This unusual daytrip combines natural beauty and interesting history!
Civil War
Exploring Forgotten History: Catoctin Furnace and the African American Cemetery Trail

Explore Catoctin Furnace’s rich history and learn why this iron-making village was so important to America’s history.
Arlington House: The Mysterious House on the Hill

Often overshadowed by the national cemetery surrounding it, Arlington House is a worthy daytrip destination in its own right.
Antietam National Battlefield: A Leadership Perspective

Understanding the generals’ leadership styles help us understand the outcome of the battle.
Biking on the C&O Canal Offers Gorgeous Scenery West of Williamsport

This stretch of the C&O Canal is popular because of its unparalleled beauty.
Paying Respects at the U.S. Soldiers Home National Cemetery

This permanent reminder of our Nation’s brave warriors offers them a place to rest in peace and a place for us to remember.
Connections to Presidents and Civil War History at Belle Grove Plantation

Belle Grove Plantation began with 483 acres given to Isaac Hite Jr. by his father in 1783. By 1824, it had grown to 7,500 acres, producing grain, livestock, flax and hemp. Also on Belle Grove were a grist mill, a saw mill, a distillery, a store, a lime kiln and quarry, and a blacksmith shop. […]
The Belle Boyd House and Historical Society Museum
Belle Boyd was born in West Virginia in May 1844. Boyd became a Confederate spy before her 18th birthday and conveyed information and supplies to Southern military leaders. The 10-year-old Marie Isabelle Boyd moved into the Greek Revival-style house with her family that her father, Benjamin Reed Boyd built in 1853; two years later Boyd […]
Martinsburg’s Spooky Roundhouse Keeps the Spirits of Its Past
The railroad came to Martinsburg in 1842; the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company established engine and machine shops in the town in 1849. Martinsburg became a major regional transportation node and one of the major employers of the region. The railroad and railroad yards provided jobs, prosperity and military strategic importance during the Civil War. […]
Doing Time at the Old Fauquier Jail
Over two centuries ago, a four-cell brick jail was constructed in Warrenton VA, in 1808 to house the county’s indigent and criminal residents. The four cells were multi-person cells, not an uncommon for that time. Also not uncommon, children often accompanied their mothers into the jail. The stairs in the kitchen up to the jailer’s […]