Happel's Meadow (formerly known as Bear Swamp) is an 85-acre[1] wetland composed of shrub swamp, grass marsh and wetland forest[2] in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, in the United States.[3] It is situated along Pennsylvania Route 16 in Washington Township near Blue Ridge Summit.
A tile drainage system was installed by the Happel family in the 1800's and the site was used grow produce that was supplied to nearby resort hotels. With the construction of Route 16, the site began to revert to wetland.[4] The site transferred to a conservation site under Washington Township in 1990.[5]
References
- Washington Township, Happel's Meadow Wetlands, retrieved May 2, 2026
- Happel’s Meadow Wetland Preserve Committee, Plants, Birds, Invertebrates, Vertebrates, and Fungi, retrieved May 2, 2026
- The Pennsylvania Science Office of The Nature Conservancy (2004), A NATURAL AREAS INVENTORY OF FRANKLIN COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA 2004 (PDF), p. 128, retrieved May 2, 2026
- The Catoctin Banner, A Change of Scenery - Happel's Meadow, retrieved May 2, 2026
- Happel’s Meadow Wetland Preserve Committee, History, retrieved May 2, 2026