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

We departed the Lebanon Expo Center and Fairgrounds and followed Route 72 to Route 322. There were many Amish farms here and the original stone work in the barns and homes are meticulously maintained.

The town of Campbelltown, Pennnsylvania was laid out in 1760 by John Campbell. At this period there were several buildings erected, all subject to ground rent. The town was no doubt "extensively laid out," and as was the custom at that time the lots were disposed of by lottery. The principal Scotch-Irish settlers in this locality were the Campbells, Semples, Pattersons, Mitchels, Sawyers, McCallens and Logans. The latter family was the last one left of the old Scotch Presbyterian element. The oldest house is still standing, and was the building where the earliest tavern and store were kept. The post-office was established in 1811, with John Wolfersberger as postmaster. The Salem Lutheran and Reformed Church was built in 1845 on the site of the old church erected over a century and a quarter ago. In this year the church was torn down and rebuilt on the same site, it is now a modern stone structure. The corner stone was laid in July, and it is now known as the Salem Reformed Church.

Today, we traveled all the way through Hershey. We passed the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and the Ronald McDonald house. The Pennsylvania State Police Academy is located north along Hersheypark Drive. Hershey is also home to four world-class golf courses, a few museums, and an opulent spa. Hersheypark Stadium hosts concerts and sporting events, with a capacity of 30,000. It is also the venue of the annual Cocoa Bean Game between the Hershey High School and Milton S. Hershey High School football teams. Hershey is also home to the AACA Museum, operated by the Antique Automobile Club of America. The museum is dedicated to the preservation and presentation of vintage automobiles and their vast history. It is a proud affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution and offers a world-class automotive experience. You can explore numerous vintage vehicle displays and interactive exhibits featuring cars, buses, motorcycles, and other automobiles from the 1890s through the 1980s. It is a one-of-a-kind journey of discovery and entertainment for all visitors. As you make your way through the museum, you’ll discover a number of vintage automobiles in unique scenes and settings.

Indian Echo Caverns is a show cave near Hummelstown, Pennsylvania. The limestone caves are open for the public to visit via guided tour. The entrance to the caverns is located in a bluff along the Swatara Creek. A second entrance was sealed when the caverns were commercialized in the late 1920s. Given the large and accessible natural openings the caverns were likely utilized by Native Americans for storage and shelter, however no evidence of such use has survived. The location was previously known as Wilson Cave, Hummelstown Cave, Stoverdale Cave, Giant's Cave, and Indian Cave. When it was commercialized it was renamed Indian Echo Cave or Caverns. Rumors suggest that for nineteen years (1802–1821) the caverns were the home of William Wilson, known as the Pennsylvania Hermit. Wilson withdrew from society after his failure to halt the execution of his sister Elizabeth for the murder of her twin sons. Following her death in Chester, Pennsylvania in 1786, William wandered westward across southeastern Pennsylvania, settling in the caverns in 1802.

In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania while crossing the Susquehanna River, I shot a few pictures. I our picture, you can see a series of bridges. We are on the Capital Beltway Bridge the first bridge you see is the Cumberland Valley Railroad Bridge, Piers from the never completed South Pennsylvania Railroad Bridge, next is the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Bridge, then the Market Street Bridge and if you look closely, you can see glimpses of the Harvey Taylor Bridge. I wish it was a sunnier time, this picture would have been awesome!

Outside of Harrisburg, we picked up US 15 South and into Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Where you can visit the Gettysburg National Military Park. It protects and interprets the landscape of the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. Some call it the most decisive battles of the war. The size of the park has grown over time, thanks to land donations, land purchases, and federal eminent domain taking of other land. The park now totals, just shy of 4,000 acres. The properties include most of the Gettysburg Battlefield, many of the battle's support areas during the battle and several other areas associated with the battle's "aftermath and commemoration", including the Gettysburg National Cemetery.

I truly enjoy crossing from one state into another … on Route 15, we crossed from Pennsylvania into Maryland. The mile makers signs that say zero are amusing too, but I guess you have to start from 0 to go any higher!

On Route 15, we entered historic Emmitsburg, Maryland. Emmitsburg was named for its founder, William Emmit in 1785. However, settlement preceded the town, particularly since British authorities restricted colonists' expansion during and after the French and Indian War. Settlement began in the region during the 1730s, bringing Protestant Germans and Scotch-Irish from Pennsylvania, as well as English Catholics from Tidewater Maryland. The Union fortified Emmitsburg to stop the Confederate invasion of the Union territory in June 1863 during the American Civil War. Half the town was burned to the ground in a mysterious fire on the night of June 23. Folklore has it that 'The Great Fire,' as it was known, was started by a Union sympathizer to prevent advancing Confederates from taking supplies from the town. However fate spared the town a battle between the opposing forces, which instead took place north of it in Pennsylvania near the town of Gettysburg. The town was briefly held by the retreating Confederates on July 4. The Emmitsburg Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992

Mount St. Mary's is home to the National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, a Catholic pilgrimage site devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary that draws thousands of visitors annually. The Grotto is described as "a place of pastoral beauty and spiritual inspiration ... situated high on the mountainside where nature displays itself in all its wild and picturesque glory." The sixty acres of grounds include lush gardens, a pond, rosary paths, the Stations of the Cross, devotional areas, a scenic overlook, and St. Mary's Chapel on the Hill (also known as the Glass Chapel). Grotto water flows from taps located around a fountain pool, and chaplains are available to bless the water for visitors. Father John Watterson had the stone Grotto cave built in 1875 as a replica of the miraculous Our Lady of Lourdes in France.

