Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park (Maryland Area)

Cumberland, Md. to Williamsport, Md.
Visited: June 2, 2006
NPS Site Visited: 288 of 353
NPS Website

WHAT IS IT?
The well-restored towpath and waterway of the 19th-century C&O Canal which parallels the Potomac River for 185 miles from Georgetown, D.C. to Cumberland, Md. Given the Park’s sprawling nature, this review covers the section of the Canal that stretches from its terminus in Cumberland, Md. to the Canal’s halfway point located near Hagerstown, Md. This includes three Visitor Centers: Cumberland, Hancock and Williamsport.

BEAUTY (5/10)
Cumberland, once a thriving canal and railroad boomtown, retains both a bustling city feel and a small town artsy appeal. The Visitor Center is housed in the imposing red brick 1913 Western Railway Station. A short boardwalk leads from the VC, past a newly built Canal overlook commercial street and to the towpath’s terminus (Mile 185). The boardwalk and towpath views are forgettable. Instead walk to the charming shops and restaurants of the town’s red brick pedestrian-only Baltimore Street.

Or better yet, drive southward into the dense high country eastern woodland forest that borders the towpath until Hancock. At Mile Post 155 is the area’s top attraction, the Paw Paw Tunnel. The 3,118-foot long Paw Paw cuts through the hillside and plunges the visitor into supernatural eeriness. The increasingly narrow towpath skirts the canal’s side with uncertain footing. A foggy sheen hovers over the canal water. The lights at the end of the tunnel never appear to move.

The terrain from Hancock to Williamsport is much less dramatic. The towpath here bears resemblance to the canal section nearby Washington, D.C. The red brick Cushwa Warehouse that houses the Williamsport VC harkens back to a busier time.

HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE (4/10)
The Canal was nearly obsolete before it was even completed. In fact, the C&O Canal and the famed Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (the Canal’s competition) broke initial ground on the same day in 1810. Railroads quickly developed and provided faster and easier transportation but boats still came and went on the Canal for almost 75 years.

In the 1950s, there was talk of turning the C&O Canal into a paved Parkway. A Supreme Court Justice and D.C. resident strongly disagreed. Justice William O. Douglas persuaded the editors of the Washington Post to hike the full length of the Canal with him to experience first hand the scenery they were advocating to alter. Dozens of conservationists and citizens joined Douglas for portions of the hike and the publicity it garnered generated sufficient support to save the Canal as a National Park Site, which is dedicated to the judge.

The C&O NHP is better appreciated if you think of it as a National Park or National Recreation Area. Seen in that light, its shaded towpaths and opportunities for hiking, biking and camping are more enjoyable. If you are looking for historical significance, you might want to venture further south to Antietam or down into the District of Columbia.

CROWDS (6/10)
There were few visitors at any of the Visitor Centers. Several parking areas for the towpath were nearly full, but our visit was not affected in any way by others enjoying the Canal.

EASE OF USE/ACCESS (3/5)
These towns’ distances northwest of Washington, D.C. are indicated by their Canal milepost, 185 (Cumberland), 125 (Hancock) and 100 (Williamsport). Cumberland is the approximate halfway point between D.C. and Pittsburgh, Pa.

All three Visitor Centers in this section of the C&O Canal NHP are located short hops off Interstates. Three different Interstates, in fact – I-68 (Exit 43, Cumberland), I-70 (Exit 1, Hancock) and I-81 (Exit 2, Williamsport).

Once we got off the Interstates and into these quaint towns, we had problems. The signage is inadequate and confusing. One way streets and metered parking frustrated us in Cumberland, MD, we drove clear past the camouflaged VC in Hancock and, um, we actually found our way to Williamsport’s VC quite well.

We had our best experience at this Park once we got of the Interstates and traveled the narrow and winding Maryland Route 51 which parallels the Canal from Cumberland to Paw Paw. Every cross street to Route 51 seems to lead to a Canal NHP campsite or a secluded hiking trail; it felt like we were traveling in a National Park.

CONCESSIONS/BOOKSTORE (2/5)
Choices at the C&O Canal bookstores are consistent with what one might find at any Mid Atlantic outfitter or outdoors store: lots of hiking guides, bird books, regional overviews. While practical, the selections seemed sub par for an NPS site.

COSTS (4/5)
It’s all free, we think. The Cumberland VC even has parking tokens to allay the meters’ costs.

RANGER/GUIDE TO TOURIST RATIO (5/5)
No less than four Rangers loitered around the front desk at the Cumberland VC looking for a visitor to assist. Every VC along this portion of the Canal was fully staffed, from the quiet shed-like structure in Hancock, MD to the converted Cushwa Warehouse in Williamsport. But most of the time, we were the only visitors.

TOURS/CLASSES (5/10)
Pick up a copy of The Canaller to see what seasonal activities and special events are planned along the Canal. Most of the activities in June were geared towards folks under the age of 12. Fishing contests in stocked sections of the Canal, scavenger hunts and bug and bird walks all sounded cool until we realized we weren’t invited.

