How Moraine State Park Came to Be

So let’s start at the beginning… thousands of years ago, at least four continental glaciers reached their greatest extent just north of present-day Moraine State Park.

In fact, the last glacier made its way to the area 20,000 years ago; the others came even earlier than that. These huge ice sheets, sometimes over a mile thick, transported stones and soil, totally reshaping the land.

When the glaciers retreated, they left behind the accumulated debris, which is called a moraine… sound familiar? Evidence of this still exists today in the Jacksville Esker (locally known as the Miller Esker). An esker forms when melt water drains into a glacier through fractures and flows through ice tunnels at the base of the glacier. Sand and gravel deposited along the tunnel floor remain as a long ridge when the ice melts. Esker sediment is deposited in a channel confined within the ice, rather than in a channel eroded into the ground. The Jacksville Esker is six miles long and has a marked portion open to the public. For directions and more natural history, take the park’s “Trail of Geology” self guided tour. Another drive-it-yourself tour that will take you by the esker is our Butler County Barn Trail. The Miller Farm has a barn in front of the esker (thus the portion nicknamed “Miller Esker”).

After its prehistoric past comes a period of human history. American Indians found the land excellent for hunting. In the 1800s, farmers cleared the forests and drained the swamps. Sand and gravel deposited by the glaciers were mined and sold. Limestone and clay were mined to make ceramics. Local clay was also used to make bricks.

The discovery of bituminous coal ushered in a boom time for the region. Seven coal beds were deep-mined, and later the land was strip mined. In the late 1800s, wells were drilled to extract oil and gas. When the wells dried up, they were abandoned and left unsealed. Much of the park area lost its topsoil, and many streams were polluted with abandoned mine drainage. Yuck!

Thank goodness for Frank W. Preston. In 1926, Dr. Preston moved to Meridian from England. As an amateur geologist and naturalist, he noticed that the hills had a unique shape and attributed it to the glacial periods. He studied the land for decades.

With the support of friends, Preston formed the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy to purchase land to recreate the glacial landscape and preserve open space. Four hundred twenty-two gas and oil wells were plugged, deep mines were sealed, graded strip mines were back-filled, the soil was fertilized, and thousands of trees, shrubs, grasses and clovers were planted. Muddy Creek was dammed to create Lake Arthur.

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