For almost 200 years, Fort Monroe has guarded the navigation channel between the Chesapeake Bay and Hampton Roads — the natural harbor, or roadstead, at the confluence of the Elizabeth, the Nansemond and the James rivers. Surrounded by a moat, the seven-sided star fort is the largest stone fort ever built in the United States. […]
National Parks & Historic Sites
Battle of the Crater — Petersburg National Battlefield Park
The Battle of the Crater was a battle of the Civil War, part of the Siege of Petersburg and the Richmond-Petersburg Campaign, fought between June 1864 and march 1865. Petersburg was an important goal for both armies: four railroad lines met there before continuing on to Richmond, and most of the Confederate Army’s supplies funneled […]
Winter Hike in Catoctin Mountain National Park
Catoctin Mountain Park, located in north-central Maryland, is part of the forested Catoctin Mountain ridge−range that forms the northeastern rampart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, in the Appalachian Mountains System. Despite the federal government shutdown, the sunny, 50-degree day was too nice — especially in January — not to go hiking. This national park has […]
Fort Monroe’s Casemate Museum
Fort Monroe, the largest stone fort in America, is a decommissioned military installation in Hampton, VA on Old Point Comfort, the southern tip of the Virginia Peninsula. For at least 400 years, the point of land that now includes Fort Monroe has served as the key defensive site at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. […]
The Hardest Winter: Washington’s Winter Encampment at Valley Forge
If you grew up in the United States and paid any attention at all to US History, it’s a name you’ve heard from childhood: Valley Forge. Images of a hard winter come to mind, a disorderly, ragtag and hungry army standing up against the British bullies — better armed, better clothed, better trained — and […]
Falling in Love with the C&O Canal All Over Again
I’ve frequently biked portions of the C&O Canal (although this year, not as much as I’d hoped) and of course, any good weather entices me to bring the mutts for a satisfying walk along some of my favorite sections. The towpath is a go-to destination, over and over. I’m constantly impressed by the beauty of […]
5 Fabulous Forts to Bring Your Kids to this Summer!
Everyone’s probably heard of famous Fort McHenry in Baltimore — well worth a visit! This is the fort that was being shelled by the British during the War of 1812, immortalized in Francis Scott Key’s Star-Spangled Banner. But there are five other fabulous forts worth exploring: three in Maryland, and one each in Delaware and […]
Lovely Urban Oasis at the US National Arboretum
Dogwood Alley. I’m always excited to discover an urban oasis — a place to retreat far from the madding crowd! In fact, I spent this past Sunday morning exploring just such an oasis: the U.S. National Arboretum. The National Arboretum is a garden, a park, and a research institution, part of the USDA. Its 446 […]
American Moses: Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad
Born in Maryland in 1820, Harriet Tubman escaped slavery in 1849 to become a leading abolitionist. She led hundreds of enslaved people to freedom along the Underground Railroad. During the Civil War, she helped the Union Army, working as a spy, among other roles. After the Civil War ended, Harriet dedicated her life to helping […]
C&O Canal: Paw Paw Tunnel to Lock 56
Our destination on this lovely, late summer Sunday morning was 20 miles of the C&O Canal between the Paw Paw Tunnel (mile marker 156.2) and Lock 56 (mile marker 136.2), which is the terminus of the Western Maryland Rail Trail, which we’ve biked several times. The Paw Paw Tunnel cuts 5 miles length off of […]
Forgotten Fort Foote
I happened upon Fort Foote accidentally. I was on my way to Fort Washington, which I’d visited with my two sons years ago. I saw signs for Fort Foote and since I had all afternoon at my disposal, I turned and followed the signs to the fort. Fort Foote was constructed in 1863 on top […]
Frederick Douglass and His House on Cedar Hill
Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have the exact measure of the injustice and wrong which will be imposed on them. Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass’ was a 19th century American hero, but his story still resonates with our times. He was a social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, husband, father, […]
I Like Ike: Exploring the Eisenhower Farm in Gettysburg
“…above all else, a good leader needs integrity–a deeply ingrained honor, honesty and decency.”— Dwight D. Eisenhower, 17 October 1961 It was fitting that I traveled on I-70 to get to U.S. 15 to go to Gettysburg to visit the Eisenhower Farm, in Gettysburg, PA. Among Dwight D Eisenhower’s many accomplishments as our nation’s 34th president […]
Twentythree Thousand, One Hundred Ten
The battle of Antietam, which took place on September 17, 1862, was a pivotal moment in the Civil War. It’s worth remembering that it was, and still is, the bloodiest single-day battle in American history. Every year on the first weekend in December, luminaries are placed in the battlefield to memorialize the fallen. Twelve hours, […]
Fort Washington Stood Sentinel Through Multiple Wars
Fort Washington is a War of 1812-era fort which has stood sentinel, guarding Washington DC through most of this nation’s history, although it didn’t always look like it does now. The original fort, overlooking the Potomac River, was completed in 1809, and was originally called Fort Warburton, but later renamed. During the War of 1812, […]