More locals than tourists take advantage of this section of the Canal, so educational opportunities are less abundant here than in the southern locks of the Canal. The Cumberland VC housed in the historic Western Maryland Railway Station provides the most in terms of exhibits and displays. Try your hand at “caulking” a canal boat or securing it with ropes or just admire the model lock or life-sized mule. When it comes down to it, there is not really much to say about the limited existence of the C&O Canal.

FUN (7/10)
The two-mile Tunnel Overlook Trail at the Paw Paw Tunnel gives a good reason to stop and stretch at mile 155. While the trail is steep, almost every step is shaded. Butterflies and frogs share the path so be careful where you step. We ended our loop by walking straight through the nearly mile-long Paw Paw Tunnel. The Ranger is not joking when he tells you to take a flashlight. Soothing at first, the cool darkness of the tunnel is a little overwhelming once you realize it is much longer than initially thought.

We were surprised at the amount of campsites located all along the Canal. If you are looking for a nice long, relatively flat through hike, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding some place to pitch your tent. Try not to remember that the campgrounds in and around this part of the C&O Canal NHP provided the twitchy handy-cam setting for The Blair Witch Project.

WOULD WE RECOMMEND? (5/10)
While we had a pleasant day driving along the Canal in West Virginia and Maryland, the visitor centers and Site stops in the quaint canal towns of Cumberland and Hancock were tricky to navigate and scenery grew repetitive by the end of the afternoon. The standardization and uniformity that makes for a good mode of transport doesn’t necessarily excite and amaze.

Choose the northern half of the Canal if you are looking for peaceful strolls or lunch in an old downtown; stick south of the Great Falls if you prefer a mule-pulled boat ride or stunning views to define your visit to the C&O Canal.

TOTAL 46/80

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Monocacy National Battlefield

Frederick, Md.
Visited: May 6, 2006
NPS Site Visited: 294 of 353
NPS Website; Local Website

WHAT IS IT?
Site of the July 9, 1864 Civil War fight which the Park claims to be the “Battle that Saved Washington”.

BEAUTY (4/10)
The 1/2-mile loop Gambrill Mill Trail was the highlight of our visit. Variations of green shimmered in every direction. Purple wildflowers framed a rippling creek crossed by old stone bridges. Newborn Canada Geese streamlined through a murky pond eager to learn from their proud parents. We remained unclear as to this area’s historic relevance but we enjoyed this typical Eastern early springtime setting.

The remainder of the Battlefield sprawls around fields of private farmland and wooded fields. The land is bisected by both Interstate 270 and the increasingly busy Maryland Route 355 (The Georgetown Pike).

HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE (4/10)
The Site repeats its stage name, the “Battle that Saved Washington”, so many times that all but the most skeptical visitors are liable to accept the Park’s claim that the fight was “one of the most important of the War” as fact.

That claim goes something like this:

1) 15,000 rabid Confederates led by the irascible Jubal Early make their way from the Shenendoahs poised to attack defenseless Washington, D.C.
2) By the grace of our founding fathers’ ghosts, Union General Lew Wallace trudges 5,800 tired troops to Frederick, Md. to intercept the irresistible Rebel force.
3) The Confederates rout the Bluecoats troops but are stalled long enough to allow Washington D.C. to reinforce its defenses
4) Early cannot attack D.C., the Union is preserved, and we all live happily ever after…until reconstruction.

We tend to get suspicious as the what if? qualifiers pile up. In Monocacy’s case, the Site accepts Early’s future victory as an incontrovertible fact. In addition, there is an underlying belief that the assumed sacking of Washington, D.C. would have mattered. At the time of the battle, the South was on their last legs. Sherman was closing in on Atlanta, Richmond had fallen and Lee’s Army had been backed into a siege in Petersburg, Va. The Rebels’ food, ammunition, land control, troop count and morale all had dwindled to alarmingly low rates.

At best, a last ditch seizing of the nearly deserted Washington D.C. would only have delayed the South’s inevitable defeat. Despite the Park’s assertion, the Battle of Monocacy ranks near the bottom in the importance scale of NPS Civil War sites.

CROWDS (3/10)
The Confederate and Union forces met at this location primarily because it was a crossroads on the way to Washington D.C. 142 years has not altered the integral location. The speed and density of traffic, however, has increased considerably.

Two of the four stops on the Park’s Auto Tour are located along the Georgetown Pike. No one obeys the Pike’s 35-mph speed limit and everyone tailgates. A speeding car with an oblivious driver nearly rear-ended the proud Altima while we tried to make a difficult left-hand turn into an Auto Tour stop’s parking lot. The Pike is too crowded for an Auto Tour; we wonder how many Civil War tourists have been in accidents at Monocacy NB.

EASE OF USE/ACCESS (2/5)
The Gambrill Mill Visitor Center is located on the Georgetown Pike about halfway between I-270 Exits 31 and 26. Frederick, Md.’s southeastern sprawl is threatening to overcome the Battlefield’s land. The Washington, D.C. Beltway is just 30 miles to the southeast via I-270; The Baltimore, Md. Beltway is 45 miles to the east via I-70.

Monocacy NB’s closeness to urban centers hinders its accessibility. The roads around the Battlefield are just too crowded, even during our midday Sunday visit. We saw the Battlefield and its monuments but never felt we could get close to them because of speeding cars, tiny parking lots, bumpy dirt/gravel roads and ambiguous trails.

