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| Lake Frances in Nescopeck State Park |
Nescopeck State Park, as it stands today, contains the 9-acre Lake Frances (which many people fish at), about 19 miles of hiking trails and Nescopeck Creek, which tends to be a popular location for trout fishing. Other than that, Nescopeck's layout is quite basic in design and features compared to its sister parks, Hickory Run with its lake, beach and Boulder Field, and Lehigh Gorge with its nationally renowned rail-trail.
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| The D&L rail-trail crossing the Lehigh River in Lehigh Gorge State Park near Jim Thorpe |
However, Nescopeck State Park is lucky it even exists. The planning phase alone took decades, and the work itself encountered hiccups along the way. Many of the park's proposed features exist only as blue prints. Even the man who was vital for acquiring the funding for Nescopeck met an unfortunate end. These different details lead me to believe that Nescopeck State Park is bound to a Native American curse.
The reason for the curse would be the obvious fact that the Delaware Indians, like other tribes, were forced from their homes for the sake of colonization.
The curse likely started around the time that the state considered constructing a park on the land by Nescopeckan village. The idea originated sometime in the 1960s, according to a May 1994 article in the Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader newspaper. The article states that plans for the park had been on state and local drawing boards for nearly three decades.
It wasn't until 1990 that the state designated nearly $5.4 million in its capital budget for the development of the park, according to the article. Why it took so long just to approve the money for the park is uncertain.
Even though the state OK'd the money in 1990, former Gov. Robert Casey chose not to include the funding in his general budget until 1994, adding four years to an already 30-year delay, the article stated. State Sen. Raphael Musto, D-Pittston, played a large role in securing the funding, the article said. To this day, the visitor and education center in the park is named after him. His success in bringing Nescopeck State Park to life would become overshadowed later on in his career, but we'll come back to that later.
It wasn't until 1990 that the state designated nearly $5.4 million in its capital budget for the development of the park, according to the article. Why it took so long just to approve the money for the park is uncertain.
Even though the state OK'd the money in 1990, former Gov. Robert Casey chose not to include the funding in his general budget until 1994, adding four years to an already 30-year delay, the article stated. State Sen. Raphael Musto, D-Pittston, played a large role in securing the funding, the article said. To this day, the visitor and education center in the park is named after him. His success in bringing Nescopeck State Park to life would become overshadowed later on in his career, but we'll come back to that later.
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| The Raphael J. Musto Visitors & Environmental Education Center in Nescopeck State Park in 2013 |
After decades of indecision and delays, Nescopeck State Park underwent construction in the mid-90s. The curse seemed to be over, but instead it continued to reappear in various ways.
In the original plans for the park was the development of nearly 100 overnight campsites with electricity and showers, in addition to seven year-round cabins, according to the Times-Leader article. As of today, no such campsites or cabins exist in Nescopeck State Park. During a recent trip to the park, my dad showed me the areas where forest and brush were cleared out for the proposed campsites. While the clearings stand out, you can tell that the forest began to reclaim these areas long ago with high grass, small bushes and saplings growing in those areas.
At the time of construction, the park also planned to create a swimming area on Lake Frances, much like the ones visitors use at nearby Hickory Run State Park. That idea also never came to fruition. Today, people can boat and fish on the lake, but no one swims in it.
The reason these projects fell through is likely because of a lack of funding.
The Nescopeck curse also comes around in forms of small renovation issues. The prime example is when the main bridge that allowed visitors to park near Lake Frances became unstable, forcing the park to close it temporarily. The bridge remained closed for years -- likely because of a lack of funding to fix it -- forcing people to park near the front entrance and then walk all the way to the lake. It's not a far walk, but for those with disabilities who wanted to visit the lake, they were out of luck.
Finally, we return to the park's biggest contributor: Sen. Musto. I hate to include him as part of a "curse" because he's deceased, and I don't wish to tarnish a dead man's reputation. The end of his life and career, however, were very unfortunate.
