The state of Pennsylvania was one of the initial 13 colonies under British control.It is known for its bountiful history, historical monuments, and artifacts. There are many Pennsylvania culture facts and geographic knowledge to explore in this article.The state of Pennsylvania has many nicknames, including the Keystone State, Quaker State, and Oil State. Pennsylvania is called the Keystone State because of the crucial role the state played during the formation of America as an independent country. The state is known for upholding the principles of independence, liberty, and virtue. The cultural history of Pennsylvania greatly revolves around the religious aspects of the state right from its initial formation.If you enjoy going through this article, then you might also be interested in discovering fun facts about Ecuador and fun facts about Minnesota.Scary Facts About Pennsylvania Pennsylvania is famous in the world for its rich history and culture. However, there are Pennsylvania facts that are of a scary nature involving haunted places and urban legends. Explore spooky Pennsylvania facts that will make the faint-hearted tremble.People have dubbed Pennsylvania the ‘most haunted state’ of America. A comparison of the name of the state of Pennsylvania has been made with the spooky castle of Transylvania, where Dracula used to live.The scary idea of Pennsylvania is enhanced by the gothic architecture found in the state. The gothic genre is known for being dark, mysterious, and ambiguous. The architecture of the gothic style brings out these aspects of the genre, making it feel scary and ominous sometimes.Speaking of haunted places, one of the extremely scary places in the state is the haunted house in Pittsburg called The House The Devil Built. This house is considered to be haunted because of its horrific and brutal history. During the 1800s, a couple used to live in the house. The wife had mercilessly killed her husband and his mistress when she found he was cheating on her. Several years later, a doctor came to live in the same house. However, it was found that he was doing experiments on dead bodies in the house. The most spooky thing is that the house had completely disappeared after an explosion took place.Another instance of real-life tragedy turning into a haunted place is the Pennhurst State School and Hospital. Located in Spring City, the mental hospital was kept open for around 80 years before it was shut down. The reason for this was the terrible treatment of patients there. The condition turned so bad that people protested to get it to shut down. Now, the building remains abandoned, and many have said that it is haunted.Pennsylvania also has a lot of urban legends. While some are completely created out of imagination, some are based on true events that took place in the past.The rumored Seven Gates of Hell is suspiciously located in Hellam Township in York. It is a quiet place surrounded by silent forests. The legend states that there are seven gates to hell, which can lead to a door to hell when crossed in the right order. Out of these seven remote gates, only one is visible in the daytime, and the rest are seen only during the night. However, no individual has been able to pass more than five gates and return alive to tell the truth about the legend.Furthermore, Pennsylvania was home to many famous celebrities such as Edgar Allen Poe (whose gothic and horror writings are famous around the world today) and George Washington. It also has a historical past of wars and battles that were fought to gain independence.This makes for some really spooky sightings. People have actually revealed that they have spotted ghosts of some of the famous people who lived in Pennsylvania. Whether these stories are true or just rumored myths, we do not know. However, there are many haunted places in Pennsylvania.Fun Facts About PennsylvaniaThere are various things Pennsylvania is known for, from dark wooded forests, historical sights, to being the home for multiple famous people. The Keystone State has numerous fun facts to offer to those who are planning to visit.The first zoo of Pennsylvania was opened in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Zoo became the first public zoo in the United States of America. The Philadelphia Zoo opened in 1874 and is owned by the Zoological Society of Philadelphia. This first public zoo was originally founded by Benjamin Franklin. He also founded the first ever public library in Philadelphia in 1731.Everyone is aware of the world’s renowned delicious chocolate brand Hershey. Interestingly Hershey chocolate originates and also has its headquarter in Pennsylvania. Hershey is famously one of the largest chocolate manufacturers in the world, and their chocolate is sold in over 60 countries. Hershey is also considered to be the chocolate capital of the US. The owner of Hershey, Milton S. Hershey, also founded Hershey Park. It is an amusement park created for the employees of the Hershey corporation.The emblematic icon of the independence of America, the Liberty Bell, is situated in Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly had commissioned the Liberty Bell from London in 1751. It was rung for the very first time when the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence took place. When the American Revolution took place, the Liberty Bell was moved from Philadelphia and was returned once the British left. It can now be found in the Liberty Bell Center in Independence National Historical Park.Another historic building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the Independence Hall building. The Declaration of Independence was drafted and also signed in the Independence Hall. Moreover, the constitution of the US was also adopted in this historic building. The city of Philadelphia is also the place where Betsy Ross sewed the first American Flag in 1777.Philadelphia is the very place where the first piano of the United States was built in 1775 by Johann Behrent. Moreover, the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, which was the first computer in the world, was invented in 1946 at the University of Pennsylvania.The nation’s first daily newspaper, the Pennsylvania Packet and Daily Advertiser, was published in 1784. Pennsylvania