CONCESSIONS/BOOKSTORE (2/5)
The worst Civil War bookstore we have seen; and there is only two more to go!

COSTS (4/5)
Entry into Monocacy NB is unquestionably free.

RANGER/GUIDE TO TOURIST RATIO (3/5)
The two Rangers at the Visitor Center were both isolated by two older gentlemen telling their personal World War II yarns. We had Civil War questions but the stories kept going. So we left.

TOURS/CLASSES (2/10)
On March 24, 2006, the NPS broke ground on a new Visitor Center. In the meantime, the Gambrill Mill Visitor Center has seen its share of neglect. The exhibits are outdated, there is no introductory film, a poor bookstore and no glossy explanatory Park brochure.

We left the Park confused, unsure of what we saw and doubtful of the Battle’s big picture worth. While we were there, we did not know where to go, we were frazzled by the traffic and nearly had our car totaled. A little bit of Park Service guidance would have helped.

FUN (2/10)
Our only enjoyment came from our Gambrill Mill Trail stroll. We could not wait to leave.

WOULD WE RECOMMEND? (2/10)
Because Monocacy NB is close to Harrisburg, Pa. and on the road to D.C. we will probably stop back once the Visitor Center is finished. Until then, we suggest avoiding Monocacy NB like the plague found at the
Natural Bridges NM campground.

TOTAL 28/80

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Catoctin Mountain Park

Thurmont, Md.
Visited: May 6, 2006
NPS Site Visited: 293 of 353
NPS Website

We are a little embarrassed to admit how many times the Catoctin Mountain Park is in our rear view mirror. We drive past its entrance every time we pay a visit to friends or NPS sites in Washington, D.C., which is pretty often.

Twice we have tried to pay a proper visit to this NPS Site. The first time, the Visitor Center was getting a new floor and the only people we spoke to were construction workers. The second time we landed behind a long trail of Harley Davidson owners enjoying a sunny spring ride through the mountains. So much for a quiet drive along the Park’s loop road.

That day the Visitor Center had its new floor and a Ranger to stand on it. But frankly, her shortness with us did not inspire us to get out of the car and search for a trail which may or may not lead to a waterfall that may or may not be in the Park’s boundaries. Yeah, it was like that.

Catoctin Mountain Park is so close to our current residence that we assure you there will be a full review of it before this trip is finished.

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National Capital Parks – East

Washington D.C. and Maryland
Visited: May 5, 2006
NPS Site Visited: 292 of 353
NPS Website

WHAT IS IT?
A conglomeration of D.C.-area Park Sites that have little in common except their slightly proximate geography.

The NPS National Capitol Parks-East lists the following 13 major Park Sites caught in the NCP-E umbrella. National Parks Passport stamps exist at most of these Site’s Visitor Centers. You can eliminate a day’s worth of collecting by heading straight towards NCP-E Headquarters in Anacostia Park; they provide all the stamps in one easy setting.

The links will take you to our reviews:

Anacostia Park
1,200 acres of shoreline which clings both sides of the Anacostia River for nearly 11 miles.

Capitol Hill Parks
Because D.C. is not a state, every square inch of every city Park is under federal jurisdiction. If you see public space in the District, it is a National Park. We can’t visit every acre of public land in D.C. nor would we want to although we did hear about a National Geographic employee who was attempting that very bold and quixotic task. Good luck fellow completist. We understand your needs.

The long and the short is that we have walked through many parks on Capitol Hill and it would be ridiculous to write a review recounting all of their idiosyncratic sculptures remembering General such and such who fought in some triumphant war.

“Wait a sec. Aren’t those picayune descriptions the very point of your website,” you ask. Uh, let’s just move on to the next description.

Carter G. Woodson Home NHS
1915-1950 Shaw neighborhood home of Carter G. Woodson: professor, pioneering historian and founder of Black History Month.

Fort Dupont Park
The NPS counts Fort Dupont as only a part of the NCP-E and not as an official Park Site on its own accord. That’s our excuse for not visiting. We will probably find a way to see this circle of preserved Civil War earthen fortifications at some point in the future. The distant future.

Fort Washington Park and Fort Foote Park
Two long-defunct Potomac River-facing forts whose purpose was to protect Washington D.C. from waterborne invaders. Neither fort ever faced an enemy’s military attack.

Frederick Douglass NHS
Hilltop Anacostia mansion and, from 1877 to 1895, home of famed African American abolitionist Frederick Douglass.

Greenbelt Park
Over 1,000 acres of pine and deciduous forests nestled in between the sprawling metropolises of Washington D.C. and Baltimore, Md.

Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens
The Aquatic Gardens are located within Anacostia Park’s borders. They are an interconnected 12-acre rectangular-shaped series of shallow, stagnant pools where, in the summer months, lotus flowers and tropical water-lilies blossom. The Park is also home to one of Washington, D.C.’s last remaining dense marshy swamps.

Langston Golf Course
There is no chance our USA-C2C trip will include a golf course be it public or private, historic or just built last year.

Mary McLeod Bethune Council House NHS
Stately Victorian-era home of Mary McLeod Bethune and longtime headquarters of the organization she founded, the National Council of Negro Women.

