CORYDON UNCOVERED!
All photos © T L McCormick


The remnants of the old town of Corydon, which had been covered by the waters impounded behind Kinzua Dam,  were exposed a few years ago as a result of a drought in McKean County and much of the east. Though not as extensively revealed as it was during the severe drought of 1991, many unique sights were still viewable by the ambitious walker/hiker. Below are four images from my own trip to the area.

A man standing on the old road leading into Corydon can be seen in this photo taken as you hiked into the area from the Willow Bay boat launch. All of this would normally be under water.

Remnants of the old railroad bed  extend across the site. Many old railroad spikes litter the area. In one area, someone had piled up a small mound of them creating a rust-orange monument to the good old days.

A broken shard of pottery lies on the dry lake bed. The pink rose design looked as fresh as it did before it was submerged. The Forest Service had asked visitors not to take anything from the site, but while I was there a man found and removed a silver spoon, while still another carried a stop sign away.

Many old tombstones were scattered near the site of the former Corydon Cemetery. This one bore the partial name of a "James W. Harria---", as revealed by the tracing. The graves were relocated to a nearby hillside cemetery, which also contains the Cornplanter Memorial and the grave of Phillip Tomes', Corydon's first settler. Also among those relocated were the graves of 300 unknown individuals.