Monday 9/4/17 - Bluegrass, Rallies and more Rallies, Our Trip South

Happy Labor Day Everyone!

We departed Salem County Fairgrounds on Route 40 and back tracked toward the Delaware Memorial Bridge. It is free to get into New Jersey, but they charge you to get out of the state … a $20 toll for the motor home and jeep! One other time, we left Jersey and paid the toll. Later we got a bill for the jeep, they said the jeep drove through without paying ... so, this time I am keeping our receipt!

Just after the bridge, there is a large statue of Jesus watching over you. At this point we are back into Delaware. We are almost back tracking on the same route we took from Lancaster to the Delaware valley Blue Grass Festival.

We turned off Route 40 onto Route 13 and crossed the St Georges Bridge. It is a steel truss bridge with an arch span that carries US 13 across the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal. Built by the US Army Corps of Engineers and opened in 1942 as a high-level crossing, the bridge was the first four-lane, high-level crossing to span the canal. It replaced a previous vertical lift bridge which was damaged when a German merchant ship collided with it. On January 10, 1939, the SS Waukegan struck and destroyed the original St Georges Bridge, killing the bridge tender. 

As you cross this bridge, you can see the toll bridge on US 1, less than a mile away! Why would you pay to cross that bridge?

We saw a historical marker for Commodore Thomas McDonough and thought of our friends, Bob & Marie McDonough. I wonder if it is any relation of theirs. We passed Blackbird Creek Preserve. It is an almost 1,200 acres bordering the tidal Blackbird Creek. It includes several miles of walking trails, and excellent places to launch a canoe or kayak. The Blackbird Creek Reserve is one part of the larger Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve. Group activities often take place here, like the annual Blackbird Creek Fall Festival.

Garrison's Lake near Smyrna, Delaware is a very small impoundment between Smyrna and Dover, known mostly for its shallow water - depths are less than 4 feet. It is one of the top five most-fished lakes in Delaware, with sunfish, largemouth bass and black crappie among the popular fish species anglers can hook there. In 2012, there was a new aluminum footbridge in place connecting the north and south sides of the lake, making Garrisons Lake a safer and more accessible place to fish.

In Dover, Delaware we saw glimpses of the bleachers at the speedway. We are taking a tour later, so I will blog more about the “Monster Mile” later.

Dover is where you can visit the Delaware Agricultural Museum & Village. In today’s new age world, agriculture seems to be something of the past especially to children. As children start believing milk comes from the store instead of from a cow, you can see how the technological advances take the farmer for granted. The Delaware Agriculture Museum and Village offers us a chance to experience history from real life experiences. By providing a memorable and educational experience, and preserving the rapidly fading agricultural heritage, the museum stands as an important historic landmark for the children of the future. The Delaware Agricultural Museum Association was formed by a group of people dedicated to preserving the agricultural heritage of Delaware and the Delmarva Peninsula. The Museum opened its doors to the public in August 1980. 

A main exhibit building and fifteen historic structures associated with a nineteenth century farming community bring the fascinating story of agriculture to life. More than 4,000 artifacts are displayed in the main exhibit building - from butter churns to threshers, from an eighteenth century log house to the first broiler chicken house. The historic village buildings include Carney Farmhouse, Johnson Blacksmith & Wheelwright Shop, Mill Lane School House, Reed's General Store, Gourley Barbershop, St. Thomas Church, and Loockerman Landing Train Station. Temporary exhibits offer insights into other facets of rural life. In addition, the Museum hosts a number of annual special events which highlight the activities of nineteenth century farmers.

Also in Dover, you can attend Delaware State University. DSU enjoys a long history as one of America’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The Delaware College for Colored Students, now known as Delaware State University, was established May 15, 1891, by the Delaware General Assembly under the provisions of the Morrill Act of 1890 by which land-grant colleges for Blacks came into existence in states maintaining separate educational facilities. Because there was already a private Delaware College (now the University of Delaware) located in Newark, to avoid confusion new state legislation was passed and enacted in early 1893 to change the black school’s name to the State College for Colored Students. That would be the institution’s name for the next 54 years. In 1947, the name of the institution was changed to “Delaware State College” by legislative action. On July 1, 1993, Delaware State College turned another chapter in its history when Gov. Thomas Carper signed a name change into law, thus renaming the College to Delaware State University.