Oxon Cove Park and Oxon Hill Farm
An NPS-operated working farm replete with red barns, silos, John Deere tractors, cattle, hogs and draught horses. The farm’s most remarkable characteristic is its location, a narrow swath in-between Interstate 295 and the D.C. Beltway in an otherwise decidedly urban setting.

Piscataway Park
Six miles of prime Potomac River bordering real estate that became a National Park in 1961 in order to provide pristine, 18th-century-worthy views from George Washington’s plantation home, Mount Vernon, located directly across the water. The Park includes the privately run National Colonial Farm, a living history museum that depicts a circa 1770 middle class Virginia family’s tobacco farm.

Sewall Belmont House and Museum
The current home of the National Women’s Party and longtime home of its suffragist founder Alice Paul.

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Oxon Cove Park and Oxon Hill Farm

Part of National Capital Parks – East
Visited: May 5, 2006
NPS Site Visited: 292 of 353
NPS Website; Local Website

WHAT IS IT?
An NPS-operated working farm replete with red barns, silos, John Deere tractors, cattle, hogs and draught horses. The farm’s most remarkable characteristic is its location, a narrow swath in-between Interstate 295 and the D.C. Beltway in an otherwise decidedly urban setting.

BEAUTY (3/10)
Some people find beauty in plowed fields and fenced plots filled with chickens, winding paths leading up to boxy, porched farmhouses. For someone who has never seen a farm, we admit Oxon Hill could hold a certain kind of charm. But is the idea of farmland really such a fading memory as Oxon Hill implies?

HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE (4/10)
In 1891, the United States Government purchased this land as a farm for the St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. It was given to the National Park Service in the 1960s and since 1967, Oxon Hill Farm has served as a functional farm, where city folk can come and experience the joys, or toils, depending on your inclination, of farm life for an afternoon. Its primary purpose today is to serve as an accessible window into a more rural way of life.

We learned nothing about St. Elizabeth’s during our visit from either Park displays or the Site materials provided. Further research taught us that the preeminent mental health reformer Dorothea Dix founded St. Elizabeth’s in 1855 as the Government Hospital for the Insane. It was the first and only federal mental facility with a national scope.

Because of our current line of work, the history of St. Elizabeth’s is much more interesting than the farm that formerly served as “therapy” and sustenance for its patients.

CROWDS (6/10)
We arrived after the last wagon ride of the day. We were the only visitors to the Farm, although some local workers were enjoying an afternoon beer at the Site’s shady picnic area.

EASE OF USE/ACCESS (4/5)
The Oxon Hill Farm is located alongside the Potomac, directly across the River from Alexandria, Va. via the D.C. Beltway’s (I-95, I-495) always crowded Woodrow Wilson Memorial (Draw) Bridge. To get to the farm’s parking lot, take exit 3A and bear right onto Oxon Hill Road. Keep your eyes open, you will need to make a quick right turn through orange cones into what seems like a construction zone.

There is no D.C. Metro access to the Site. The D14 Bus, which departs from the Southern Avenue Metro Station could drop you off on the Indian Head Highway; from there it would be a 1/4-mile walk to the entrance through heavy traffic, dust clouds and back-hoes. Driving is wildly preferred to the mass transit option.

CONCESSIONS/BOOKSTORE (3/5)
The Visitor Barn and Bookshop bears a striking resemblance to Michael’s mom’s old kindergarten classroom. Learning stations, exhibits, reading and video watching areas fill the barn. The bookstore selection is definitely geared toward school groups and roaming students with pockets full of allowances. Knickknacks to remember one’s day at the farm and children’s books abound.

COSTS (5/5)
Park entry is free as, presumably, are the daily (1:30 p.m.) wagon rides that circle the grounds.

RANGER/GUIDE TO TOURIST RATIO (3/5)
We luckily ran into the one Ranger on duty just as he was hopping into his pick-up truck. He unlocked the Visitor Barn for us and lingered, a little impatiently, as we took a look around. Given its claim as a working farm that represents a time “when horsepower still came from horses,” we are guessing that Rangers at Oxon Hill Farm spend more time tending to the animals than visitors.

TOURS/CLASSES (6/10)
To read the Park’s pamphlet, one gets the impression that Oxon Hill Farm is abuzz with activity from dawn to daybreak and that visitors could roll up their sleeves, jump right in and help the Rangers with their many, many farm duties. Life on the farm is hard work! That’s the message that Oxon Hill seems eager to impart.

Here’s the thing: we are having a very hard time believing that D.C. residents have never seen a farm and are completely ignorant of life beyond the Beltway. Oxon Hill positions itself as a foreign experience and this premise feels condescending.

To top it off, there was a whole lot of nothing happening during our afternoon visit. Things might be very, very different when a school group is let loose on the grounds. But on the day of our visit, construction crews on I-295 were the locus of action, not anything on the farm.

Gab is also disappointed that there is no mention of Oxon Hill Farm’s earlier existence as an adjunct part of St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in any of its materials. The history of mental institutions and the progress of the treatment of mental illness are fascinating topics. Discussion of this would have added depth and a bit more significance to the Farm as a NPS site.

