Morrisons Cove

Morrisons Cove[1] (also referred to as Morrison Cove or Morrison's Cove), is an eroded anticlinal valley[2] in Blair and Bedford counties of central Pennsylvania, United States, extending from Evitts Mountain near New Enterprise, north to the Frankstown Branch Juniata River at Williamsburg. The width of the valley varies from 10 to 15 miles (16 to 24 km) between Tussey Mountain on the east to the chain of Dunning, Loop and Lock Mountains on the west. Almost entirely enclosed by these mountains, the only openings in the cove are at Loysburg Gap in the south, McKee Gap in the west, and at Williamsburg to the north. The floor of the valley is mostly level, with many large fertile farm fields. The southern end of the valley drains to the Raystown Branch Juniata River via Yellow Creek through Loysburg Gap, and the northern end drains to the Frankstown Branch, via Clover Creek.

There are four boroughs located in Morrisons Cove and they are:

There are seven townships located in Morrisons Cove and they are the following:

Although on the other side of Dunning Mountain, Claysburg could be included in this list because of the shared culture and customs of the area.[3]

Altoona–Blair County Airport is located in Morrisons Cove. Pennsylvania Route 36 is the main north/south route through the valley from Loysburg Gap to McKee Gap. Pennsylvania Route 866 branches off PA-36 at Woodbury to Martinsburg.

History

Morrisons Cove is often mentioned as a landmark in early wills and records of importance. Wills Creek Valley and Friend's Cove are also in this section of the state, and were well known to the early settlers.[4]

Tornado

On May 22, 1949 the same storm system that caused the F1 tornado in Altoona also spawned an F1 tornado in the Morrisons Cove area. The tornado initially touched down south of Curryville where it downed several large trees and destroyed a barn. The tornado moved north east, striking Henrietta and Millerstown. Several homes were unroofed and barns were destroyed, in both areas. One of the destroyed barns was a 150-year-old stone barn. Near Henrietta, a three-hundred-foot (91 m) long chicken house was thrown a considerable distance before being destroyed. A car was destroyed and a church had several windows blown out and had its chimney ripped off. A 17-year-old girl was injured in Henrietta, when the window she was standing at shattered. The tornado dissipated about one mile (1.6 km) east of Martinsburg in the Clover Creek/Fredericksburg area where it downed several willow trees. The damage caused by this tornado is consistent of winds 105–110 mph (169–177 km/h).[5]

A map made by Dr. Ted Fujita, in 1974, of all of the tornadoes in the U.S between 1930 and 1974, shows this tornado as an F1 on the Fujita Scale.

References
  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Morrisons Cove
  2. Kempler, Steve (2007-01-19). "Geomorphology : Chapter 2 Plate T-12 : Folded Appalachians". NASA, Goddard Earth Sciences (GES), Data and Information Services Center (DISC). Archived from the original on 2007-12-06. Retrieved 2008-03-16. Nittany Valley and Morrisons Cove, eroded anticlinal valleys (coves), near the western edge of the fold belt shown here, and Broadtop Mountain (a syncline east of Morrisons Cove) are examples of inverse topography, which is common in this geomorphic province.
  4. "Origins of Townships in Bedford County". Archived from the original on 2006-10-26. Retrieved 2006-12-02.

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