National and State Parks - Recreational Areas
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Caledonia State Park
State Park Information
State Park Overview
Camping
A total of 184 tent and trailer sites are available in two campgrounds. The camping season opens the second Friday in April and ends after deer season in December. The campground has flush toilets, hot showers and a sanitary dump station. The Hosack Run Campground has sites with electricity and accessible campsites.
Organized Group Tenting
Organized adult and youth groups of up to 100 people can rent this modern area, which is open is open from the 2nd Friday in April to the 3rd Sunday in October. There are flush toilets, picnic tables and fire rings. Advance reservations are required.
Picnicking
Swimming
Fishing and Hunting
Fishing
The East Branch Conococheague and Rocky Mountain creeks and Carbaugh Run flow through the park and the surrounding state forest lands, offering many exciting places for anglers. Brown trout, rainbow trout, native brook trout and some warm-water game fish can be found in these streams.
Hunting
About 740 acres are open to hunting, trapping and the training of dogs during established seasons. Common game species are deer, rabbit, squirrel and turkey. Hunting is permitted in the adjacent Michaux State Forest.
Hunting woodchucks -lso known as groundhogs, is prohibited. Dog training is only permitted from the day following Labor Day to March 31 in designated hunting areas. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Pennsylvania Game Commission rules and regulations apply. Contact the park office for accessible hunting information.
Use extreme caution with firearms at all times. The park is used by other visitors during hunting seasons. Firearms and archery equipment may be uncased and ready for use only in authorized hunting areas during hunting seasons. In areas not open to hunting or during non-hunting seasons, firearms and archery equipment must be kept in the owners car, trailer or camp.
History of the Area
The park is named for Thaddeus Stevens? charcoal iron furnace, named Caledonia, which began operation in 1837. The scenic watercourse along PA 233 was once the millrace that operated the furnace waterwheel.
The Honorable Thaddeus Stevens was born in Caledonia County, Vermont. Caledonia is the name given to ancient Scotland by the invading Romans. Thaddeus Stevens became a famous abolitionist, statesman and father of the public school system in Pennsylvania.
In June of 1863, Confederate cavalry under the command of General J. A. Early destroyed the iron furnace. Historians theorize that the furnace was destroyed not just to slow the industrial power of the northern states, but also because of Stevens? views opposing slavery.
Pastures were used as field hospitals for the wounded taken from the Gettysburg Battlefield. Today they are playfields for visiting children.
The iron furnace changed hands numerous times after Stevens? death. In 1902, the land was sold to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Chambersburg and Gettysburg Trolley Company leased the park and built a trolley through what is now the day-use area. The company built various amusements in the park. In 1922, Robert Miller built a nine-hole golf course. This popular, challenging course now has 18 holes.
In 1927, the Pennsylvania Alpine Club reconstructed the stack of the old furnace as a reduced scale monument. The reconstructed stack and blacksmith shop are the only visible reminders of the early iron works.
In 1933, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built a camp in Scotland, PA and
worked building roads and recreational facilities.