N 40° 39.018' W 078° 06.702
By Connie Thomas: 80th celebration of the McCorkel Tree Farm in Photos and Writings
This past year, Connie Thomas compiled a book of memories about the Tree Farm. To view the book as a PDF, click this link. To purchase a hard copy, click here. And scroll down to read her artist statement!
"My family has been part of this circle for eighty years. The wooden benches and the folding chairs have been repaired and replaced many times, but the circle itself continues to hold, now embracing even third and fourth generations. It is evident to me that over these years attachments have deepened: to each other, to the land, and to the spirit of the community. For many of us there is a need to return to the circle each summer, and for each the need may be different. What is it that draws us back to this remote, rustic, lovely Pennsylvania hilltop for eighty years?
To uncover and share some of the hidden and more personal motivations, I asked each family group to send me a special photograph with a brief explanatory sentence or two. I asked for an image that reflected a deep personal connection or
that elicited a sense of renewal. I have put the photos received into this small book, fitting them together like a puzzle, in order to share with you what is so unique and so cherished in our Tree Farm Community.
This book is dedicated to those who in 1940 formed the first circle and to those who move in and out of the circle each summer and keep it unbroken."
