Reflections on Punxy

Sprankle Mills

We spent two days in Punxsutawney and it was not without its surprises and touching moments. Terry comes from a long line of Sprankles who were early settlers in this area, people who emigrated from Germany and settled in Pennsylvania - some established the first settlements in York and their descendants ventured to Jefferson and Indiana Counties. They farmed, built saw mills, became blacksmiths - but they were all people of the land. And we found their footprints in this area. What a pleasure it was for Terry to literally get in touch with his roots. Whether it was walking the family farm now occupied by the Amish family, or finding the graves of ancestors buried more than 100 years ago, or standing at the sign welcoming you to Sprankle Mills. These were his roots. It is hard to describe the complexity of this very outwardly simple and humble area. The population is largely made up of good, rural folk. These are people whom you might find at the Grange or a pot-luck church supper, men dressed in overalls and baseball caps (worn lid-forward), ladies in over-sized t-shirts and jeans (not designer labels) ~ friendly, open to strangers and happy to tell their towns' stories. At the same time they live among some of the most beautiful lands I've seen - rolling hillsides filled with goldenrod, majestic mountains in the distance, lush farms that are rich with the fruits of their labor. I'm happy that I was able to share this joy with my husband and join in his pride of family.