Sweet Dreams Are Made of This

The Lantern 
Packer Row, Jim Thorpe, PA 

I am a daydreamer...
and there is something about
small villages and old towns
that ignite those dreams.


Windows in a Row 
Jim Thorpe, PA 

I daydream of living
in such a place,
but could I?
A place where everyone knows my name.


The Village Below 
Jim Thorpe, PA 

There is some comfort in that,
but many times I prefer to be in my little world:
an unknown observer.


Yes, I Could Fix This Up...Or Not 
Jim Thorpe, PA 

I think I should let the mystery
of small towns stir in my imagination
and enjoy the anonymity of suburbia.


Seating for Two 
Jim Thorpe, PA 

After all, why mess with a good dream?

The Party's Here! Where I am linking these days.

            

 My blog posts to my facebook page:  

What's In A Name?

The person Jim Thorpe 

aka

Wa-Tho-Huk...

(May 28, 1888 – March 28, 1953)

Overlooking the town of Jim Thorpe, 

formerly East Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania.

...was half Native American: Wa-Tho-Huk, (Bright Path) 

and half Caucasion: Jim Thorpe, 

He was also an 

Olympic Gold Medalist and 

All American Athlete.

The Asa Packer Mansion (red roof) 

Jim Thorpe, PA

The man had a difficult and storied life. 

Thorpe was raised in Oklahoma as a Native American, 

yet also as a Roman Catholic. 

Although he did come to Pennsylvania 

for athletic training, 

he had nothing to do with the town of Mauch Chunk,  

Houses in a Row

Jim Thorpe, PA

...until after his death, 

when his 3rd wife negotiated 

with the towns of Mauch Chunk and East Mauch Chunk 

to buy the name "Jim Thorpe" 

to help attract business 

by cashing in on his famous name. 

Wa-Tho-Huk (Bright Light)

Jim Thorpe, PA

The two towns merged to become Jim Thorpe, PA 

and also bought his remains 

which were buried by a monument erected to the person Jim Thorpe,  

 His birth state of Oklahoma had refused to do this 

at the wife's request. 

Painted with Vines 

Jim Thorpe, PA

But that is not the end of the story. 

In 2010 his son Jack filed a lawsuit 

to have the athlete's remains 

returned to, and buried near, where he grew up 

 among the Sak and Fox people of Oklahoma. 

But Jack passed away 

and his living siblings, along with the

Sak and Fox Tribe members, 

continued the fight.

The Victorian Porch

Jim Thorpe, PA

In April 2013, 

the court ruled in favor of the Thorpe family.  

The family plans to have the remains 

reinterred in Oklahoma. 

While Jim Thorpe had never even visited 

the town that bears his name, 

it does have Native American history as well. 

The name Mauch Chunk 

means Bear Mountain in the language of the Lenape people. 

YMCA

Jim Thorpe, PA

I wonder if this quintessential small town, 

will retain the name Jim Thorpe, 

or return to its native name of Mauch Chunk. 

Or, perhaps they'll find another famous 

name to buy and start the process all over again. 

Come along....The Party's Here! 

And be sure to Get Social.  I love bumping into my friends in cyberspace too!

Autumn Breeze

Welcome
Autumn Breeze
I've missed your cool, crisp air
blowing through my hair.



And the rustle of tree leaves
whirling in the breeze,



While the rhythm of my feet
sounds a crunch with every beat.



So welcome
Autumn Breeze,
let's dance and play
before Winter Winds come my way.

Come along....The Party's Here! 

And be sure to Get Social.  I love bumping into my friends in cyberspace too!

Visiting Harry Packer Mansion, Jim Thorpe, PA

Here is a little peek inside the

Harry Packer Mansion 

now operating as a Bed and Breakfast

in Jim Thorpe, PA

Does it look a little familiar?

It was the inspiration for Walt Disney World's

Haunted Mansion.
( Personally, I don't see it.
But it has most similarity to Paris' Phantom Manor) 

Maybe that is why they host 

Murder Mystery Weekends!

In 1874 this mansion was built as a wedding gift for Harry Packer by his father Asa. 

It is right next door to Asa's mansion.

I guess he wanted to keep an eye on the newlyweds.

Here is the view from Harry's window of
Asa's mansion.

Asa Packer made his fortune as the founder of 
Lehigh Valley Railroad and Lehigh University.

So, come on in and sit a spell,

cause you actually can!

Just purchase a glass of wine in the room across the way

and enjoy it while soaking up the surroundings.

Or you could sit here with that wine.

Thanks to Robert and Patricia Handwerk.

who purchased the property in disrepair in the 1980's

and restored it to it's glory.

How sad it would have been to have lost this beauty.

The Harry Packer Mansion

19 Packer Ave.

Jim Thorpe, Pa 18229

(570) 325-8566

All the photos from this gallery can be found here.

The Men in Blue

Civil War Re-enactments by the PA 69th Irish Volunteer Infantry

at the Winterfest in Jim Thorpe, PA

I also posted about the Winterfest in Jim Thorpe here.

<br><br><a border="0" href="http://thedustycellar.blogspot.com/search/label/Midweek%20Blues" target="_blank"><img src="http://i731.photobucket.com/albums/ww316/rebeccahaegele/mwb1575.jpg" /></a> <br><br>

All the photos from this gallery can be viewed here.

Winterfest, Jim Thorpe, PA

Jim Thorpe has absolutely nothing to do
with the town in Pennsylvania bearing his name.

The officials of Mauch Chunk,
or 'Bear Mountain' in the language of the Lenape people,
purchased the name from Jim Thorpe's wife after his death

in an effort to up tourism in the town.

This Victorian era small town is certainly picturesque.

Surrounded by small mountains

and beautiful structures,

it makes a nice day trip from Philly.

The Winterfest activity is primarily focused on the Mug Walk.

An ingenious marketing idea that gets you into

every participating store in town.

You purchase your mug at the Visitor Center by the old railroad station.

By visiting the participating stores, 

you receive a little something for your mug:

Soup, chili, hot chocolate, crackers, cookies, popcorn, candy, etc.

not actually served in the mug though.

It is a great way to get reluctant husbands into the quaint shops

they would otherwise never wish to frequent.

In addition to the Mug walk

there was an industrious chain saw wood carver at work.

And a not as industrious ice carver.

Street musicians whose sounds echoed  up the street.

And a few other things taking place throughout the town.

I will be posting about the Civil War rein-actors
and a tour of Harry Packer's mansion
in the next couple of days.

For now, I'll enjoy some hot chocolate in my
new Jim Thorpe mug.  :)

To visit the town, there is plenty of parking at the railroad station

for a reasonable fee.

2 Lehigh Ave, Jim Thorpe, PA