We arrived at TT Hershey Resort in Lebanon, PA on 05/18/2011. We traveled to Ephrata PA on 05/21/2011 to visit Ephrata Cloister National Historic Landmark. One of America’s earliest religious communities, the Ephrata Cloister was founded in 1732 by German settlers seeking spiritual goals rather than earthly rewards. Gathered in unique European style buildings, the community consisted of celibate Brothers and Sisters, and a married congregation of families. At the zenith of the community in the 1740s and 1750s, about 300 members worked and worshiped at the Cloister. Today, the National Historic Landmark is open for tours, special programs, and on-going research opportunities. The picture is of Ephrata Cloister from the Carpenter’s House.
The picture is of Abigail on a fence in front of the Academy waiting for school to start.
We drove towards Philadelphia, PA to visit Brandywine Battlefield National Historic Landmark State Park in Chadds Ford, PA on 05/28/2011. Philadelphia, the capital of the newly formed nation, was the goal of British General Howe during the campaign of 1777. The British approached Philadelphia from the Chesapeake, landing at Head of Elk, Maryland (present day Elkton). As the British began their march toward the city, Washington and the people of Philadelphia were confident that the British could be stopped. Washington chose the high ground in the area of Chadds Ford to defend against the British advance. Chadds Ford allowed safe passage across the Brandywine River on the road from Baltimore to Philadelphia. On the morning of September 9th Washington placed his troops along the Brandywine River to guard the main fords. By placing detachments of troops at Pyle’s Ford — the southernmost possible crossing of the river — and Wistar’s Ford — the northernmost crossing of the river before it forked — Washington hoped to force a fight at Chadds Ford, an advantageous position. Washington believed that he had all of the fords along the Brandywine guarded by his troops and that the closest unguarded ford was twelve miles up-river. Washington was confident that the area was secure. The day of the battle began with a heavy fog which blanketed the area, providing cover for the approaching British troops. When the fog cleared, the sun blazed, and the heat was sweltering. The first reports of British troop movements indicated to Washington that Howe had divided his forces. Subsequent reports both confirmed and denied this report. In the confusion Washington persisted in the mistaken belief that the British were sending their entire force against his line at Chadds Ford. Meanwhile, Howe and the majority of his force continued their approach. By mid-afternoon the British had crossed the river at the unguarded ford to the north of Washington’s force and they had gained a strategic position near Birmingham Friends Meeting House. When the British appeared on the American right flank, Washington realized that he had been outmaneuvered. He ordered his army to take the high ground around Birmingham Friends Meeting House as a last defense. Unfortunately, in the confusion caused by the surprise, the Americans were unable to successfully defend their position. The Americans fought valiantly, but they had been outwitted on the rolling hills along the Brandywine. Nightfall finally brought an end to the battle. The defeated Americans retreated to Chester. The bulk of the army arrived by midnight with the remainder trickling in until dawn. The picture is of Washington’s Headquarters, the Ring House.
On the same day we continue to Philadelphia, PA to visit the Turtle Rock Lighthouse one of four lighthouses in PA. In 1887, the Fairmount Park Commission granted approval for a lighthouse to be built near Turtle Rock – a rock formation, resembling a giant tortoise shell, located on the hill above the boathouses. Besides skaters and rowers, the Schuylkill was also home to ships of the Schuylkill Navigation Company, which transported anthracite coal from upstate Pennsylvania to Philadelphia and would benefit from a light near the dam. As part of an agreement struck with the navigation company when the dam was constructed, the city also built a canal and locks to permit navigation on the river to continue. The Turtle Rock Lighthouse was constructed in 1887 by Frank Thurwanger at a cost of $2,663 on a plot of land just west of boathouse row. The brick lighthouse supports a hexagonal lantern room surrounded by an octagonal walkway. Gas was first used to power the light, but in 1990, when the lighthouse was reappointed and received a new wooden balustrade and newel posts, the beacon was electrified. The Sedgeley Club, formed in 1897 as the Bicycle, Barge and Canoe Club, originally occupied boathouse #14, but in 1902 applied for permission from the Fairmount Park Commission to build a new home at #15 Boathouse Row. The structure was completed the following year with its western end encircling the base of the Turtle Rock Lighthouse. The club’s membership was initially composed of Philadelphia ladies who enjoyed canoeing on the Schuylkill River, but by World War II the club had transformed into more of a social organization. The Sedgeley Club remains an exclusive woman’s club hosting numerous social gatherings as well as fundraising events that help maintain the historic boathouse and the treasured Turtle Rock Lighthouse, which is only lit on special occasions. The picture is of the Turtle Rock Lighthouse.
