Turkey Hill
View of Turkey Hill from the north, near Creswell Station, PA.
Turkey Hill, a prominent feature in the local geography along the Susquehanna River became a household name as a result of a resourceful dairy farmer during the Great Depression. Situated on the east side of the Susquehanna River in Manor Township, the hill rises roughly 500 feet above the valley floor. Both the Columbia & Port Deposit and Atglen & Susquehanna routes of the Pennsylvania Railroad make there way around the western face as they move east toward Conestoga Creek at Safe Harbor.
Detail of a 1912 USGS topographical map of the McCalls Ferry Quadrangle. Notice the distinct notch that Turkey Hill creates off the eastern shore of the Susquehanna River. Collection of Mytopo.com
The name of the family owned Turkey Hill based dairy business dates back several generations to Armor Frey during the Great Depression. Starting as a small supplement to make ends meet, Frey built his dairy route into a profitable company, with his sons taking over in 1947. It wasn’t until the 1980′s however that the name Turkey Hill made it into most of our lives when the Frey family made a considerable investment in growing their ice cream production. By 1981 independent markets in the Philadelphia area picked up the product line and soon after Turkey Hill would be one of America’s best-known dairies.
The former A&S right of way climbing toward Turkey Hill is one of two lines that round the point at different elevations. The Columbia and Port Deposit is at a lower elevation to the right, along the Susquehanna’s east bank. Note the wind turbine in the distance, the absence of the fan blade is due to the longer exposure while the turbine was in motion.
The forward thinking company installed two wind turbines on Turkey Hill in 2010 to provide up to 7.2 kWh or 25% of their facility’s power demands. The towers stand at 262 feet and are the tallest structures in Lancaster County. Ironically the same bluff that Armor Frey allegedly watched the sunrise from everyday before going to work is part of Lancaster County’s Frey Farm Landfill site, a massive facility that handles Lancaster County’s waste that cannot be converted to energy or recycled. While the facility is considerable in size, they have taken great measure to preserve the environmental integrity of the areas rich with wildlife and ornithological diversity. Currently Lancaster County is developing a walk in park and hiking trails to enjoy the breathtaking view from atop of Turkey Hill. Though I have yet to explore this particular location, you can be certain that I will report back with images from this prominent scenic viewpoint!
This is a particularly interesting post because it combines railroad history with the other history of the area, bringing it right up to the present. The inclusion of a topographic map of the area is a particularly good addition. Thanks for this (and all your posts).
Thanks Frank! I was on the fence with this one, but once I started digging on the Family history of the Dairy, I couldn’t resist!
I agree with Frank…I like that the focus is not just on railroad history. I became interested in the former A&S line after I visited Safe Harbor last year to photograph an excursion train on the Port Road Line. I also like the black and white photography – it gives it that “old time look.”
Thanks Jay, though the focus of the project is the Pennsylvania Railroad, there are always some great things to add to broaden the story. I have yet to see a train through Safe Harbor in the five or six times I’ve been there, but seeing Bennett’s E units (assuming it was the special in June) on the Port Road, what a treat!
NS runs most of the Port Road trains at night, since it is difficult to complete their journey to Baltimore during the day on the Northeast Corridor due to passenger traffic. Yes, I was down there to catch Bennett’s E8s. Well worth the trip. Caught the train at Safe Harbor and then returning over Rockville Bridge.