Acme, Pennsylvania facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Acme, Pennsylvania
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Eastbound PA 31 in Acme
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| Etymology: "acme," meaning the "peak" or the "top" | |
 Acme, Pennsylvania
Location in Pennsylvania
Acme, Pennsylvania
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania |
| Townships | Donegal Township, Westmoreland County Mount Pleasant Township, Westmoreland County Bullskin Township, Fayette County |
| Time zone | UTC-4 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (EDT) |
| ZIP code |
15610
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| Area code(s) | 724 |
| identified by ZIP code 15610, | |
Acme is a small, unincorporated community in Pennsylvania, United States. It's located across parts of Donegal, Mount Pleasant, and Bullskin townships. The name "Acme" means "the peak" or "the top," which makes sense because the area sits high up on Chestnut Ridge. The ZIP code for Acme is 15610, and it covers a larger rural area around the main community.
Contents
Where is Acme?
Acme is found in southern Westmoreland County and the northeastern part of Fayette County in Pennsylvania. It's located at coordinates 40°7′38″N 79°26′5″W. The name "Acme" fits perfectly because the community is located at the top of Chestnut Ridge. This ridge is part of the larger Allegheny Mountains, a mountain range in the eastern United States.
Nearby Communities
Here are some communities close to Acme:
- Donegal (east)
- Stahlstown (northeast)
- Kecksburg (north)
- Laurelville (west)
- Saltlick Township (south)
History of Acme
Acme has always been a farming community. However, its location near the beautiful Laurel Highlands inspired a few attempts to build resorts there.
Treetops & Mountain Circles and Polymath Park
In 1962, an architect named Peter Berndtson planned a large property called Treetops & Mountain Circles. He was a student of the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Berndtson designed a plan for twenty-four private houses, each hidden in a clearing in the woods. If finished, the clearings and roads would have looked like a bunch of grapes from above! Only two houses were actually built.
Many years later, in 2004, a local builder moved a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the Donald C. Duncan House, from Illinois to the Acme property. In 2019, another Wright house, the R. W. Lindholm Residence, was moved from Minnesota. This area is now called Polymath Park Resort. All four houses (the two original ones and the two moved ones) can be rented for overnight stays. Visitors to Wright's famous Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob homes nearby often stay here.
Bear Rocks Ski Area
In 1965, a real estate developer from Pittsburgh advertised a new "Mountain Ski Area" called Bear Rocks. This development was built in a wooded area on the side of Chestnut Ridge. It had over 1000 house lots and 22 miles of roads. Rules were put in place to keep the area looking natural and rural.
Bear Rocks had two lodge buildings, one at the entrance and one at the ski slopes. At its busiest, the Bear Rocks Ski area had eight slopes and trails with a chair lift and snow-making machines. It also offered a private fishing lake, a swimming pool, tennis courts, and horseback riding. The ski operations stopped after the 1973 season. The ski lodge burned down later. However, the community lodge is still used by residents, and new homes continue to be built in the area.
Forest Lake Resort
Following the success of Bear Rocks, a smaller resort called Forest Lake was developed. It featured a lake for recreation, a spring-fed swimming pool, and wooded house lots. Forest Lake is also located on Chestnut Ridge. This resort never became as popular as Bear Rocks, and only five houses were built there. Today, the property is known as Forest Lake Farm and is a private residence.
Getting Around Acme
Pennsylvania Route 31 is a two-lane road that goes through the center of Acme, running east and west. The Pennsylvania Turnpike (a major highway) runs parallel to Route 31 to the north. The closest exit for the Turnpike is in Donegal, about 2.5 miles away. Sometimes, traffic from the Turnpike is sent onto Route 31. Because of this, extra lanes were added to a 2-mile stretch of Route 31, known as Three Mile Hill, to help with truck traffic going down the mountain.
Fun Things to Do in Acme
Acme offers several outdoor activities and attractions:
- Chestnut Ridge Park: This park has a 25-acre lake for recreation, a boat launch, and a short walking trail. It's a quiet place for fishing, hunting, and other outdoor activities.
- Acme Speedway: If you like racing, Acme Speedway hosts kart racing every Saturday night from mid-April through late September.
- Donegal Highlands: This is an 18-hole public golf course that challenges golfers of all skill levels.
- Stone Villa Wine Cellars: This place offers outdoor entertainment during certain seasons and daily wine tastings.
- Polymath Park: Besides offering vacation rentals, Polymath Park provides daily tours of all four unique houses located there.
Images for kids
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Acme Community Center
See also
In Spanish: Acme (Pensilvania) para niños
