past coal mining days remain in some spots.

Here are 10 unique things in Sewickley and South Huntingdon:

Bells Mills covered bridge

The county’s last remaining covered bridge connects the two municipalities.

The red Bells Mills bridge was built in 1850 over Sewickley Creek by architect Daniel McCain. The county renovated it in 1988, eight years after it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The structure, on Bells Mills Road, was named for the Bell brothers, who operated a nearby gristmill in the 19th century.

The bridge was damaged in a fire in 2009, and a 6-foot section of siding was replaced. Three years later, a $157,000 maintenance project included pressure washing, a coat of fire retardant paint and a new roof. There have been more improvements and repairs in recent years after hit-and-runs.

Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival

This annual event draws thousands to a wooded area in South Huntingdon to partake in a 16th-century medieval experience.

Merrymakers in period clothing roam the village of Morelandshire among food vendors, crafters and artisans while jousts, singalongs and dueling matches entertain visitors on a 22-acre site featuring outbuildings designed to replicate 16th-century England. Visitors get into the spirit, too, donning period garb for the festivities.

Foods available include a turkey leg. People can purchase chain mail armor, dresses, royal garb and accessories.

The festival focuses on a different theme each weekend, ranging from pirates to Celtic music. Couples also can schedule theme weddings during it. It is traditionally held from late August through early October at 112 Renaissance Lane, just off Interstate 70.

Greenhouse Winery

Up a long driveway in Sewickley Township is a peaceful setting with numerous types of wines.

Greenhouse Winery went from a hobby to a large event space and tasting room on nearly 30 acres. It opened in 2007 not far from Rillton. The patio was expanded in 2018, and cabanas and a fountain were added. Regular events include live music and trivia nights.

The winery is known for some creative names for its products, which range from dry to fruit wines — I Want To Be Rich, a semi-dry red with berry notes; Hoe ‘n the Garden, a best-selling red blend; and Root of All Evil, a port dessert wine.

The main winery is on Gracin Lane, just off Pinewood Road. Two other retail locations are inside Westmoreland Mall and in Jacktown Plaza along Route 30 in North Huntingdon.

Country Custard Cottage and Gift Shop

Unique flavor combinations of gobs rotate on the menu at Country Custard Cottage and Gift Shop, located at 1503 Mars Hill Road, just outside of Sutersville, in Sewickley Township. Flavors have ranged from Boston cream and banana nut to lemon raspberry and orange creamsicle.

A gob is a sandwich-like dessert, with two cake-y cookies and icing in the middle. The term ‘gob’ is Western Pennsylvania vernacular as the treats are also known as whoopie pies.

But that’s not all that is sold at the shop. There’s a huge selection of custard flavors that can be enjoyed on the comfortable front porch. There’s numerous pies and other baked goods as well as gifts, such as candles, stuffed animals and home decor.

Sewickley Township Community Fair

Where else can you see a milk chugging contest, a Tug-O-War match and rock out to some country music on the same night?

Nearing its 90th year, the Sewickley Township Community Fair usually draws several thousand visitors at its location along Route 136 between West Newton and Hutchinson at 1011 Greensburg Pike. Traditionally held in mid July, it started in 1935.

The fair features horse shows, farm, quad and garden tractor pulls and inside exhibits, ranging from produce to artwork, at Sewickley Grange. The event is known for unique events — in 2019, it held the fair’s first human tractor pull, in which teams used a rope to pull a 5,000 pound tractor across a dirt arena.

Grange halls — the simple buildings that were a center of civic life in many rural America communities — once dotted the countryside. A national fraternal organization that took in entire families, the Grange grew up in agricultural communities in the wake of the Civil War.

Sewickley Creek

There is a canoe/kayak launch in each municipality, and paddlers can explore Sewickley Creek, which empties into the Youghiogheny River. They were installed by the Sewickley Creek Watershed Association.

The launch in Sewickley Township is just outside of Lowber across from the association’s abandoned mine discharge treatment facility on Lowber Road. The site, which has a small parking area, is also a popular fishing spot. The creek flows into the Youghiogheny River near Gratztown, about 1 1⁄2 miles from the access point.

Several miles upstream is a launch at Yukon Lions Park in South Huntingdon Township. The creek is the border of the two municipalities. Paddlers on Sewickley Creek in that area would see tree-lined views, float underneath small bridges and wind past small towns.

Shaner and Guffey

The towns aren’t there any more, but one vestige of them remains — a small war memorial in Sewickley Township.

Shaner and Guffey once were neighboring coal patch villages that were the site of flooding from the nearby Youghiogheny River. They have since disappeared, but their legacy lives on through the memorial on a wooded back road in a well-maintained strip of creekside land.

The brick memorial with a bronze plaque was installed on Volk Road on July 4, 1956, by citizens of the towns to honor locals who served in World War I and II and the Korean War.

Both towns once were stops along railroads. Miners developed Shaner after the Youghiogheny Coal Co. was established in the 1860s, and at one time it was the largest village in the township.

The train station in Guffey was named after a settler who operated salt wells along the river in the 1840s. The community was near the township’s border with North Huntingdon.

Interstate 70

Millions of public dollars have been spent on this east-west highway, part of which runs through South Huntingdon between the Yukon exit and the Youghiogheny River.

Interstate 70 was constructed section-by-section in the 1950s and 60s and, like other federal interstates, built primarily for long-distance travel as a backup to the nation’s railroad network. Back then, planners didn’t expect workers to use the roads for their daily commutes or getting around town, which has become the norm.

Locally, the highway boosts the economy with industrial opportunities just off exits, and truck drivers regularly stop in South Huntingdon at a large plaza for gas, food and other amenities.

Such highways have been the site of road trips for decades. The section in South Huntingdon recently had improvements at the Yukon exit where the road was widened, bridges replaced and exit reconfigured.

Crabapple Pool

This local watering hole is just outside of Herminie and run by Sewickley Township. In 2018, improvements were made to the facility, including remodeling of the restrooms and repairs of the pool deck.

It’s been the home of summer fun for about 50 years and, in recent years, an annual Pool-A-Palooza has brought swimmers and sunbathers in for fireworks and live music. The pool has diving boards and slides and is in a community park at 1415 Herminie West Newton Road with a lake and pavilions. More improvements were made this year, but the pool did not open in 2023 because of staffing issues.

State Game Lands 296

If you’d like to enjoy the rural landscape, part of State Game Lands 296 is in South Huntingdon. The game lands are in the southern part of the township not far from the village of Jacobs Creek. There are a couple parking spots, including one off Urich Road.

The game lands are composed of about 2,400 acres in South Huntingdon and neighboring Fayette County. There aren’t marked trails, but there are gated roads, gas line and power line rights-of-way for outdoor activities including hunting, hiking and mountain biking. Other recreational activities include bird watching, use of the streams included in the boundaries and mushroom and berry collection.

The terrain provides home for white-tailed deer, black bear, turkey, ruffed grouse, rabbit, raccoon, fox, coyote, mink and squirrel.