McCalls Dam State Park

McCalls Dam State Park
Creek
Interactive map of McCalls Dam State Park
LocationCentre County, Pennsylvania, United States
Coordinates41°01′03″N 77°10′46″W / 41.01755°N 77.17958°W / 41.01755; -77.17958[1]
Area7.5 acres (3.0 ha)[2]
Elevation1,388 feet (423 m)
Established1933
Administered byPennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Named forJohnny McCall
WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata
McCalls Dam State Park
Map showing the location of
Map showing the location of
McCalls Dam State Park
Location in Pennsylvania
Map showing the location of
Map showing the location of
McCalls Dam State Park
McCalls Dam State Park (the United States)
Pennsylvania State Parks

McCalls Dam State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on 8 acres (3.2 ha) in Miles Township, Centre County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The park is in the easternmost area of the eastern tip of Centre County, south of Clinton County and north of Union County. McCalls Dam State Park is in a remote location on a gravel road between R. B. Winter State Park on Pennsylvania Route 192 and Eastville on Pennsylvania Route 880. The park can only be accessed in the winter months by snowmobiling or cross-country skiing.[1]

McCalls Dam State Park has a small camping area and a small picnic area with a few tables and charcoal grills. There are no modern restroom facilities at the park and visitors are asked to carry out all trash as there is no trash pick up at the park.[1]

The park is named for the splash dam which Johnny McCall built on White Deer Creek in 1850. He used the waters that flowed from the dam to power a sawmill. Sixteen years later the dam was rebuilt to provide water for a series of splash dams that were used to float white pine logs to the sawmills on the West Branch Susquehanna River at Watsontown. The park's facilities were originally constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1933. The mill and dam are long since gone, but they are remembered along with Johnny McCall in the name of McCalls Dam State Park.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "McCalls Dam State Park". Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Retrieved January 9, 2026.
  2. ^ Forrey, William C. (2017). "History of Pennsylvania's State Parks 1984 to 2015" (PDF). Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. p. 73. Retrieved January 9, 2026.