The founder of the American Red Cross, Clara Barton, has her own National Park Site, why doesn’t our country’s most prominent mental health advocate and reformer, Dorothea Dix, enjoy the same remembrance?

FUN (5/10)
This isn’t to say we had a bad time at the Site. We were just unclear what we were supposed to be taking away from our visit. Oxon Hill Farm provided a quiet setting for a midday walk and all the animals were out. We spent our hour at the Site courting the ducks, getting the pigs and horses to look our way for photo opps and talking with the pregnant cow who looked like she was ready to burst at any second. Poor thing! The surroundings were quaint and we appreciated the momentary respite from traffic.

WOULD WE RECOMMEND? (3/10)
Oxon Hill Farm seems ready and able to handle large amounts of middle-schoolers, the presumed audience for the exhibits inside the Visitor Barn. We are guessing that this Site is a very popular field trip destination. There are plenty of learning opportunities at the Farm, just none geared towards anyone that can get into a PG-13 movie without an adult.

TOTAL 42/80

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Piscataway Park and National Colonial Farm

Part of National Capital Parks – East
Accokeek, Md.
Visited: May 5, 2006
NPS Site Visited: 291 of 353
NPS Website; Local Piscataway Park Website; National Colonial Farm Website

WHAT IS IT?
Six miles of prime Potomac River bordering real estate that became a National Park in 1961 in order to provide pristine, 18th-century-worthy views from George Washington’s plantation home, Mount Vernon, located directly across the water. The Park includes the privately run National Colonial Farm, a living history museum that depicts a circa 1770 middle class Virginia family’s tobacco farm.

BEAUTY (5/10)
At Piscataway Park, the wide Potomac’s banks stretch for miles, untamed by most industrial and residential intrusions. An L-shaped pier gingerly enters the waters providing ample fishing opportunities to patient anglers. A rogue pier stanchion hosts an osprey nest. Its resident raptor provides an exciting show, hovering, swooping and capturing an unsuspecting fish.

Stately Mount Vernon demands attention and we obliged. Our binoculars revealed hundreds of tourists meandering around its grounds. Maybe we won’t visit today after all.

The National Colonial Farm feels very museum-ish. Its buildings are beautifully preserved, its lawns are impeccably mowed and its fences are in perfect condition. Its carefully selected Heritage Breed Animals also look quite content. This Colonial Farm does not have the lived-in appearance earned by northern Virginia’s Claude Moore Colonial Farm.

HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE (5/10)
While the National Park Service was thinking about a project to protect the views of Mount Vernon, the Accoceek Foundation rose to the occasion and began purchasing the land to do so. The Foundation formed for the sole purpose of preserving this stretch of the Potomac riverbank and in doing so, became one of the nation’s first land trusts.

The Accoceek Foundation’s stewardship of the National Colonial Farm in Piscataway Park, including its organic gardens and heritage breed livestock contributes to the knowledge base and gene pools necessary for ecologically sound farming today. Their living history presentations portray middle-class existence before the American Revolution, the day-to-day life of a new and growing part of New World society.

CROWDS (7/10)
Clusters of school children were being shepherded through the National Colonial Farm by able volunteers. The groups were scattered sufficiently so we could eavesdrop when the conversations sounded interesting but our progress through the farm was never impeded by them. Plus, the presence of buses full of kids guaranteed that the seasonal gift store (and home of NPS passport stamps) would eventually be open.

EASE OF USE/ACCESS (3/5)
The Piscataway Park and National Colonial Farm are located approximately 15 miles from the D.C. Beltway (I-495, 95). From either Exit 2A or 3A take the Indian Head Highway (Maryland Route 210) south for about ten miles.

The ultra specific Accokeek Foundation directions read as follows: “After you pass Farmington Road, you will take a right at the next stop light onto Livingston Road (look for B&J Carryout). Drive one block and turn right on Biddle Road. At the stop sign, turn left on Bryan Point Road and follow 3.5 miles to the end. Make a right into the visitors parking lot.” We would be hard pressed to get more specific.

CONCESSIONS/BOOKSTORE (5/5)
We would have been pretty disappointed if the door had remained locked and our only view of the Museum Gift Shop was through a thick window. Even from that vantage, the goods looked inviting. Once the store opened, Gab predictably made a beeline for the Sale table but was sidetracked by the numerous displays and items celebrating the “item of the month” which happened to be natural herbs.

Tea sets, pottery, and all sorts of things about organic gardening fill the tables and shelves. Teas, candles, soaps and of course, herbs scent the air. Although there are children’s books and items here, the Shop slants towards the mature customer. Not a lot of field-trip friendly doodads and trinkets here, so not a lot of pint-sized visitors. Probably a good move since the teacup display looked pretty precariously placed.

COSTS (3/5)
Admission into Piscataway Park is free. If you want to enter the National Colonial Farm, it is $2 per person.

RANGER/GUIDE TO TOURIST RATIO (4/5)
We didn’t encounter our first NPS Ranger until we knocked on his Office door. Interpretive duties at the National Colonial Farm are left in the hands of its founders, the Accoceek Foundation.

The walk from the Park Office back through the Colonial Farm exposed more familiar brown shirts, even more costumed interpreters from the Foundation, and ended at the wonderful and now-staffed museum shop.

