August 1, 2, and 3, 2024
Western Pennsylvania
LODGING: Our main Conference hotel is the Foxburg Inn (in picturesque Allegheny River
Valley (https://foxburginn.com). Address is: 20 Main St, Foxburg, PA 16036. Venue is located 4
miles south of I-80 exit 42 on route 268 to the Foxburg Bridge on the Allegany River.
Other available hotels include the Travel Lodge/Wyndham located at 6318 Emlenton
Clintonville Rd, Emlenton, PA 16373 which is just off of I-80 exit 42 (4 miles from the conference
venue), Details below.
Call for Reservations at the Foxburg Inn (724) 659-0133, or the Wyndham Emlenton (724)867-
2314.
Make sure that they know you are part of the Eastern States Conference and get your
reservations in before June 30 to be included in the block. After this date, the block will be
opened up to the general public. There are limited rooms, so make your reservations
NOW.
The next closest accommodations include several hotels at the Clarion Exit (16 miles east
on I-80).
MEALS: On your own, except for Saturday evening banquet, lunch on the Friday field trip and a continental breakfast at the meeting Venue on Saturday) NOTE: Breakfast is available daily
next to the Foxburg Inn at the Foxburg Pizza or at the Allegheny Grill on Saturday and Sunday.
Anyone staying at the Wyndham has a nearby restaurant next to the hotel.
ACTIVITY SCHEDULE:
- Thursday
- Evening Reception at the Foxburg Inn Riverview deck. 7p.m.
- Friday
- Rock Art Tour Caravan (Rainbow Rocks, Traister Petroglyphs, Parkers Landing Petroglyphs) Departs at 9AM. Please dress for an outdoor hike with appropriate outdoor shoes and outerwear. There is some uneven ground to traverse (especially along the riverbank). There is no charge for taking the tour.
- Saturday
- Conference and Paper presentations. Lincoln Hall directly across from the Hotel. Continental. Breakfast at this location provided by the North Fork Chapter 29 of the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology. Papers begin at 9:00 AM.
- Evening Banquet at the Allegheny Grill – Cash bar and reception begin at 6:00 p.m., Dinner at 6:30 p.m., Annual Auction begins about 7:30 p.m. (don’t forget to bring items for the live Auction!), and Guest Lecture – Ken Burkett & Brian Fritz (Western Pennsylvania Petroglyph Survey)
While you are Here
There are miles of hiking and biking along the Allegheny Trail that runs adjacent to the
Allegheny River. After a local drive north to Coal city you can hike the 1.5 miles to Indian God
Rock. Although the petroglyphs are barely visible on this steep inclining rock – it is a nationally
registered site on the bank of the Allegheny.
The Foxburg Country Club (foxburgcountryclub.com) hosts the oldest continuously used Golf
Course in the United States. It is also home to the American Golf Hall of Fame. The two-story
exhibit houses countless golf artifacts that celebrate the game of golf and its rich history. The
American Golf Hall of Fame is open from April through October and offers free admission.
North of Clarion the Cook Forest State Park offers miles of hiking. The easily accessible
Cathedral Tract is home to some of the tallest tree species in the Northeastern United States,
and includes virgin white pine and hemlock trees that are over 300 years old and over 200 feet
tall.
We recommend a stop at I-80 Exit 81 to visit the nearby Scripture Rocks Heritage Park
(scripturerocks.com) operated by the Jefferson County Historical Society. Here 67 large
engraved boulders tell the story of an eccentric individual who carved them over 100 years
ago. This site is part of what is the largest historic period rock art site in the US (extends over
4 linear miles around Brookville). Also plan a stop at the Jefferson County History Center
(downtown Brookville) for award winning exhibits on western PA history including a special
Native American gallery.
North of Dubois at Benezette you can check out the Elk Country Visitor Center
(elkcountryvisitorcenter.com) for an opportunity to view this region’s wild elk herd. By mid-
August the elk will gather and easily visible, especially at dusk.