Coudersport

(Potter County Courthouse in Coudersport.)

After unpacking our stuff and spending a little time getting semi-caught up with each other, we headed out to one of the nearby towns for dinner.  Our first stop was a restaurant/bar in Austin.  It had gotten a good review on TripAdvisor.  We walked in, stayed about 30 seconds, and walked back out again.  The place looked dirty, had a bad smell to it, and we all had a feeling the food was not going to be good.  It’s possible we were wrong in that assumption which is why I am not naming the restaurant.  It seems unfair to do a review without having tasted any of the food.

We decided Austin was not the place to have dinner that night so we went in the opposite direction, to Coudersport.  It was a good decision.

Coudersport, Pennsylvania  (population 2650, 12.3 miles of streets)  was settled in 1807.  It is located in the Allegheny highlands by the Allegheny River and is surrounded by some lovely hills and plateaus.  “The Grand Army of the Republic Highway” (aka PA Route 6, mentioned in yesterday’s post, but doesn’t “The Grand Army of the Republic Highway” sound more impressive?) runs east-west through the center of town.  One of the most noticeable things to us on the drive through town the first time was an unusually large, and apparently vacant, building located on PA Route 6.  I did not get any pictures of it.  It looked almost brand spanking new.  We found out later that it was built by Adelphia Cable.  The company was, at one time, headquartered in Coudersport and was one of the area’s biggest employers (and the 5th largest cable company in the U.S.) until they went bankrupt in 2002.  If you happen to have 3-4 million dollars laying around, the building is for sale.

Coudersport is the county seat of Potter County.  The county courthouse, pictured above, is located in Coudersport.  Work on it was begun in 1851 and completed in 1853.  The roof was remodeled in 1888 and there is a sign “commemorating” that near the top of the building.  I put the word commemorating in quotes because I read there was some controversy regarding the squandering of tax money to remodel what was considered a fairly new building.  The building is done in the Greek Revival style with a few Victorian elements mingled in.

At the top of the courthouse is Lady Justice.  I’m not sure when she was added.  Perhaps with the remodel of the roof.

The late evening shots of the courthouse are dreadful.  The camera and I are still learning about each other.

We had dinner at Olga’s Gallery & Cafe.  It was an excellent choice.  Everyone was friendly, the service was great, and the food was fresh and tasty.  M and I split a sandwich and a salad.  Both were yummy.

The inside of Olga’s is beautiful with lovely woodwork and lighting.  The gallery portion, both upstairs and downstairs, is filled with some amazing artwork by Olga.  L and I had a look around before our dinner arrived and we both ended up buying some cute winter hats.

(Looking up at Olga’s.)

We went back to the cabin after dinner and spent an hour or two sitting on the deck under the light of the almost-full moon talking and enjoying the evening.

Next up in the road trip series:  The Austin Dam