A new park opening this spring in Middle Paxton Township
will be Dauphin County's largest, thanks in part to the generosity of a family
well known in midstate business circles.
Detweiler Park, named for the former owners of Stackpole
Books and the Harrisburg Telegraph, will cover 411 acres off Peters Mountain
Road along Clarks Creek.
Members of the Detweiler family, who owned the land for
four generations, donated $897,500 of the land’s $2.4 million purchase price to
the county. The sale was completed on Dec. 30.
"My family has lived there for almost a century and
it's a beautiful piece of land that my grandfather and great-grandfather wanted
to preserve," said John Elder Stackpole Detweiler, Susan Detweiler's son.
"They were big believers in the State of
Pennsylvania and they would be very happy to know this land is going to the
people of Dauphin County," he added.
The remaining money came from an $887,500 grant from the
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and $607,500 in
gaming grant money from Hollywood Casino.
Family representatives were on hand at the Dauphin County
Administration Building on Wednesday morning as officials unveiled plans for the park, which
will include more than 9 miles of trails.
County officials also announced plans to gather input for
a master plan to develop the park.
"This board wants to thank the Detweiler family for
providing the county with this wonderful property that is a true outdoor
treasure, featuring fields, forests and fishing," board chairman Jeff
Haste said. "As an avid outdoor enthusiast, I'm excited at the
recreational opportunities Detweiler Park will provide our residents now and in
the future."
Family history
The original home on the property, not part of the park,
was purchased eight decades ago by Gen. Edward J. Stackpole Jr. He
was president of the Telegraph Press and a co-founder with his brother
Albert of Stackpole Sons, which later became Stackpole Books.
"The General," as friends and family called
Stackpole, planted all the pines behind the main house and along the trails. In
the 1950s, he also provided a home for the Dauphin County Anglers and
Conservationists on family property along Clarks Creek.
In 1943, his daughter, Mary Frances Stackpole, married
Meade D. Detweiler III and they built a home on land adjacent to the main
house. Detweiler was an avid conservationist, and over the years the couple
made many improvements to the property. The family
also donated land for the Dauphin County Conservation District’s offices.
Detweiler also continued the family's tradition of media
ownership through WHP radio and television, Commonwealth Communications and
Stackpole Books.
According to county officials, a 1993 letter set out his
vision for the future of the land: "The property should be an area where
habitats are preserved and managed in perpetuity for wildlife based on sound
ecological principles that demonstrate a strong land ethic."
Meade Detweiler's heirs — Susan Detweiler, wife of the
late M. David Detweiler IV, Frances Detweiler Granatino, and Esme Detweiler
Freedman — realized that vision through the sale and donation.
M. David Detweiler IV, the fourth generation of his
family to lead Stackpole Books, died in 2014 at the age of 67. The Lower Allen
Township-based publisher of outdoors, sports, history and regional books was sold to Maryland-based publisher
Rowman & Littlefield in 2015.
Future plans
This summer, temporary parking and an entrance to the
park's trails will be available from the conservation district's headquarters
on Peters Mountain Road.
Public meetings will be held later this year's to seek
input for master plan on what features should be developed, including a new
parking area, sports fields and possibly converting the farmhouse to a nature
center.
Commissioner Mike Pries praised Detweiler family members
for their generosity.
"You could have made millions off that
property," if it had been sold to private developers, Pries said.
"You didn't, and you made your father and grandfather proud today."
Commissioner George P. Hartwick III said he had already
visited the property with his family, and praised its beauty.
"It is probably one of the nicest sites I've been
involved with, at any location," he said. "This is a great day in
Dauphin County, and it's something we should always cherish and remember."
Source: Central
Penn Business Journal
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