Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Plunges into Pennsylvania (18 page)

The Amish have their own way of phrasing common proverbs. See if you recognize these:

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Dunder Mifflin, the paper company where the characters work, is fictional, but most of the show's local haunts are based on real places in Scranton. In fact,
Office
writers
frequently thumb through the Scranton phone book when they need to set a scene outside of the office.

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In one episode, Michael Scott takes his female employees to Victoria's Secret in the Steamtown Mall. Today, that mall sports the show's “Scranton Welcomes You” sign (shown in the opening credits) in its food court.

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The Scrantones (a local band that claims it was voted the “best bar band in Lackawanna County three years running”) performs the show's theme song.

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One of the show's best-known segments is “The Land of Make Believe,” which was populated with puppets and could be accessed only by a magical trolley. The trolley was based on one in Pittsburgh that Rogers had loved riding while he was growing up.

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Pittsburgh's industrialism is reflected on the show: Mister Rogers often visited local factories for his “How People Make Things” segment.

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The Pittsburgh Children's Museum hosts a permanent exhibit
modeled after the show, complete with a replica of Mister Rogers' house and a life-size, working trolley. In June 2007, the museum also included an exhibit based on the show's “How People Make Things” segment.

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The Idlewild theme park in Ligonier (Pennsylvania's oldest amusement park) features a Mister Rogers attraction: kids can ride the trolley, meet delivery man Mr. McFeely, and cavort with the characters from the Land of Make Believe.

The Horseshoe Curve, a famous curved section of track owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad (and now a tourist attraction and National Historic Landmark), was once targeted by the Nazis. “The Curve,” a section of track that makes a 220-degree U-turn, was used by trains traveling east over the Allegheny Ridge toward Pittsburgh. Because it was the industrial link to the western United States, Horseshoe Curve was one of the intended targets of Nazi saboteurs during World War II. In 1942, eight men infiltrated the United States, but they were never able to gain access to the Curve or destroy it. All eight were eventually caught: two got life sentences because they cooperated with the U.S. government, and the other six were executed.

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Philadelphia County includes just the city of Philadelphia.

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Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution gives the country the right to “coin money,” so in 1792, the newly independent United States of America created the country's first mint in Philadelphia. Its first production: 11,178 copper coins that went into circulation the next year.

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The city's Fairmount Park began as a private garden, but in 1843, Philadelphia's City Council bought the space, which was located on a hill above the Schuylkill River. Over the years, the
park grew to be the largest landscaped park in the United States. Today, it's an entire complex that includes 63 individual parks and more than 9,000 acres.

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Philadelphia's abolitionist movement began in 1833 when some of the city's most prominent activists organized the Philadelphia Anti-Slavery Society. During its 37-year history, the group worked to end racial and gender discrimination and was one of the first to allow women and minorities to join—ultimately, 42 women became members, nine of them black. The Anti-Slavery Society raised money for abolition, funded integrated schools, and helped escaped slaves to flee the South. The group disbanded in 1870, considering its objective—ending slavery in the United States—“accomplished” after the Confederacy surrendered in 1865.

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Philadelphia is made up of about 12 different neighborhoods. (We say “about” because locals disagree on where exactly the boundaries are.) Some of the best known are South Philly (of
Rocky
and cheesesteak fame), the City Center (where most people visit and work), Chestnut Hill (filled with many historic homes and buildings), and West Philadelphia (home to Drexel University, UPenn, and other colleges).

Philadelphia boasts about 2,000 wall murals—more than any other city in the United States.