Panther, Pennsylvania

Panther is a village in Greene Township, Pike County, Pennsylvania.

Panther was originally located between the Pennsylvania villages of Canadensis, La Anna, and Newfoundland. Panther now uses Newfoundland's ZIP code (18445) and all mail services are now conducted in the latter village. The building that once housed the Panther Post Office has been converted into a private residence. There is little that remains of the original post office and general store after a fire nearly destroyed the entire building. In the midst of rebuilding another fire nearly burned it to the foundation. The owners.are.Douglas and Janie Evans.they are still trying.to build it again for the.last 10 years they had.No insurance hopefully it will someday be.able to be lived.in again and at least another General store can be there it will bring the old feeling of.family when parents.bring their children to shop for.penny.candy.and chat with the neighbors.The Brushes old time neighbors used to bring their son Redsie there when.little they owned the Panther Trucking Company which now their son and.grandson took over.The.original post master was Mr Hinton. His son was born in the old house.he lived.in another house with his wife He was also the last post master who lived there. Douglas Evans felt so bad for Mr Hinton when the house burnt down because of the history of his family living there.Mrs Hinton had mail business.still in the blood she.worked at the.Newfoundland.Post office keeping it spic and.span! Hopefully we.Will get to finish.rebuilding it before.we.get too old so we.can tell.stories about the.old days and bring the feeling of old town back again The old building is sorely missed!

What to look for

There are many bed and breakfasts, and fine dining locations close by, such as The French Manor, Napolitano's, and Renegade's and Up a Creek Inn. Fishing, boating, and any outdoor activity is very popular.

Some history

Home to many farmers over the past few decades, it originally rose with the popularity of lumber and trapping. Some of the earliest maps of America include Panther Road (Route 447) because of this. The remains of many logging trails are still in existence, stretching from Stony Lonesome Road all the way to German Valley Road.

Some early settlers resided in what is now known as the valley at the top of the mountain. A valley stretching from the intersection of Panther Rd and Pine Grove Road all the way to German Valley Road and the peak of Mount Hensel. Some of these pre-Civil War homes still stand today. There are two original one-room school houses. One is currently abandoned and in almost complete disrepair at the corner of Lake Russel Road and Pine Grove Road. All that is left of the German Valley School (historical), is the foundation. This is located 400 feet north of German Valley Road on Sugar Hill Road and about 60 feet away from the road. The foundation can no longer be seen from the road due to overgrowth.

The name

Early trappers and loggers would frequent the trading post in present-day Canadensis. Panther received its name from the abundance of what was known to be "Panthers". There are many theories as to what the animal actually was that gave this town its name due to the ambiguity of the word "panther". Theories include the Nittany Lion, Mountain Lion, Puma, Cougar, Bobcat and even an actual black eastern Panther .[1] Today, there are none in existence in this area; the last mountain lions was seen in 1874. The last wild panther known to have walked in the Pennsylvania woods did so in Berks County.[2]

The currently known large mammals in this area include deer, bear, raccoon, possum, coyote, fox, beaver, ground-hog, and muskrat.

Weather

The high elevation (as high as 2,115 ft) brings a strong winter. Mount Hensel is the tallest peak furthest east in the Pocono Region. Weather fronts often converge at this point along the mountain range to create extreme accumulations in the winter.

References

1. "Wild Animals: black panther, felis concolor coryi, blue ridge mountains". AllExperts.com. Retrieved 2010-10-21.
2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-04-02. Retrieved 2010-10-05.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

• Hensel, R (2010). "Interviewed: Oct. 2010"
• United States Geological Survey (2010)retrieved "Panther, PA"
• Pennsylvania State Game Commission