Pennsylvania

Places in this region

Jim Thorpe Monument

An Olympic hero controversially stripped of his medals is buried in a town he never visited, that took his name after his death

No other athlete has come close to Jim Thorpe in all-around versatility. Born in 1887 in Prague, Oklahoma, Thorpe grew up in the Sac and Fox nation and suffered the loss of his twin brother and... »

Unusual Monuments, Memento Mori | Edited by allison and Dylan

America's Oldest Operating Theater

America's oldest existing surgical theater, where you can practically hear the screams

In the early 1800s, an operating theater was quite literally that—a combination of surgical operating room and stage theater, complete with an unruly audience of young doctors, nervous... »

Medical Museums | Edited by Dylan, Annetta and others

Masonic Temple of Philadelphia

Huge masonic hall in Philadelphia with lavishly themed rooms

The Masonic Temple of Philadelphia, or as it's properly known "The Right Worshipful Grand Lodge of the Most Ancient and Honorable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania and Masonic... »

Rites and Rituals, Curious Places of Worship | Edited by ShaneStringer, Annetta and others

Keeling Coal Mine

Pittsburgh's literal underground railroad.

Much of the South Hills of Pittburgh has been mined for coal, and 19th and 20th century coal mines were excavated beneath a large part of the city. One such mine is the Keeling mine. The mine... »

Subterranean Sites | Edited by A Facebook user

The Sonorous Stones of Ringing Rocks Park

Mysterious rocks that ring musically when struck

In 1890, J.J. Ott gave a remarkable concert for the Buckwampum historical society. What made the concert remarkable wasn't the music being played but the instrument Ott was playing. The instrument... »

Geological Oddities, Musical Wonders | Edited by Dylan, Henry and others

Charles Willson Peale's Museum

The first natural history museum in the United States

Charles Willson Peale, an American portraitist, has largely been forgotten by the annals of museum history, but his studio-cum-gallery-cum-natural history museum was one of the first museums in... »

Wonder Cabinets, Natural History, Unique Collections | Edited by M Rebekah Otto, Annetta and others

The Shrine of Saint John Neumann

The body of St. John Neumann and his collection of hundreds of relics, on display in a Philly church

Upon his canonization, Saint John Neumann was exhumed and placed on display for worship. First they removed some bones and cut them into small pieces to be set in very small, glass-covered... »

Relics and Reliquaries | Edited by Dylan, commanderkeen and others

Tiffany Glass Mural "The Dream Garden"

Mural made of 100,000 pieces of hand blown glass, and until recently, the largest glass mural in the US

East of the Curtis Center is a one of a kind mural and gazing pool called "The Dream Garden". Designed by Louis C. Tiffany and based on a Maxfield Parrish landscape, it took 6 months to... »

Unique Collections, Unusual Monuments, Peculiar Fountains, Architectural Oddities | Edited by Dylan

SS United States

Current Docking of the SS United States, the fastest transatlantic Ocean Liner

With the highest sustained top speed of 35 knots, the SS United States is the worlds fastest ocean liner. Launched in 1952, it's maiden voyage set the record for the fastest transatlantic trip... »

Inspired Inventions, Retro-Tech | Edited by

Rosicrucian Pyramids of Bucks County

The headquartes of the Fraternitas Rosae Crucis, complete with Rosicrucian pyramids, all in the Pennsylvania Woods

According to the legend, in the early 1400s a man named Christian Rosenkreuz (German for Rose-Cross) took a pilgrimage to the Middle East and learned among Turkish, Arab, and Persian sages and... »

Curious Places of Worship | Edited by

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