The tiny borough of Seven Valleys, Pennsylvania, with a population around 500, was once a thoroughfare for trains running from Baltimore to York, Pennsylvania. This rural area also lays claim to the launch of the wholesale ice cream industry.
Behind the town of Seven Valleys, on what’s now a 27-mile walking and biking trail once busy with Northern Central Railroad trains, is a Pennsylvania Historical Museum and Commission sign. It attests to the fact that the first mass-produced ice cream factory was nearby.
Fussell learned of a dairyman selling the frozen treat, made with milk, sugar, and eggs. He was informed that the dairyman had defaulted on a debt; the man approached Fussell about taking over his business. Fussell took a leap of faith, and it worked out well.
To keep production costs down, in 1851 Fussell decided to build an ice house and factory in Seven Valleys, closer to the York County dairy farmers. Once the ice cream was made, it was ice-packed into containers for transport into Baltimore and other more populated areas.
The business’s success prompted Fussell to leave Seven Valleys in 1854 and open a factory in Baltimore. Over the next four-plus decades, Fussell took on business partners to expand operations into larger cities; by 1909, 30,000 gallons of ice cream were churned in Fussell’s factories.
Fussell’s other noteworthy pursuits during his 93 years included his aid to the Underground Railroad. Despite charitable work, he’s historically recognized as the “father of the ice cream industry,” now an $11 billion industry.
A Heritage Rail Trail Worth Traversing
Seven Valleys is one of many fascinating historical gems on the Heritage Rail Trail. The trail runs from the Mason-Dixon line, south of the borough of New Freedom, Pennsylvania, to downtown York, Pennsylvania. York is the home of York Peppermint Patties, which originated in 1940.When walking or biking along this wide, crushed-gravel trail, still laden with train tracks, travelers will pass by idyllic farmlands, centuries-old German and English fieldstone houses, quaint towns, and tranquil spots beside creeks.
A photo-worthy stop is at the 275-foot-long, brick-lined Howard Tunnel. At 186 years old, it’s considered one of America’s oldest active railroad tunnels. A distinct method of drilling through solid slate, established by 19th-century engineer Henry Howard, is how Howard Tunnel was named. It’s located on a remote, tree-lined section of the Heritage Rail Trail. It provides a glimpse of what traveling through the area might have been like before, during, and after the Civil War.
Regular passenger and freight train services are no longer offered along these tracks. But for an authentic historical experience, the educational organization of Northern Central Railroad has a replica of an 1860s steam engine that takes paying customers on short excursions through Howard Tunnel.
Walk from the Heritage Rail Trail into Seven Valleys and New Freedom, where you can peruse museums filled with relics and photographs. Many attractions here offer other insights into the area’s rich past.