TOURS/CLASSES (7/10)
The best thing about the National Colonial Farm is its contrast to its wealthy neighbors at Mount Vernon and its poorer peers at Claude Moore National Historic Site. National Colonial Farm paints a vivid picture of what a middle class; somewhat upwardly mobile plantation farm would have looked like over 230 years ago. We drew on our previous day’s experience at Claude Moore to talk about the various social classes and conditions with an interpreter we met as we were leaving the Farm.

Unlike our hosts at Claude Moore, this interpreter felt free to shift in and out of character, which we truly appreciated. We had spent the morning marveling at the sprawl that was Winthrop and we wanted a local’s (modern) point of view. She also clarified some of our questions from Claude Moore’s which came across as anachronistic when we asked our resolute farmers.

FUN (8/10)
Baby lambs! We saw two baby lambs. As in, just been born baby lambs! A volunteer was explaining to a group of wide-eyed kids, us included, one of the lamb’s present predicament. The little guy had managed to get himself on the side of the fence opposite his mom, who was already taking a stronger liking to his sibling. If he couldn’t find his way back to his mom and back in her good graces, he could starve before the week was through. Come on baby lamb! You can do it!

The drama, the suspense! You know it had to be good to keep a dozen 4th graders rapt in silent attention. When we weren’t gawking at sheep or chatting away with living history presenters about the population and landscape of northern Virginia – both 18th and 21st century – we hung out with a disinterested burro and some exotic turkeys.

WOULD WE RECOMMEND? (5/10)
Piscataway Park and National Colonial Farm would be a fine compliment to any visit to Mount Vernon. The Site allows its visitors to take a break from the crowds and enjoy different perspectives, scenic and social, of Mr. Washington’s estate and the 18th-century Maryland/northern Virginia countryside. Its affordable admission ensures that you can extend your excursion without overextending your vacation budget.

TOTAL 52/80

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Fort Washington Park and Fort Foote Park

Part of National Capital Parks – East
Visited: May 5, 2006
NPS Site Visited: 290 of 353
NPS Fort Washington Website; NPS Fort Foote Website; Local Fort Washington Website

WHAT IS IT?
Two long-defunct Potomac River-facing forts whose purpose was to protect Washington D.C. from waterborne invaders. Neither fort ever faced an enemy’s military attack.

BEAUTY (3/10)
Fort Washington offers stunning views of the wide Potomac River from its hilltop sentry. It is too bad the Fort itself is such a deteriorating mess. Fort Washington’s red brick interior is currently undergoing an intensive facelift; the resulting situation is a loud, fenced-off, permanent construction zone. There are few places to go and even fewer things to see.

Fort Foote, well, we drove there and parked. From the parking lot, there was an indeterminately lengthy walk to the Fort. We skipped the hike and left. Documentation states that Fort Foote is the best-preserved Civil War fort in the area but NPS’ Fort Foote website has no pictures and an Internet search yields only one shot of a 15-inch Rodman gun. We do not think we missed much because there is no Fort Foote Visitor Center and no Rangers on staff.

HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE (4/10)
What if they built a fort and no battles came? That is not such a bad thing, we guess, but it happened at both of these Sites. Fort Washington’s unfortunate history, however, is far more interesting.

The US began construction on Fort Washington in 1809 in order to protect Washington, D.C. from Potomac-River bound invaders. In 1814, during the War of 1812, the British eluded the Fort’s guns by sailing up the Patuxent River on their way to sacking and burning our nation’s Capitol. During the British retreat down the Potomac, Fort Washington was destroyed; not by the British but from its own soldiers’ misfired explosives.

The Fort was quickly rebuilt and remained an active base for over 120 years until its closure shortly after World War II, but never again faced attack (enemy or otherwise).

CROWDS (5/10)
Lots of people but no actual other tourists viewing Fort Washington. A busload of schoolchildren spent our entire stay (one hour) in the parking lot picnicking and playing football on the asphalt. Had they ever entered the Fort? Who knows?

EASE OF USE/ACCESS (3/5)
Both forts are located along the eastern shore of the Potomac River just south of Washington, D.C. and sit a short jaunt westward from Maryland Route 210 (the Indian Head Highway). To get onto Route 210, take the D.C. Beltway (I-495, 95) Exit 2 and go south. Both forts are less than 10 miles away.

Neither the George Washington Parkway NPS brochure nor the National Capital Parks-East NPS packet show any roads linking Route 210 to either Fort. An absence of roads raised a few flags in the Altima, but we pressed on. Well-placed brown NPS signs pointed us off Route 210 and to the Fort Washington VC parking lot. If you are traveling on 210 from the south: take Old Fort Road; from the north: take Fort Washington Road.

The walk from the lot to the VC and adjacent fort was longer and steeper than expected. You have been warned. The route to Fort Foote was trickier, as it weaves through residential neighborhoods. Luckily, there are helpful driving instructions on hand at the Fort Washington VC. As mentioned, the Fort Foote parking lot is not adjacent to the Fort itself; you have to walk through the woods to get there. How long? We don’t know; we didn’t leave the car. The walk could be 100 yards; it could be one mile.

CONCESSIONS/BOOKSTORE (2/5)
There were a few sparsely shelved racks at the Fort Washington VC that scratched the surface of defense fort and assorted local history.

