July 28-August 3, 2019

Kooser State Park

Somerset, PA

Part 1

Our site, number 16, at this small park was beautiful.  There is no water at the site so campers must take on water at the dump station prior to entering the campground loop.

 

There were posted instructions at the entrance to the campground to go directly to the site you reserved or select a site without a reservation tag on the site post.

Our site was the only one that had a covered picnic area. 

 

We had a lovely little babbling brook behind our site. 

We chose Kooser State Park because of its location.  There were a few places we wanted to visit and explore beginning with Friendship Hill National Historic Site.

Friendship Hill was the home of Albert Gallatin, a Swiss-born man who came to America in 1780 at the age of 19 to seek his fortune.

View from the parking lot. 

 

Gallatin built Friendship Hill for his bride, Sophia, who unfortunately died shortly after moving into the home.  His second wife, Hannah, did not relish country life so they eventually moved to New York City.

 

The importance of Albert Gallatin in American history comes from his having served as Secretary of the Treasury under Presidents Jefferson and Madison.  He was a negotiator for the Treaty of Ghent that ended the War of 1812 with Great Britain and planned the financing of the Louisiana Purchase from France in 1803 which doubled the U.S. land area, and he funded the Lewis and Clark Expedition to explore the new lands to the Pacific Ocean.

The house at Friendship Hill is a two-story brick structure.  With a growing family, Gallatin added the frame section. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While serving in public service in France, Gallatin directed his son Albert to supervise a large addition.  The stone house was nearly completed when the family returned from Europe in 1823.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The stone kitchen was built in 1824. 

 

 

 

The Gallatins put the property up for sale in 1825.  Later owners enlarged and altered the house.