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The Sacred Oak is a more-than-500-year-old Chinkapin Oak located in the Oley Valley, Pennsylvania. It sits in a grove of trees just off Friedensburg Road.
According to Native-American legend, a beautiful woman, the wife of a powerful chief, became very ill. All the tribe's medicine men were called in; they "pow-wowed" and administered herbal medicines, to no effect. Slowly, the chief's wife became weaker and sicker. Finally, desperate for a cure, the young chief traveled to the Sacred Oak and there prayed to the Great Spirit for his wife to be saved. Amazingly, when he returned to camp, his wife was well again. Several years went by and the tribe was threatened by a hostile tribe. Once again, the chief traveled to the Sacred Oak and prayed to the Great Spirit, who gave him guidance. The chief gathered blankets and beads and journeyed to the enemy's camp. His gifts were accepted, and before he left, he smoked the pipe of peace with the chief of the other tribe. From then on, the Sacred Oak was looked upon as the shrine tree of the Delaware Indians. [1] [2] They went to the Sacred Oak in times of trouble to pray, and legend has it that help was always given to them. Legend says that the oak also has caused adverse effects to ones who have wronged or disrespected the oak. According to legend, the son of a high Lenape chief once urinated on the oak. Later that same day the ten-year-old disappeared into the woods of Oley never to be found.
Today, the Sacred Oak still grows in a forested area just off Friedensburg Road in Oley Township. In the past, people were allowed to visit the tree, but now the land is considered private property and, due to evidence and sightings of pagan worship ceremonies, is typically off limits to visitors. [3] This includes numerous spottings of robed individuals near the tree, ritualistic items on the surrounding rocks, and multiple animal carcasses. The land was recently sold to a new owner, who has begun raising money to help preserve the Sacred Oak. In 2007, the leader of the Lenape Nation Council, Chief Gentlemoon led two ceremonies to revitalize the tree. The tree was fertilized and deadwood was trimmed to help the tree continue to grow. [4] The wood is being used for a variety of things, including being made into pens by a local craftsmen and Native-Americans all over the country. The Sacred Oak is currently the biggest tree in Berks County and is on the Pennsylvania Forestry Association's Champion Trees of Pennsylvania website.
Elders of the Lenni Lenape tribe have certified the tree has been venerated for 480+ years. The current owner, a horticulturist, places the tree's age at approximately 700 years.
Choctaw mythology is part of the culture of the Choctaw, a Native American tribe originally occupying a large territory in the present-day Southeastern United States: much of the states of Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana. In the 19th century, the Choctaw were known to European Americans as one of the "Five Civilized Tribes" even though controversy surrounds their removal.
Lehighton is a borough in Carbon County, Pennsylvania. It is located 77 miles (124 km) north of Philadelphia and 54 miles (87 km) south of Scranton.
Lackawaxen Township is the largest and northernmost township in Pike County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 5,066 at the 2020 census. The Delaware River, which marks the eastern boundary of the township, joins the Lackawaxen River at Lackawaxen Village. The housing communities Fawn Lake Forest and Masthope Mountain are in the township.
The Province of Pennsylvania, also known as the Pennsylvania Colony, was a British North American colony founded by William Penn after receiving a land grant from Charles II of England in 1681. The name Pennsylvania refers to William's father, Admiral Sir William Penn.
The Kittanning Path was a major east-west Native American trail that crossed the Allegheny Mountains barrier ridge connecting the Susquehanna River valleys in the center of Pennsylvania to the highlands of the Appalachian Plateau and thence to the western lands beyond drained by the Ohio River. Kittanning Village was the first major Delaware (Lenape) Indian settlement along the descent from the Allegheny Plateau.
Shades of Death Road, sometimes referred to locally as just "Shades", is a two-lane rural road of about 6.7 miles (10.8 km) in length in central Warren County, New Jersey. It runs in a generally north–south direction through Liberty and Independence townships, then turns more east–west in Allamuchy Township north of the Interstate 80 (I-80) crossing. South of I-80 it runs alongside Jenny Jump State Forest and offers access to it at several points. The road is the subject of folklore and numerous local legends. In 2013, the SyFy channel's Haunted Highway series did a segment on the road.
Kittatinny Mountain is a long ridge traversing primarily across Sussex County in northwestern New Jersey, running in a northeast-southwest axis, a continuation across the Delaware Water Gap of Pennsylvania's Blue Mountain. It is the first major ridge in the far northeastern extension of the Ridge and Valley province of the Appalachian Mountains, and reaches its highest elevation, 1,803 feet, at High Point in Montague Township. Kittatinny Mountain forms the eastern side of Wallpack Valley; the western side comprises the Wallpack Ridge (highest elevation: 928 feet above sea level.
