MILFORD, PA — A coalition of Milford residents and community leaders is pushing to restore the illuminated star atop the Milford Knob. The star was lit each year during the winter holiday season until it was removed in 2017, along with a cross that was lit each Easter, due in part to concerns about religious symbols on public land. 

Former mayor Sean Strub rallied a group of local residents and leaders for the proposal now, formally creating the Restore the Star Committee in early 2025, said Candace Mahala, current Milford mayor and co-chair of the Restore the Star effort’s communications committee.

The eventual goal is to secure a historic site designation and potentially illuminate the display at additional times of the year, like on the Fourth of July or Veterans Day. The group is considering requesting a permit to display the star during celebrations of the United States’ 250th birthday in July 2026, and they’ll apply for another to display the star during the next winter holiday season.

In the short term, though, they’ll seek permits to display the star during the times when it used to be displayed to “get that momentum started,” Mahala said.

“Step one in this whole process, the most important step, is getting this permit so that we can get it mounted back up there,” said Fred Weber, communications committee co-chair. “And then we can start all these other processes behind it.”

A star-spangled history

The group is working on solar powering the display to avoid having to run a power cord up the mountain through the woods on the ground. The original frame is completely intact, having been stored and maintained by the local Lions Club. The lights would be changed to LEDs in the same hue as the original ones.

According to a 2020 report, commemorative displays at the Milford Knob date back to the Civil War, and the star itself dates back to the 1930s. It was maintained by the Milford Lions Club, which lit the star around Christmas and a cross on the same frame around Easter. The display was also lit for nationally significant moments, including the United States Bicentennial in 1976 and the September 11 terrorist attacks.

In 2015, the National Park Service (NPS) began requiring the Lions Club to obtain a special use permit to erect the display. In 2017, the NPS  informed the Lions Club they were no longer permitted to put up the display at all. The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prohibits the government, including federal agencies like the NPS, from endorsing religion, and the Milford Knob is federal land. The star and cross came down and have not returned to the Milford Knob since.

In 2020, the NPS commissioned a report through the Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation about the knob and the star. They applied to designate the star as a historical site through Pennsylviania’s State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), which would mean displaying it would not require a special use permit application to be submitted every year.

After three years of review, that proposal was rejected in 2023 on the basis that there was not enough community support. SHPO said there would need to be further research and broader community support.

Rallying around the star

Restore the Star aims to amass community support and funding. The group is receiving community donations through a fund via the Greater Pike Community Foundation, and the Pike County Commissioners’ office is seeking donations as well. The group has over 300 followers on its Facebook page.

“That’s far more [support] than I think that that report indicates,” Mahala said.

Local businesses and institutions are involved with the effort as well. Milford-based Solar Bear Energy will power the display, a Restore the Star merchandise line is sold in collaboration with JEM Printing and the Milford Fire Department will help with installation. The group has also organized hikes to the Milford Knob to rally support.

If the group’s ultimate vision for the star came true, the solar power and lights would be taken down during the off-season, and only the frame would be left at the knob. Fundraising will need to be a continuous effort to cover maintenance costs, Weber said. 

Maintenance would include replacing the lights if they go out and updating the solar power system every 10 to 15 years. Recent estimates were $25,000 for the solar cost for new and replacement, plus $40,000 for an investment with the lights and other equipment, following which upkeep will be needed every 10 to 15 years, which tends to get cheaper as solar technology evolves, Mahala said. 

Weber and Mahala said they do not see the star as a religious symbol.

To Mahala, the star represents community and unity. Growing up in Milford, she said, seeing the star always meant she was home.

“When I was a kid, you’re always in the car like, ‘Are we there yet? Are we there yet?  And then I would see the star and be like, ‘Okay, we’re like two blocks away,’” she said. “It was just really nostalgic for me.”

Weber and his wife moved to Milford eight years ago, so he has not seen the star lit in its original location. He now lives near where it is currently displayed on private property on West Hartford Street, and he became involved with the effort after learning its history.

“It just made no sense,” he said. “We want it back, we think it adds a lot to the community.”

Whether or not the star itself signifies unity, the bipartisan effort to restore it certainly seems to. Mahala said the Restore the Star Committee includes Republicans, Democrats and Independents who are all “happy to work together,” and Weber described the effort as something “everybody can get around.”

“It doesn’t matter what your political views are… it’s an issue that people have gotten behind,” Weber said. “It’s a great unifying thing.”