On our road trip last month, we stayed in Kane,
Pennsylvania. Jim discovered Elizabeth Wood Kane. Her husband, General Thomas
Kane, fought in the Civil War, including at Gettysburg. We are familiar with
him because he was a great protector and friend of the Latter-day Saints when
the federal government was hostile to them. Kane and Brigham Young became
friends and Brigham Young invited Thomas and Elizabeth to Utah. They took a
road trip (much rougher than any I’ve ever been on) through Utah from Salt Lake
City to St. George in southern Utah. Elizabeth wrote a memoir of the journey, Twelve
Mormon Homes (1874).
Besides publishing books, Elizabeth was one of the first
female students at the Pennsylvania Medical School. She was also a
photographer, specializing in the outdoors when most photographers were
creating indoor portraits.
After her husband died, Elizabeth built a mansion in Kane,
Pennsylvania. Jim learned that this building is now a bed and breakfast and
made a reservation. The rambling house creates quite an impression from the
street.
We strolled to the preservation society, housed in an old
train depot, and were disappointed that it was locked. A young family were
there at the locked door. Then a young man came down the street with keys in
his hand. He was planning to do some work in the office but invited us in to
look around. (The building is usually only open in the evening.)
The young man was a wealth of information. Forsaking his own
plans, he spent two hours with us, sharing his great love for his small town
and its history. The preservation society also owns the Memorial Chapel where
General Kane is buried. A larger-than-life statue of General Kane is in the
front lawn. An identical bronze statue stands before the Utah State Capitol in
Salt Lake City.
We got a huge slice of a small-town charm nestled near the
Allegheny National Forest.
The old Pennsylvania license plates stated, "You have a friend in Pennsylvania" Now it is true for us.
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