also has the United States’ oldest gas station. The Reighard’s gas station is the oldest gas station in the US, situated in Altoona, Pennsylvania.The state of Pennsylvania is known for its bridges. It has more than 200 covered bridges all over the state. It has the most number of bridges compared to any other state in the country. The Kinzua Bridge in McKean County was known as the world’s longest and tallest railroad bridge at the time that it was built.Kennett Square in Chester County, Pennsylvania, is known as the mushroom capital of the world. It is popularly called the mushroom capital of the world because of the mushroom farming that takes place there, which produces almost half of the total mushroom crop in the country.Meanwhile, Lake Erie has the largest commercial freshwater fisheries in the world. It is also called the Walleye capital of the world.Historical Facts About Pennsylvania With its many firsts, Pennsylvania is a state full of history that talks about accomplishments, inventions, and battles. It is an important state in terms of America’s past and present as a nation serving a diverse population.It is possible that Pennsylvania might have been inhabited by people 10,000 years ago. When the Europeans first came to Pennsylvania, they discovered some native tribes already settled there. Some of these were Susquehannock, subgroups of Delaware, Shawnee, Iroquois, and Eriez.According to records, even though other Europeans had come to the land of America and some like the Spanish had even mapped the region of Pennsylvania, the actual European who first stepped into the region (which is the modern-day Pennsylvania state) was John Smith, an English explorer, in 1608.Even then, the Europeans who first established a colony in and around the region of Pennsylvania were the Swedish. A colony of New Sweden was founded on the Delaware River banks in 1638. Then in 1643, the colony’s capital was established on Tinicum Island by the governor of New Sweden. This island lies within the territory of modern-day Pennsylvania.Later, King Charles II gave the region of Pennsylvania to William Penn in 1681 due to a debt he owed to the latter’s father. Even though William Penn wanted to name the territory ‘Sylvania’, the king named it Pennsylvania. William Penn was embarrassed, thinking that people would think he had added Penn to the name of the territory after himself, but the king didn’t listen and he named it Pennsylvania.William Penn was also a member of a new Christian persecuted sect called the Society of Friends, also known as Quakers. He wanted to create a place where people could have religious freedom. This was also added to the colony’s constitution. However, the only condition was that they were Christians. This led to the entry of Amish and Mennonite people via Pennsylvania to North America.Pennsylvania was part of the first 13 colonies of the New World. The colonies protested against British rule and struggled to find independence. After the American Revolution was over, Pennsylvania was the second state to join the union of the states and became a part of the US.Moreover, after Delaware first ratified the constitution, it was Pennsylvania that followed and did the same, becoming the second state to do so.One of the most historically significant battles of the American Civil War, the Battle of Gettysburg, was fought in Pennsylvania. The battle took place in 1863 and was one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, with thousands of casualties. It is known that Pennsylvania is considered to have been a significant member of the nion and had provided great military support to the cause.The site where the battle was fought was turned into the National Cemetery of Gettysburg in honor of the Union soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the battle. On the day of the cemetery’s dedication ceremony, which took place on November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln gave a spectacular speech. This speech became one of his popular speeches and is called the Gettysburg Address.Geography Facts About PennsylvaniaNow that we have delved into the historical past of Pennsylvania let’s take a look at the geographic placement and conditions of the state.Pennsylvania is the 33rd largest state of the United States of America. It is 46,055 mi2 (119,282 km2) big, and its land portion has an almost rectangular shape. It has a 57 mi (92 km) shoreline across the Delaware Estuary and a 51 mi (82 km) coastline along Lake Erie. The state has 67 counties in total.Pennsylvania is the only one out of the 13 colonies that do not have a border to the Atlantic Ocean. Pennsylvania is known as a Middle Atlantic State along with New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware.The Keystone State shares its border with New York and New Jersey in the north and northeast via Delaware River, West Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware in the south, and Ohio in the west.The population of Pennsylvania is 12.9 million in 2021. Its major cities are Philadelphia, Lancaster, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, and Erie. Pennsylvania’s capital is Harrisburg. The longest stone arch bridge built in the entire world, the Rockville Bridge is located in Harrisburg. Philadelphia is the largest city in Pennsylvania. Philadelphia is also the first planned city of North America.Meanwhile, Pittsburgh is Pennsylvania’s second-largest city. Pittsburgh is also the place where the polio vaccine was invented in 1955. The city of Pittsburgh is also known as Steel City because of the large number of steel businesses it has. Pittsburgh is also popularly known as the City of Bridges because of the 446 bridges it contains. The Allegheny River and Monongahela River meet at the Point State Park of Pittsburgh to form the Ohio River. Lancaster is the city known to have the oldest Amish settlement.The highest point of Pennsylvania is Mount Davis at 3,212 ft (979 m), and the lowest point is the Delaware River.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for fun facts about Pennsylvania, then why not discover facts about the color of lightning or what a desert mirage.
The state of Pennsylvania was one of the initial 13 colonies under British control.
