Hell Run Falls

Hell Run is a small tributary of Slippery Rock Creek, located in the southwestern portion of McConnells Mill State Park. It is a stream with two distinct characters. Beginning in a wetland southeast of New Castle, it flows slowly in a broad, shallow valley. Abruptly, at Hell Run Falls, the stream plunges into a deep, secluded ravine with mature forest and steep sheltering walls that exclude all but the midday sun. The water quality of this stream is high enough for its inclusion on the state list of Exceptional Value streams.

Local residents tell the story of a farmhand who tarried too long one evening in the narrow valley. Unable to find his return path, he was trapped by darkness on that moonless night and spent the night surrounded by the sounds of tumbling water and creatures of the forest. The next day he emerged filled with fear, only able to describe his nightlong ordeal as "being in hell." Thus, the valley and stream were named.

Today's photos of Hells Run Falls are beautiful, but we must caution that this is very rugged territory and may be less trecherous in the spring when the wilflowers are blooming. The state park map depicts about two miles of the Slippery Rock Gorge Trail that follows the Hell Run valley from Slippery Rock Creek to a parking area on Shaffer Road.

McConnell's Mill
Built in 1852 by Daniel Kennedy, this mill operated until a fire halted production in 1867. The mill was rebuilt over the next two years and continued to operate under several owners for more than half a century. With the retirement of James McConnell in 1928 and sagging profits, the mill closed for good.

Thomas Hartman, grandson of former owner Thomas McConnell, sold the land to Western Pennsylvania Conservancy in 1967 with wishes that it be preserved for future generations. On October 5, 1957 the area was formally dedicated as McConnell's Mill State Park.

For more information on McConnell's Mill or other state parks, go to the DCNR website under state parks.

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