On a beautiful summer morning, I strolled the trails of newly established Detweiler Park with two people instrumental in creating it.
We talked about the nuts and bolts of the process, pausing along the way to admire the gorgeous landscape of pine trees, deciduous forest and fields surrounding us.
“This is the same kind of walk I took with David that eventful day three years ago,” Dauphin County Parks and Recreation Director Carl Dickson told me.
Dickson and M. David Detweiler IV met through work in the Parks and Recreation Department, but their friendship grew deeper as the years passed. It was on a tour of David’s childhood home that he asked the question: “Would Dauphin County be interested in turning this land into a park?”
David died in September 2014, but this initial conversation led to the creation Dauphin County’s newest and largest park.
Detweiler Park includes 411 acres of sprawling Pennsylvania wilderness with seven miles of trails spread throughout. Situated between Peter’s Mountain and Clark’s Creek, within view of the Appalachian Trail, the property’s preservation is vital for wildlife and keeping local waterways clean.
“This is a critical piece of land that needed to be preserved,” Dauphin County Commissioner Jeff Haste said.
Pieces of the land can be traced back through four generations of the Stackpole and Detweiler families. Mary Frances “Frankie” Stackpole and Meade D. Detweiler III married and built a house on the property, which still stands. Every summer, children and grandchildren would come to visit, making this land the heart and soul of the family.
“No matter what happens to me or my mom, that place will be there for generations and generations of other families to enjoy,” said David’s son, John Detweiler.
Meade and his wife Frankie, as well as their son David, were cremated, and their ashes were spread throughout the estate. Before he died, Meade made his intentions clear that the land should be preserved and passed on to members of the community.
“We were not really owners, so much as stewards of the property,” said Meade’s daughter, Esme Detweiler Freedman.
In December 2016, the time came for the land to change hands. Appraised at $2.4 million, the property was acquired by Dauphin County through a combination of donation by the
Detweiler family and grants from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and Dauphin County.
The property already had many trails in place, though it needed some love and care. Dickson’s Parks and Recreation team worked to prepare for the opening, cleaning up trails and building a bridge from recycled materials.
“Our staff loves this park, and they really take it to heart,” said Haste. “They’ve gone above and beyond to make this what it is.”
Historically, parks add to property values in the area, as well as quality of life, giving locals another opportunity to get into nature for their health and wellbeing. Though many county parks consist of little more than baseball fields and a playground, Detweiler Park offers something different.
“Where else can you live in a capital city and, within 10 minutes, have 411 acres of pristine nature?” Haste said. “You can’t really put a price on that.”
While the park property is preserved forever, its full potential has yet to be realized. There are farm dumps to dispose of and trails to be blazed, but much of the input on improvements will come from the community.
Over the coming years, there will be community meetings where people can share their recommendations for the future of Detweiler Park with members of the family, Dauphin County and DCNR. If you are eager to share your opinion, you can submit your ideas at detweilerpark.org or send a letter to the Dauphin County commissioners.
Detweiler Park is located at 1451 Peter’s Mountain Rd. in Dauphin. For more information, visit www.detweilerpark.org.
Author: Allison Moody
