The United States Postal Service (USPS) will honor Luzerne County’s Harrison Wright Falls in Ricketts Glen State Park alongside 11 other great waterfalls across the country when the federal agency releases its latest collection of stamps. According to a USPS press release, the Waterfall Forever stamps “[celebrate] the variety and beauty of American waterfalls with 12 new stamps.” Kenneth Keifer took the photograph of Harrison Wright Falls shown on the stamp.
Harrison Wright Falls, located on Kitchen Creek, “drops drop over a broad ledge, producing a single curtain-type plunging fall which has formed a rather large pool at the base of the cliff” according to the World Waterfall Database. Ricketts Glen State Park, known for its 22 named waterfalls and old-growth forest along Kitchen Creek, spans 1,300 acres. Steep glens formed along the waterway, and the lower glen came to be called Ricketts Glen.
This area was declared a National Natural Landmark (The Glens Natural Area) in 1969. The PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) trail map shows the Ganoga Falls as the tallest among the 22 named falls at 94 feet, Harrison Wright Falls is shown as 27 feet tall. The giant pines, hemlocks, and oaks, some over 100 feet tall and four feet in diameter, are 300 years old. This is where northern hardwoods meet the southern hardwood tree types.
Ricketts Glen State Park encompasses 13,193 acres, including the Natural Area and 245-acre Lake Jean. The state park is carved out of five townships in three counties: Sugarloaf in Columbia County, Fairmount and Ross in Luzerne County, and Colley and Davidson in Sullivan County. Other notable falls, such as the 36-foot Sheldon Reynolds Falls and the picturesque 37-foot Erie Falls, contribute to the park’s undeniable allure. According to PAHikes, “The Falls Trail is a 3.5 mile loop that showcases 18 of the 22 named falls.”
You can purchase stamps through the Postal Store at usps.com/shopstamps, by calling 844-737-7826, by mail through USA Philatelic, or at Post Office locations nationwide.
