The Point of the Watershed

Rock Point is located at the confluence of Connoquenessing Creek and the Beaver River, a point which representsa watershed of about 3,000 square miles. The water that passes this point drains parts of Lawrence, Mercer, Crawford, Butler and Beaver Counties as well as part of Ohio through the Mahoning, Shenango and Beaver Rivers and Connoquenessing and Slippery Rock Creeks. Rock Point was recognized in the Lawrence County Natural Heritage Inventory for the contiguous and relatively large size of its forest community; an uncommon feature in the predominately agricultural and post-agricultural landscape of Lawrence County.

This area is also of historical interest. Just below the "Rock" and north of the Connoquenessing Creek was the site of Metheny Tavern, a popular stop on the Erie Extension Canal. Future U.S. President James Garfield once stayed at the tavern when he worked on the canal boats. Other people to visit the tavern included James Fennimore Cooper and Charles Dickens. Later in the late 1800's to the 1920's, this area was the site of the popular Rock Point Park which, unfortunately, burned in the 1920's, All that remains are the foundations of the buildings. Since the time of the park, the area has been relatively undisturbed allowing the forest to reestablish and mature to what we see today.

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