On 06/01/2011 we drove back to Cherry Hill RV Park in College Park, MD for more doctor visits. We saw Washington’s Distillery and Gristmill at Mount Vernon, VA on 06/04/2011. George Washington was known first and foremost as commander in chief of the Continental Army and our nation’s first president. But Washington was also a successful business entrepreneur and innovative farmer. Washington erected a large stone gristmill in 1771 to increase production of flour and cornmeal, and to be able to export high quality flour to the West Indies, England, and Europe. In 1797, Washington’s Scottish farm manager James Anderson encouraged him to build a whiskey distillery adjacent to the gristmill. The distillery was the largest in America, producing 11,000 gallons of whiskey in 1799, making it one of the most successful economic enterprises at Mount Vernon. The picture is of the Distillery at Mount Vernon.
Then on 06/05/2011 we visited Fort Foote National Park in Oxon Hill, MD. During the Civil War our government built 68 forts around the Nation’s Capital. These earth and log structures were designed to be temporary field fortifications and only resist the attack of ground forces such as infantry, cavalry, and artillery. In 1862 the battle between the Monitor and Merrimac, at Hampton Roads, created panic in Washington. As the war progressed, many European countries seemed eager to join the fight on the side of the Confederacy. Fort Washington, on the Potomac River 16 miles below Washington was considered too far away to be adequately supported. Therefore the protection of the city from naval attack became a major concern and army engineers began building earthworks to resist naval bombardment. In the words of General Barnard they were “in many respects, model works. Fort Foote was constructed for the purpose of defending, in connection with Battery Rogers, the water approach to the city. It was situated six miles below Washington, on a commanding bluff of the Maryland shore, elevated 100 feet above the river. The fort was essentially completed in the fall of 1863 and was designed as a water battery of eight 200-pounder Parrott rifles and two 15-inch guns.” Fort Foote was named in honor of Rear Admiral Andrew H. Foote who distinguished himself in the actions against the confederate forts on the Mississippi Rivers and died of wounds on June 26,1863. Since Fort Foote was a seacoast fortification, care was taken to insure that it could resist moisture and naval shells. General Barnyard described the work in his 1881 report: “The revetments of breast-height and slopes, and all the vertical walls of the interior structure, as magazines, bomb-proofs, galleries, and were made almost wholly of cedar posts, while the roofing of these structures were mainly of chestnut logs.” The front of the fort was over 500 feet long and the earth walls were 20 feet thick. A central traverse ran the length of the fort and contained bombproof magazines and shortage areas. The first 15-inch gun arrived in the fall of 1863 and by April 1865 the fort boasted of two 15-inch Rodman Cannons, four 200 pounder Parrott Rifles and six 30 pounder Parrott Rifles. The work was declared complete on June 6, 1865. A large crowd of civilian and military observers gathered to watch the guns fire on February 27 and again on April 1, 1864. The 8-inch Parrott Rifles weighed over 8 tons and used 16 pounds of powder to fire its 200-pound projectile 2,000 yards down the river. But the fort’s main attraction was the 15-inch Columbias. They weighed in at 25 tons and required 300 to 400 soldiers to move them up the bluff from the river. Forty pounds of powder could send a 440-pound round-shot over 5,000 yards. The picture is of two 15-inch Rodman Cannons.
The picture is of Abigail on a 15-inch Rodman Cannon.
We left Cherry Hill RV Park and headed for Gettysburg Farm RV Resort near York, PA on 06/08/2011. We stayed for two weeks and during this time we visited the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, PA on 06/15/2011. As President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address encompassed the emotions of the American struggle, The National Civil War Museum portrays this struggle as a timeline, from the issues straining the nation through the war’s conclusion at Appomattox Court House. Nowhere can you find a better understanding of the Civil War, its effect on the nation, or on the people. Come walk our halls. See and feel the emotions rise and fall as you embrace Bull Run, Shiloh, Vicksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, Antietam, and Gettysburg, once ordinary places transformed to hallowed ground within a few hours. The picture is of National Civil War Museum entrance hall.