The Treaty of Shackamaxon, also called the Great Treaty and Penn's Treaty, was a legendary treaty between William Penn and Tamanend of the Lenape signed in 1682. Penn and Tamanend agreed that their people would live in a state of perpetual peace.
The Oley Valley is a valley 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Reading, Pennsylvania, United States. It covers all of Oley, Pike, Ruscombmanor, Alsace and part of Exeter Township. The valley is drained by Manatawny and Pine Creeks, and is a part of the Schuylkill River system. At the center of the valley is the village of Oley. The village has a strong historical heritage. In March 1983, the entire Township of Oley was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Nescopeck Creek is a 37.5-mile-long (60.4 km) tributary of the Susquehanna River in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The creek is in the Coal Region of Pennsylvania. The meaning of the creek's name is "deep black waters". The waters of Nescopeck Creek have difficulty ratings between Class I and Class III. However, during parts of the year, Nescopeck Creek is impossible to navigate due to rapids, flooding, and tight bends. Nescopeck Creek is home to a number of species of trout, although the waters are not always optimal for them. Nescopeck Creek's water is acidic, with a pH as low as 3.6 in some studies.
French Creek State Park is a 7,977-acre (3,228 ha) Pennsylvania state park in North Coventry and Warwick Townships in Chester County and Robeson and Union Townships in Berks County, Pennsylvania in the United States. It straddles northern Chester County and southern Berks County along French Creek. It is located in the Hopewell Big Woods. The park is the home of two lakes: Hopewell Lake, a 68-acre (28 ha) warm water lake, and Scotts Run Lake, a 22-acre (8.9 ha) cold water lake. The state record smallmouth bass was caught in Scotts Run Lake. There are extensive forests, and almost 40 miles (64 km) of hiking and equestrian trails. The park is also friendly to mountain bikers, having some renowned technical trails. Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site, which features a cold blast furnace restored to its 1830s appearance, is surrounded by the park. The Six Penny Day Use Area and Group Camp are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. French Creek State Park is located off of Pennsylvania Route 345 to the south of Birdsboro.
Little Pine State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on 2,158 acres (873 ha) in Cummings Township, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania in the United States. Little Pine State park is along 4.2 miles (6.8 km) of Little Pine Creek, a tributary of Pine Creek, in the midst of the Tiadaghton State Forest. A dam on the creek has created a lake covering 94 acres (38 ha) for fishing, boating, and swimming. The park is on Pennsylvania Route 4001, 4 miles (6.4 km) northeast of the unincorporated village of Waterville or 8 miles (13 km) southwest of the village of English Center. The nearest borough is Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania, about 15 miles (24 km) south at the mouth of Pine Creek on the West Branch Susquehanna River.
Manatawny Creek is an 18.2-mile-long (29.3 km) tributary of the Schuylkill River in Pennsylvania in the United States.
The Conrad Weiser Homestead was the home of Johann Conrad Weiser, who enlisted the Iroquois on the British side in the French and Indian War. The home is located near Womelsdorf, Berks County, Pennsylvania in the United States. A designated National Historic Landmark, it is currently administered as a historic house museum by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. The historic site was established in 1923 to preserve an example of a colonial homestead and to honor Weiser, an important figure in the settlement of the colonial frontier.
Conrad Weiser, born Johann Conrad Weiser, Jr., was a Pennsylvania Dutch (German) pioneer who served as an interpreter and diplomat between the Pennsylvania Colony and Native American nations. Primarily a farmer, he also worked as a tanner, and later served as a soldier and judge. He lived part of the time for six years at Ephrata Cloister, a Protestant monastic community in Lancaster County.
Saddler's Woods is a 25 acres (10 ha) forest in Haddon Township, Camden County, New Jersey that includes the headwater spring of Newton Creek. Despite its location just 5 miles (8.0 km) from Philadelphia, Saddler's Woods includes wetlands, young woodlands, and old-growth forest.
Weavertown is an unincorporated community in Amity Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located about 3.6 miles north of Amity Gardens on Pennsylvania Route 662 and is served by the Daniel Boone Area School District.
The history of Sussex County, New Jersey spans over 13,000 years from the time Paleo Indians arrived after the Wisconsin glacier melted to the present day, and the entire width of the American experience.
According to local tradition, in 1757, the second year of the French and Indian War east of the Susquehanna River, a massacre of the Spatz family at a spring near modern-day Strausstown, PA caused the water to run red with the blood of the family. That small trickle of water became known as “Bloody Spring” and the event has been called the “Bloody Spring Massacre" since that time. The story of the massacre has been passed down through the Degler family, whose farm neighbored the Spatz homestead.
Coordinates: 40°22′30.5″N75°48′40.9″W / 40.375139°N 75.811361°W