RENOVO GEOLOGY

Clinton County is filled with what people refer to as “hidden gems.” There’s Millbrook, the hidden gem of a theater in Mill Hall. The Piper Aviation Museum is a hidden gem in Lock Haven, and there are plenty of others in the area.

This includes the Red Hill Museum, which is a hidden gem of Chapman Township.

The Red Hill Museum is in North Bend, at 196 Main Street. It’s on the second floor of the municipal township building, and available by appointment by calling 570-923-2044.

It’s dedicated to the fossils found at the Red Hill archaeological site, which is along Route 120 along the drive toward Renovo.

This is not just any site. In 1993, a significant find was made by paleontologists Ted Daeschler and Neil Schubin. They discovered a fossil from the late Devonian Period, 365 million years ago, and it was a never-before-seen fossil. The first of its kind.

They found the fossilized shoulder girdle of a tetrapod, which has been informally described as “Fish with fingers.” The actual creature looked something like a salamander, about two feet or so long, with legs and flexible fingers and a flat, tadpole-like tail. It was speculated to have been a meat-eater. All of this has been extrapolated from the fossil of the shoulder girdle, and the muscles that would have attached to it.

They named it Hynerpeton, because it was found near Hyner, which has Hyner View and Hyner Run State Parks (more hidden gems of Clinton County.) The official scientific name was Hynerpeton Bassetti, after Edward Bassett, Daeschler’s grandfather. The Hynerpeton is the first tetrapod discovered in North America outside of Greenland, which alone makes it a significant historical discovery.

Not only can tours of the museum be arranged, but tourists to the area can participate in the archaeological dig at the site, under supervision. The museum contains exhibits about the discovery of the Hynerpeton, as well as other artifacts and items from the area, including Native American tools and artifacts. The museum lies in the heart of North Bend, a pleasant community along Route 120 in Chapman Township.

There are also state parks in the area, as well as hiking trails and plenty to do. If you happen to be traveling in Chapman Township, it’s worth it to make an appointment and stop at the Red Hill Museum. It’s a display that goes back to the discovery made over thirty years ago….And far, far before that.