The Grotto was first established on St. Mary's Mountain in 1805 by the university's founder, Father John DuBois. According to legend, Father DuBois was attracted to a light on the mountain and found a blessed spot and sat down at the foot of a large oak tree beside a stream. He made a cross of twigs and fixed it to the tree to be the symbol of the holy work he was undertaking. This was the original Grotto. Father Simon Bruté was an early steward of the Grotto. He created pathways throughout the grounds and attached crosses to the trees that now line the Stations of the Cross along the entrance. Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton attended Sunday Mass at the Grotto chapel. 

In 1958, the Grotto was refurbished and made more accessible to the public by Father Hugh J. Phillips, who became known as the "Restorer of the Grotto." The Grotto was proclaimed a Public Oratory on December 8, 1965, by Cardinal Lawrence Shehan, archbishop of Baltimore. On November 27, 2007, Bishop Jacques Perrier of the Diocese of Tarbes-et-Lourdes in France visited the Mount St. Mary's Grotto and gave the gift of a stone excavated from the original Grotto in Lourdes, France, in order to "spiritually connect" the two places.

US Route 15 is also known as America’s By-way, we also saw a sign that said “Hallowed Ground.” I wonder why? In October of 2009, an 180-mile long route of US Route 15 was designated as the Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Scenic Byway. This is one of the highest designations the Secretary of Transportation can bestow upon a public road and is a tribute to the local communities along the route. The Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Scenic Byway is the primary touring route where you can explore this scenic and historically rich landscape that has seen more of the blood, sweat, and tears of American history than any other part of the country. The Byway is an inspiring and relaxing travel experience highlighting the natural beauty and historic character of the corridor. The route has stayed largely rural interspersed by towns with vital and interesting Main Streets and beautiful views of the Blue Ridge and Piedmont landscapes.

We crossed the Potomac River, which is symbolically the Maryland and Virginia state line - The exact line where Maryland ends and Virginia begins is a question the likes of George Washington and King Charles have wrestled with. Is the border at the Potomac River’s edge? Maybe the low tide waterline? Or perhaps somewhere in between? Add Maryland’s Court of Special Appeals to the list of those who have weighed in on the issue. It took on a case that questioned whether river rafters were trespassing on a Maryland company’s property when swimmers exited the water on the Virginia banks. The court upheld the status quo, affirming Maryland’s ownership of the Potomac riverbed, while acknowledging that the border between the states follows the river’s edge despite fluctuations over time in its flow. It is amazing what ends up in our court systems!

In Leesburg, Virginia we found Oatlands Historic House. Oatlands is a National Historic Landmark, the highest designation given by the National Park Service. In 1798 a young bachelor named George Carter inherited almost 3,500 acres of prime Virginia farmland.  Carter was a descendant of one of Virginia’s first families.  Oatlands had based its plantation economy on wheat production, and eventually Carter branched out to grow other small grains; raise sheep for their wool; and build a mill complex on nearby Goose Creek.  The success of Oatlands depended upon a slave economy; by 1860, the enslaved community at Oatlands numbered 133 men, women, and children.  

George Carter designed and built Oatlands House and Garden. In the style of Tidewater Virginia and its English antecedents, Carter placed his formally organized garden near his house. The structure of the garden is comprised of terraces carved into the hillside to provide level areas for abundant plantings of fruit and vegetables along with trees, shrubs, and flowers. Even now, Carter’s steps and landings provide access to these same terraces. Cut from locally quarried stone, these steep steps are major axial walkways. He constructed and planted his garden with self-sufficiency and beauty intertwined. As one wanders through the garden, sweeping views of the surrounding hills and woods may still be seen even though the garden perimeter is enclosed by the Garden Dependencies together with the Garden Wall. Built with brick fired on the plantation and indigenous stone, the structures define the outer perimeter of the garden and shelter the garden plants.

In 1903 prominent Washingtonians, William Corcoran Eustis, and his wife Edith Morton Eustis purchased Oatlands as their country home.  Following Edith's passing in 1964, the family donated the property to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1965. In spite of the garden’s neglected state, Edith Eustis saw the garden ruin as a quiet, still, mysterious place harboring “old secrets” that inspired her to fill Carter’s terraces with boxwood-lined parterres full of fragrant and colorful flowers such as tulips, peonies, iris, and lilies. Romantic plant containers, statuary, and structures were added. The rose garden and a memorial to a daughter of Mrs. Eustis also became garden elements. Under her care, Carter’s terraces were revived with ornamental charm typical of the Colonial Revival Style popular in her time. Edith Eustis took pleasure in transforming Carter’s garden.

We arrived at Greenville Farm Family Campground in Haymarket, Virginia. This campground is celebrating its 50^th anniversary! We assumed it would be near a farm. But we did not realize that it would be on the farm! With over 125 sites, we had plenty to choose from! There were ample pull thru sites, some had more tree cover than others.