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"I was hoping I'd bump into you," the guy said. "I have a question for you."
I get some variation on this at least weekly. "Ghosts or history?" I asked.
"History," he said. "I want to know about Coffin Rock."
He'd been hearing about it on the weather channels. Some of the weather radio broadcasts mention the weather at Coffin Rock, and out of context, that's a little surprising. You'd think it would be more useful to report on the weather in, say, Lock Haven or Mill Hall. Even Loganton, a small, laid-back community with a lot of horses, would be more useful information than Coffin Rock, a largely unknown landmark in the remote forests of Noyes Township.
Noyes Township was formed from part of Chapman Township in 1875, and named after Colonel A.C. Noyes. It is not mandatory that you know this; it's just filler. Coffin Rock was named because there was a huge rock shaped somewhat like a coffin there. It's the same creative thinking that led to similar inventive names throughout the county, such as Altar Rock, Flat Rock and Kettle Creek.
Coffin Rock lies just north of Shoemaker Ridge Road and east of Route 144. In addition to the scenic rock, there's a fire tower there. This began in 1921, when a tower was built.
The Clinton County Times ran an article on the tower, plus one other that was built in the Snow Shoe area at the time. On Nov. 26, 1921, a short article on the back page mentioned that the new steel tower had been built at a height of 60 feet, and at the bottom was a cabin for one of the local forestry guys to live in and man the tower around the clock in case of a forest fire. The man selected was J.M. Hall of Renovo.
Five years later, The Express ran a piece on the Coffin Rock tower, as well, promoting it as a tourist attraction to visit. The March 8, 1926 article read, "Those who claim to know, say the view obtained from this tower is one of the best in the state. For an unbroken expanse of wooded landscape, this view is unsurpassed. From Snow Shoe towards the southwest to the Bald Eagle mountain below Jersey Shore, one can scarcely find an open field."
Nobody reported on how the forestry guy, previously living in a remote cabin in the woods and undisturbed, reacted to having his place suddenly promoted as a tourist spot.
Around the same time, the Clinton County Times ran an article about local fire towers, not to be outdone. In addition to Coffin Rock, they mentioned Snow Shoe, Whetham and Tamarack.
In 1939, the tower was enlarged to a height of 86 feet, providing the Department of Forestry with a much better view. This lasted until 1985, when it was destroyed in a tornado. Two years later, a new tower was constructed at an even better height of 93 feet.
According to "Clinton County: A Journey Through Time," Coffin Rock is the second-highest spot in the county at a height of 2,331 feet above sea level. The highest is informally known as Peak X in Beech Creek Township, at 2,375 feet. (Surprisingly, Hyner View, which most people visit, isn't even in the top five.)
And the elevation, to some extent, explains all the weather reporting. The local weather stations get their information from computerized systems placed up there, as opposed to the much lower spots in downtown Lock Haven, where they'd be easier to break, steal, vandalize, etc. In the interest of accuracy, the stations report the weather from Coffin Rock, where they are monitoring it, even though most people aren't likely to be driving to work up there.
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Lou Bernard is a Lock Haven resident with a keen interest in the history of this area. He is adult services coordinator at Ross Library and may be reached at loulhpa@gmail.com or 570-660-4463.