Moshannon Valley


Moshannon Valley is a river valley in the Allegheny Plateau split between Centre County and Clearfield County.

History

The Lenape word for Moshannon, Mos'hanna'unk, means "elk river place".
Philipsburg was laid out in 1797 and is now the largest municipality in Moshannon Valley. Many of the valleys early White settlers arrived under the false pretenses that the Moshannon Creek was navigable.
In April 2006, Pennsylvania's first private prison was opened in Decatur Township. After the prison closed in 2021 it reopened as an immigration detention center, becoming the largest ICE facility in the Northeastern US.

Geography

The Moshannon Valley is in the Allegheny Plateau.
The Moshannon Creek is a tributary of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. The creek marks the border between Clearfield and Centre County.

Parks and Recreation

Black Moshannon State Park is Pennsylvania State Park in Rush Township. The park is centered around a bog habitat. The word "black" refers to the dark stained waters, which come from the presence of peat moss.
Other parks include the Cold Stream Dam & Recreation Park in Philipsburg.

Municipalities

Boroughs

Townships

Census-designated places

Unincorporated villages

Education

The Moshannon Valley is served by the Moshannon Valley School District, Philipsburg-Osceola School District, Bald Eagle Area School District, and the West Branch Area School District.

Infrastructure

Roads

Air

Mid-State Airport was built on land taken from Black Moshannon State Park and Moshannon State Forest just before the Second World War, and was operational by 1942, hosting a Civil Air Patrol training exercise for nearly 300 planes on May 30, 1942.

Prisons