Monday, May 23rd, 2022 … Two Lane Adventures Continue!

Today, Rob & Sheila, Gary & Sheryl and Charlie & I traveled from Gettysburg to Tioga PA. The rest of the gang, headed out earlier as they had to go all the way home!

We kind of back tracked a bit to head north, but it was better than taking the rigs through downtown Gettysburg.

On PA 116 we found a family egg farm. Since 1958 the Weikert Family has been producing farm fresh eggs for Gettysburg and surrounding areas including Emmitsburg, Thurmont, and Fredrick, Maryland. The farm provides eggs to numerous restaurants and markets in the region. But customers can visit the store located on the farm to purchase eggs. Their chickens don't live in cages!  Instead they roam free in the oversized rooms of the hen house. They enjoy natural sunlight and a diet of corn, soybeans, alfalfa meal, vitamins and minerals. Additionally, beef has been raised on the farm since 1834, and is available for sale exclusively at the farm store.

We crossed back into Maryland on MD-140 and toured part of Emmitsburg MD as we made our way to US 15 N. We found this doughboy statue. The Emmit House is located behind the Doughboy, once a hotel, is now an apartment.  The area where the Doughboy stands was once a watering hole for cattle and horses, and later a public fountain. The land was donated at the time of the Doughboy's dedication and became known as the Legion Memorial Plot. The Doughboy was paid for by public subscription and its dedication at 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 28, 1927, was attended by a crowd that included many local dignitariesThe 135 names on the plaque include only those from Emmitsburg. Many others served during the war from nearby locales. The American Legion and its Auxiliary place floral tributes at the base of the monument on Memorial Day and Veterans Day. The Town of Emmitsburg maintains the ground and the Emmitsburg Historical Society is responsible for the American Flag at the monument. The Doughboy suffered major damage when an earlier base was completely destroyed by an automobile in 1970. The American Legion led a community project to restore and clean the Doughboy and build a new base. The bayonet was finally replaced in about 1990.

We found a Race Car along the side of US 15. The Eastern Museum of Motor Racing (EMMR) houses an outstanding collection of vintage racecars and artifacts, as well as a research library of rare books, documents and photos pertaining to the sport of auto racing. I wonder if Anne & Kenny Yuker or Paul & Sandy Jeannin have ever been there?

You must admit Dillsburg is a unique name for a town. At one time the settlement was known as Monaghan Settlement, at other times it was Dill's or Dills, Dillstown and even Dillston. Then, at its incorporation on April 9, 1833, it officially, and probably finally, became known as Dillsburg. It was named in honor of the chief of the earliest settlers, Matthew Dill, who located here about 1740. He came from the county of Monagahan, Ireland. In 1749 Matthew Dill became one of the court justices of York County and before this he had commanded a company against native Indian opposition. He died October 13, 1750 at the age of 52.

In 1794, John Dill, grandson of Matthew, built the stone structure that still stands today as the core of Dill’s Tavern. Additions were added by subsequent owners to make the building pictured here, the largest of which was made in 1800 when Maryland farmer and tavern owner Leonard Eichelberger bought the property from Dill. The Eichelberger family doubled the size of the structure, making the tavern double as their residence.  

Under Leonard Eichelberger’s direction, the distillery, wagon-making, and wheelwright businesses flourished.  In 2001, NYCHAPS acquired the 200-year-old Dill’s Tavern through the generosity of Charles and Lucille Vogelsong. The restoration of this historical treasure has been a challenge and a labor of love. Today, Dill’s Tavern and its surrounding outbuildings have come to tell not only the history of Dillsburg but also the story of life on Pennsylvania’s frontier. Through our continuing archeological investigations and restoration projects, Dill’s Tavern continues to grow both in size and as a resource for the history of Dillsburg and the study of 18th and 19th century American life.

In Harrisburg, we crossed over to Route 322, to avoid some of the longer pulls of Route 15.

If you have ever traveled Route 322 east or west through the town of Dauphin, you surely have seen Lady Liberty on the Susquehanna. In 1986, Gene Stilp decided that in celebration of the real Statue of Liberty’s 100th anniversary, he would build a replica and erect it on an old railroad bridge pier in the middle of the Susquehanna River. Gene and friends made a plan to sneak the statue onto the pier in the middle of the night. Lady Liberty attracted plenty of attention, and caused traffic jams on route 322 both east- and westbound. She seemed to just pop up out of nowhere overnight!  She was a popular lady and became, to the people of Central Pennsylvania, a beloved symbol of our freedom. She lasted six years, until 1992 when a storm blew in and badly damaged her, causing her to be removed from the pier. The first Lady Liberty had become such a landmark to folks throughout the region that Gene was convinced to build another sturdier replica of the statue. T-shirts, hats, mugs and paintings by local artist David Lenker were sold to raise funds. A total of $25,000 was raised, and the replica was built. She stands 25 feet tall and weighed 4 tons. The statue was transported by a low boy from Advanced Composites to Fort Hunter. After many permits were secured, on July 3, 1997 (almost 11 years to the day the first statue was erected), Lady Liberty was flown from Fort Hunter to her home on the Susquehanna. She was placed on the pier, which stands 33.5 feet tall, 8.5 feet wide and 30 feet long. The top of the pier had been prepared and built up to hold the statue firmly in place. Lady Liberty still stands today, after almost 25 years, and can be seen from both sides of the river.  Hopefully, Lady Liberty remains steady on that old railroad pier that has lovingly supported her for so many years.

Crossing back over the Susquehanna, we are back on 11/15 in Duncannon. The Susquehanna River flows from upstate New York State to the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. The North Branch begins as the outlet of Otsego Lake in Cooperstown, New York. At approximately 444 mi long, it is the longest river on the American east coast and the 16th longest in the United States. The broad, shallow waters also make the Susquehanna the longest, non-commercially navigable river in the country. 

The river has played an enormous role throughout the history of the US. Before European conquest, the Susquhannock, an Iroquoian tribe lived along the river and gave the Susquehanna its name. In the 17th century, it was inhabited largely by the Lenape. In the 18th century, William Penn, the founder of the Pennsylvania Colony, negotiated with the Lenape to allow white settlement in the colony between the Delaware River and the Susquehanna. Local legend claims that the name of the river comes from an Indian phrase meaning "mile wide, foot deep," referring to the Susquehanna's unusual dimensions, but while the word is Algonquian, it simply means "muddy current" or "winding current".

We passed through Williamsport and the Little League Hall of Fame and Museum. I know I have blogged about this neat place before, so look it up in my blogs if you want to learn more!

I do love the countryside pictures you can capture on Route 15!

We followed US 15 north all the way to Ives Run Campground in Tioga PA. This will be our home for the next week!