History
Tuscarora State Park is located in Locust Valley. This land was covered by an old-growth forest of Eastern White Pine, American Chestnut, Eastern Hemlock, Ash, Hickory, Elm, Oak and Cherry trees. The land was controlled at various times by the Susquehannock, Lenape and at the time of the arrival of colonial settlers, the Iroquois League of Five Nations.
Anthracite coal was discovered in Schuylkill County. The forests of the Locust Valley were harvested to provide lumber for supports in the coal mines and the various buildings and homes erected by the coal mining companies. Hemlock was used to produce leather goods in the tanneries that were built in the area. The massive destruction of the forests left the Locust Valley an area of shrubby land that was susceptible to flooding, erosion and wild fires. Some of the land was cleared and farmed.
The area in and around Tuscarora and Locust Lake State Parks was purchased by the Marchalonis family. They constructed Locust Lake and allowed the forests and the area to grow back. They sold their land to the state of Pennsylvania in 1966 and the parks were opened soon afterwards.
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