History of Sizerville State Park

Sizerville State Park opened for public use in 1924 with the first facilities built in 1927.

The name “Sizerville” comes from a logging boomtown of the same name that flourished around the turn of the century. Sizerville itself was named for the Sizer family who were, according to local legend, the first settlers in the area.

Civilian Conservation Corps

Beautiful white pines and hemlocks grace the forests of the park. The pines were planted in the 1930s as a conservation effort by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp S-85. Several thousand acres in and around the park were planted to replace the massive tracts of old growth timber logged at the turn of the 19th century.

Beaver Reintroduction

The East Branch of Cowley Run has historical significance in game management in Pennsylvania. In 1917, a pair of beavers was presented to the Pennsylvania Game Commission by the State of Wisconsin because beavers had disappeared from Pennsylvania. This first pair was released on East Branch Cowley Run, and beavers are still found in the area.