Musto retired from the state Senate in 2010, but authorities indicted him on charges that he accepted "$35,000 in cash, free construction services and gifts in return for using his influence to secure state funding for development projects," according to his obituary in the Wilkes-Barre Citizens' Voice. He also battled liver disease, which worsened to the point where a judge found him not competent to stand trial in January 2014, according to the obituary. He died in April the same year.
Musto never got convicted on the charges, which is part of the reason why I wouldn't want to tie him in with a "curse" that I made up, but he played a significant role in acquiring the funding for Nescopeck State Park, to the point where his name remains on the park's visitor and education center. His misfortunes and the park's are just coincidence.
Whether or not the park is "cursed" is up to my readers. I don't want people to think that, if they visit Nescopeck State Park, their house will be haunted by a poltergeist soon after. The park, despite its shortcomings, provides a tranquil place for people to forget about life for a few hours. It used to be a place where I would do homework at a picnic table while overlooking the lake during college. I've fished the lake a few times (never had too much luck there, though). A trail around the lake provides a gorgeous setting for walkers and joggers to do laps around it. Other trails also take visitors along Nescopeck Creek, which also serves as a popular spot for trout fishing.
The education center offers several programs for kids and families, including park cleanups and animal viewings. Recently, the park included a geocache that also teaches people about bird watching.
In the past few years, it seems as though the curse may have subsided -- but if you happen to find an Indian arrowhead while hiking, you might want to leave it be.
In the original plans for the park was the development of nearly 100 overnight campsites with electricity and showers, in addition to seven year-round cabins, according to the Times-Leader article. As of today, no such campsites or cabins exist in Nescopeck State Park. During a recent trip to the park, my dad showed me the areas where forest and brush were cleared out for the proposed campsites. While the clearings stand out, you can tell that the forest began to reclaim these areas long ago with high grass, small bushes and saplings growing in those areas.
At the time of construction, the park also planned to create a swimming area on Lake Frances, much like the ones visitors use at nearby Hickory Run State Park. That idea also never came to fruition. Today, people can boat and fish on the lake, but no one swims in it.
The reason these projects fell through is likely because of a lack of funding.
The Nescopeck curse also comes around in forms of small renovation issues. The prime example is when the main bridge that allowed visitors to park near Lake Frances became unstable, forcing the park to close it temporarily. The bridge remained closed for years -- likely because of a lack of funding to fix it -- forcing people to park near the front entrance and then walk all the way to the lake. It's not a far walk, but for those with disabilities who wanted to visit the lake, they were out of luck.
Finally, we return to the park's biggest contributor: Sen. Musto. I hate to include him as part of a "curse" because he's deceased, and I don't wish to tarnish a dead man's reputation. The end of his life and career, however, were very unfortunate.
Musto retired from the state Senate in 2010, but authorities indicted him on charges that he accepted "$35,000 in cash, free construction services and gifts in return for using his influence to secure state funding for development projects," according to his obituary in the Wilkes-Barre Citizens' Voice. He also battled liver disease, which worsened to the point where a judge found him not competent to stand trial in January 2014, according to the obituary. He died in April the same year.
Musto never got convicted on the charges, which is part of the reason why I wouldn't want to tie him in with a "curse" that I made up, but he played a significant role in acquiring the funding for Nescopeck State Park, to the point where his name remains on the park's visitor and education center. His misfortunes and the park's are just coincidence.
Whether or not the park is "cursed" is up to my readers. I don't want people to think that, if they visit Nescopeck State Park, their house will be haunted by a poltergeist soon after. The park, despite its shortcomings, provides a tranquil place for people to forget about life for a few hours. It used to be a place where I would do homework at a picnic table while overlooking the lake during college. I've fished the lake a few times (never had too much luck there, though). A trail around the lake provides a gorgeous setting for walkers and joggers to do laps around it. Other trails also take visitors along Nescopeck Creek, which also serves as a popular spot for trout fishing.
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| Nescopeck Creek in Nescopeck State Park |
In the past few years, it seems as though the curse may have subsided -- but if you happen to find an Indian arrowhead while hiking, you might want to leave it be.
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| If you're lucky, you might catch a glimpse of some of the beautiful animals, birds and insects at the park. |
