#2 - Buckwha Creek
This creek, running under the bridge, is 12.6 miles long and runs east to west, originating in a swamp near Saylorsburg on the north side of Chestnut Ridge.
It cuts through Chestnut Ridge at Little Gap and joins the Aquashicola Creek which then continues for 5 miles to eventually join the Lehigh River.
About a mile east of where you are standing now, the Buckwha is dammed to form Princess Lake. The Buckwha is fed from smaller creeks flowing down from the north, such as Borger Creek, Chapple Creek & Princess Run.
You may want to make a mental "note" to return here one afternoon with a blanket so that you can have a leisurely picnic (of course you can buy your food and snacks at Rachel's).
Before we leave, look at the photo of Kunkletown - this is looking north from where you are at this moment. The very bottom of the photo (this was actually a postcard) is where the Chestnut Ridge Railway tracks were (you can see a bit of trackage at the bottom left of the photo - those rails are now long gone). Out of the picture, but to the right, along the railroad tracks was the Kunkletown Train Station.
We will be talking more about the railway shortly. But for now, let's get back to the photo. Prominent in the picture, high above and central to the town below, is St. Matthew's Church. This photo is from around 1910.
Bring your view down from the church and you will see a building, mostly hidden by trees, that was a hotel and to the left of it was the U.S. Post Office. The two buildings further to the left still stand, but everything else in this picture is gone.
The last of these buildings to go was the large building just to the right of the bridge - we lost this building just a couple of years ago. It was the grist mill and later a textile factory. (more about this later).
Back to your car - Let's head over to St. Matthew's now. At the stop sign for Chestnut Ridge Road, you will see across the road to your left, signage for the "Chestnut Ridge Rail Trail" entrance, more about that later. Make a right turn, back onto Chestnut Ridge Road and at the stop sign make a left onto Kunkletown Road and then take the next right - White Church Lane. Stay to the right and you will find yourself at the front door of the historic church.