Dover is also home to Dover Air Force Base. Construction of Municipal Airport, Dover Airdrome began in March 1941 and the facility was opened on December 17, 1941. It was converted to a US Army Air Corps airfield just weeks after the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor. Once the airport came under military control an immediate construction program began to turn the civil airport into a military airfield. Initially under USAAC, the name of the facility was Municipal Airport, Dover Airdrome and the airfield opened on 17 December 1941. 

The airfield was assigned to First Air Force. On 8 April 1943, the name of the airfield was changed to Dover Army Air Base. On 1 September 1946 as a result of the draw down of United States forces after World War II, Dover Army Airfield, was placed on temporary inactive status. Dover Airfield was reactivated on 1 August 1950 as a result of the Korean War and the expansion of the United States Air Force in response to the Soviet threat in the Cold War. On February 1, 1951, the 148th Fighter Interceptor Squadron of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard arrived with P-51 Mustangs. During the Vietnam War, more than 20,000 dead American soldiers were brought back to the United States via Dover. The Vietnam War dead comprise over 90% of all the remains processed at Dover before 1988.

Some of the more memorable flights during the post-war period included the airdrop and test firing of a Minuteman I intercontinental ballistic missile and the delivery of a 40-ton superconducting magnet to Moscow during the Cold War, for which the crew received the Mackay Trophy. After the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, the remains of the seven astronauts were transferred to Dover AFB. It is one of only seven airports in the country that served as launch abort facilities for the Space Shuttle. In March 1989, C-5s from Dover delivered special equipment used to clean up the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound. On June 7, 1989, a 436 MAW C-5 set a world record when it airdropped 190,346 pounds and 73 paratroopers. In October 1983, the wing flew 24 missions in support of Operation Urgent Fury and later flew 16 missions to support Operation Just Cause in August 1989. During Desert Shield, they flew approximately 17,000 flying hours and airlifted a total of 131,275 tons of cargo in support of combat operations. Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, the 436 AW and 512 AW became major participants in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. An aircrew from Dover's 3rd Airlift Squadron landed the first C-5 in Iraq in late 2003 when they landed at Baghdad International Airport.  Also following September 11, 2001, Army mortuary specialists organized support for Pentagon recovery efforts out of the Base. On April 3, 2006, a C-5 Galaxy crashed short of a runway, skidding into a farm field. No one was killed in the incident. By 2008, the air traffic tower serving the airfield, built in 1955, was the oldest such tower in use in the United States Air Force. In 2009 the base received a new 128-foot tall tower, overlapping the original 103-foot one which was donated to the Air Mobility Command museum on the base for visitors to enter.

We came into Camden, Delaware where the history of this community can be traced to the 1780s, when members of the Mifflin family began dividing their lands into lots. Much of this land was originally a part of the tract known as Brecknock, which was granted to Alexander Humphreys in 1680. It is located at the intersection of two important thoroughfares, a number of homes and businesses were soon constructed here. First known at Mifflin’s Crossroads, and also Piccadilly, the village of Camden was established by the 1790s. The town became a commercial center, sending most of its products to market by way of Port of Lebanon, and later by rail with the coming of the railroad in the 1850s. Camden was first incorporated in 1852, and again in 1969.

The town of Felton was laid out in 1856 when the Delaware Railroad reached this area. Located between Berrytown to the west and Johnny Cake Landing (Frederica) to the east, the town became a “whistle” stop on the new railroad line. Owing its existence to the railroad, Felton was named in honor of Samuel M. Felton, President of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad and a major force in bringing railroad service to central and southern Delaware. Incorporated on February 2, 1861, Felton’s boundaries formed a one-half mile square with the railroad line running north-south through the middle of town. Passenger rail service to Felton ended in the early 1950’s. Just outside of the village of Felton is Killens Pond State Park, our home for the next 4 nights.