We visited six mostly Civil War related National Park Sites (NPS) on the way to Maine – Booker T Washington NM, Appomattox Court House NHP, Cedar Creek and Belle Grove NHP, Harpers Ferry NHP, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal NHP, and Antietam NB. We have now visited 108 of the 429 NPS units in our quest to see them all.
We devoted a month to driving to Maine and back, camping in the Tab and visiting NPS sites. People might assume that we would fly the 1,200 miles to Maine, but sometimes the journey is as important as the destination.
Mt. Airy NC
At least once on a trip we take a Joe-inspired detour. On this trip we stopped to tour Andy Griffith’s home town in a 1965 Ford Mayberry squad car. Our driver hit the siren and broke the speed limit to start the tour of this quaint little town. Afterwards we were “citizens arrested” for an illegal u turn.
Mt. Airy has recreated the jail and sheriff’s office.
The museum displays an extensive collection of memorabilia from the show. As someone who has seen every episode of the show a half dozen times, Joe could have stayed all day. But Maine calls.
With all of the Southeastern NPS sites under our belt, these days it takes a while to drive to a new site. In fact it took 6.5 hours to reach the first NPS site to the north on our second full day.
Booker T. Washington
Booker T. Washington was born on the Burroughs plantation in SW Virginia in a one room cabin. At age nine his family was freed when US troops reached the area during the Civil War.
Born a slave, from stark and humble beginnings…
armed with an unwavering belief in the power of education, he graduated from college against all odds, was selected as the leader of the Tuskegee Institute, and became the one of the most influential orators and leaders of his time.
National D-Day Memorial
Our path serendipitously led us to the D-Day museum. The location was chosen in memory of the Bedford Boys since Bedford VA had the highest per capita casualties during D-Day than anywhere else in the US.
From the soldiers scaling the wall, to the landing craft on the beach, to the shots popping off the water, this memorial to D-Day was awe inspiring.
Appomattox Court House NHP
When Union forces trapped him on three sides with his back to the Appomattox River, and facing a lack of provisions, Lee spent several days making sure surrender was his only option.
Grant heeded Lincoln’s advice and offered liberal surrender terms “to bind up the nation’s wounds”. Lee’s surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia on April 9, 1865 (exactly four years after the firing on Fort Sumter) was the first of several surrenders by Confederate Generals.
The surrender room at the McLean house is furnished as shown in the famous paintings.
The village of Appomattox has been restored to the period when it served as a waypoint for travelers.
Cedar Hill and Belle Grove NHP
The Shenandoah Valley, the breadbasket of the Confederacy, was the locale of many Civil War battles including the Battle of Cedar Creek in October of 1864 on the acres surrounding Belle Grove.
Belle Grove is an authentic 1797 manor house built by Revolutionary veteran Isaac Hite, designed in part by Thomas Jefferson, and visited by James and Dolly Madison on their honeymoon. It was constructed of limestone quarried on the property.
We were not allowed to take pictures of the inside, but the sweeping views of rolling hills and ornate moldings and rivaled those of almost any house I have seen.
The home served as a headquarters for Union General Phil Sheridan during the Shenandoah Valley campaign in 1864.
The outbuildings and garden contributed to the overall beauty of the property.
Harpers Ferry NHP
The town of Harpers Ferry was largely rebuilt in the 1960s by the National Park service after numerous floods ravaged the buildings.
Harpers Ferry’s status as a US armory features prominently in its history. Meriwether Lewis visited in 1803 to obtain weaponry and a collapsible iron boat at the inception of the Lewis and Clark expedition. In 1859, John Brown led a doomed raid on the armory in an attack on slavery.
Chesapeake & Ohio Canal NHP
A pedestrian bridge leads from Harpers Ferry to the C & O Canal at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers where Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia meet. The C & O Canal towpath is now a biking and hiking recreation path.
Antietam NB
The Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest one-day battle in American history, ended the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia’s first invasion into the North and led to Lincoln issuing the Emancipation Proclamation.
The battle raged around Dunker’s church, through Miller’s cornfields, and in neighboring farms. The NPS continues to maintain the landscape of the farms.
The Burnside sycamore at the end of the bridge over Antietam Creek was a witness to the battle and still stands more than 160 years later.
Next stop is Maine!