COSTS (2/5)
A $5 per car fee is posted both online and at Fort Washington’s front gate. We saw no Rangers collecting fees. The $5 cost may be suspended during construction; how can you charge when there is nothing to do? Had there been a Fee Station, our National Parks Pass would presumably have covered it.

RANGER/GUIDE TO TOURIST RATIO (3/5)
When we first arrived at Fort Washington, there was a sign on the Visitor Center reading: CLOSED. “How could this be?” we thought while we decided to walk into the Fort. Gab simmered while adding, “If we drove all this way and don’t get any stamps I’m going to be angry.” “Going to be, as in the future?” Michael asked.

Luckily, for all involved, the Ranger staffing the Fort was just out on lunch break. She returned, let us in on the bounty of stamps and answered a few questions.

TOURS/CLASSES (5/10)
The charming yellow Fort Washington VC includes three full rooms of new-ish exhibits. Admittedly, we were less than vigilant in our learning duties. Our quick perusal revealed that much of their info was similar to stuff we learned at other American Coastal Defense System forts; we have been to dozens. Fort Washington would make for a nice initial lesson in multi-generational military history but you must go elsewhere to see a fort that saw fighting.

FUN (4/10)
Could we have spent a more worthwhile two hours of our lives? Sure, but the Fort Washington VC has four different National Parks Passport stamps AND a snazzy lighthouse stamp. Multiple stamp sites always make us happy. A five-stamp site makes us ecstatic. The Fort and its history, however, were nothing special.

WOULD WE RECOMMEND? (2/10)
We have documented our love of forts countless times, or in approximately 40 Site Reviews. But even we cannot recommend a trip down to Fort Washington or Fort Foote. Regardless of how much they spruce the place up, there is still nothing to see.

If its eastern shore Potomac River views you want, go down the road to Piscataway Park where the walk to the water is considerably shorter and there is no charge. Fort Washington’s most appealing draw may be its summer-long, once a month, first week of Sunday Artillery Demonstrations. They promise to be more successful than the misfiring cannons of 1814.

TOTAL 33/80

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Thomas Stone National Historic Site

Port Tobacco, Md.
Visited: May 5, 2006
NPS Site Visited: 289 of 353
NPS Website; Local Website

WHAT IS IT?
1000+ acre plantation home of Thomas Stone, who, the Park admits, was the least exciting of Maryland’s Declaration of Independence signers.

BEAUTY (3/10)
Haberdeventure, the centerpiece of the Stone farm, consists of a reconstructed main red brick Colonial home with East and West wings that arc into a semi-circle. The house itself in nondescript; very few original artifacts remain inside. A small family cemetery is tucked away in a corner of the Site. Some original barns and outbuildings dot the landscape.

HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE (3/10)
Not only is Haberdaventure not pretty, it is not even the original house. The Park Service acquired the house and the land after a fire in 1977 completely gutted the home. It is not as if this Site provides a window into the lifestyle of some of the signers of the Declaration; even the parlor paneling was sold off by the Stone family to the Baltimore Museum of Art.

Why did NPS choose to purchase and rebuild an unattractive home of an unexciting person who just happened to be in the right place at the right time? Well, the 8-minute film tells us that it is to show that not every signer of the Declaration of Independence was 100% sold on the idea of America as an independent nation; that moderation and thoughtfulness are often overlooked. Thomas Stone is portrayed as an ordinary man in extraordinary times overwhelmed by the revolutionary ideas that might possibly have disrupted his quiet country home.

CROWDS (5/10)
We were the only visitors to the Site. Perhaps if there were another visitor, we might have learned of a reason to be interested.

EASE OF USE/ACCESS (3/5)
A Park Ranger indicated that Thomas Stone NHS became a Park Site because of its proximity to Washington D.C. Well, the Site is close to D.C. only in the sense that it is no closer to anything else. The D.C. Beltway (I-495, 95) Exit 7 is a circuitous two-lane, stop-and-go 30 miles to the north via Maryland Route 5, US Route 310 and Maryland Route 6.

Rand McNally designates the places along the way, Waldorf, White Plains and La Plata, with the small print of baby towns. Perhaps that will change after the 2010 census. These towns are booming with families fleeing Washington D.C. Every imaginable chain restaurant litters Route 310. The area has grown faster than its roads. As a result, your journey to Thomas Stone NHS will take much longer that the reasonable mileage distance would indicate.

CONCESSIONS/BOOKSTORE (2/5)
Children’s books aside, the Site’s selection struggles to break the double-digit barrier but it is not as if there are volumes dedicated to the Park’s honoree. Indeed, only one book, Thomas Stone – Elusive Maryland Signer, has ever been written about the man and it’s for sale here. The bookstore did not have to work hard to find the book; its authors live adjacent to the Park. Seriously.

COSTS (4/5)
The Site is free.

RANGER/GUIDE TO TOURIST RATIO (3/5)
Two Rangers; two of us. Why the low rating? It seems that we were invisible. The Rangers were more intent on unfolding their newspapers and settling down to a quiet day of no visitors than helping us gain any insight to Mr. Stone and his predicament. We felt like we totally disrupted their morning routine. Sorry.

TOURS/CLASSES (3/10)
Visitors enter the home via the West Wing, which houses a large fireplace (not the original), informational panels and a small TV for the introductory film. The film and new educational panels ably explain who Thomas Stone was and what his political beliefs were: a wealthy lawyer turned plantation owner and moderate to the point of passivity, respectively. The video admits that Stone contributed little to the Continental Congress, tended towards silence and was very cautious. (At this point in the video, we both laughed out loud).

The Site’s primary lesson is that not every Founding Father was passionate, pro-revolution, bursting with political philosophies and compelling. Is this a helpful lesson? We say no, our History PhD candidate friend says yes. Nonetheless, we both agreed that that lesson is not worth the vexing drive to one of Maryland’s sprawling peninsulas let alone the millions of dollars the NPS spent restoring Stone’s uninspiring mansion.

FUN (2/10)
We were more than a little surly when we realized our morning navigating parkways and rush hour traffic dropped us here. At least we found an Einstein Bagels and some cheaper gas (compared to D.C.) along the way.

WOULD WE RECOMMEND? (1/10)
Thomas Stone was so dispassionate about our young nation that in 1787, after being chosen to represent Maryland at the Constitutional Convention, he declined in favor of tending to his sick wife. Stone had an opportunity to construct the future of our country, an opportunity to participate in one of the defining moments of the world’s political history. Instead, he chose to stay home.

You should do the same. Do not come here.

Stone chose to remove himself from history and the birth of the United States. There is no reason to honor his memory. His inclusion in the federally run and taxpayer supported National Park System is far more egregious than the incorporation of Sites honoring defiant scoundrels like George Rogers Clark and Charles Pinckney. At least they did something. Stone’s past is even worse. He never cared, he never talked, he was silently pragmatic, revolutionary only because it was the only choice and pro-actively aloof regarding America’s future.

TOTAL 29/80

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Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park

D.C. Area
Georgetown, D.C. and Potomac, Md.
Visited: May 5, 2006
NPS Site Visited: 288 of 353
NPS Website

WHAT IS IT?
The well-restored towpath and waterway of the 19th-century C&O Canal which parallels the Potomac River for 185 miles from Georgetown, D.C. to Cumberland, Md. Given the Park’s sprawling nature, this review covers the section of the Canal that stretches from its beginning in Georgetown to Mile Post 15 near the Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center.

Also included in our review is perhaps the oldest building in Washington D.C., the Old Stone House. The House is administratively part of Rock Creek Park, but geographically only one short block from Georgetown’s C&O Canal NHP Visitor Center.

BEAUTY (8/10)
Veer off the towpath at Great Falls, Maryland, follow the wooden boardwalk a short distance and you are now amid bedrock terrace forest. An abundance of green and a constant rush of cascading water softens the harshness of the imposing gray stones beneath.

Continue on the boardwalk to the Falls Overlook to what might be one of the most stunning views in the D.C. area. Daunting to canal surveyors we are sure, but beautiful to behold, the Great Falls earn their name. Experienced kayakers and great blue herons braved the surf – one for sport, the other for sustenance – as we looked on.

Georgetown offers a more urban, but no less charming setting for the Canal. Here one can take a ride on a mule-pulled canal boat to see the District’s former thoroughfares. The Canal runs between red brick buildings and warehouses, under bridges and parallel M Street, Georgetown’s current thoroughfare and location of the Old Stone House.

Perhaps one of Georgetown’s most recognizable landmarks, the Old Stone House is not an imposing structure; its stature is quite demure. This humble dwelling made of blue fieldstone stands out among its modern neighbors and hosts an English style garden. The garden, abloom with spring blossoms during our visit, is so comfortable that it is hard to believe it was once a used car lot.

HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE (5/10)
The Old Stone House is the only pre-Revolutionary building in Washington D.C. Rumors of it serving as George Washington’s Headquarters, true or not, helped preserve the building as commercial development exploded around it.

George Washington and Pierre L’Enfant did stay at a Tavern owned by the father of a clockmaker who operated a shop in the Old Stone House in the 1800s. That connection was close enough to keep the structure intact.

The Canal was nearly obsolete before it was even completed. In fact, the C&O Canal and the famed Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (the Canal’s competition) broke intital ground on the same day in 1810. Railroads quickly developed and provided faster and easier transportation but boats still came and went on the Canal for almost 75 years.

In the 1950s, there was talk of turning the C&O Canal into a paved Parkway. A Supreme Court Justice and D.C. resident strongly disagreed. Justice William O. Douglas persuaded the editors of the Washington Post to hike the full length of the Canal with him to experience first hand the scenery they were advocating to alter. Dozens of conservationists and citizens joined Douglas for portions of the hike and the publicity it garnered generated sufficient support to save the Canal as a National Park Site, which is dedicated to the judge.

CROWDS (9/10)
Every Site included in this review was abuzz with visitors, both out-of-town (and country) and local. Bicyclists, walkers, joggers, commuters, sightseers and strollers take full advantage of the Canal’s flat path as an alternative route through Georgetown and out into the Maryland suburbs.

Does anyone take a visit to D.C. and not go to Georgetown? This section of the route was understandable much more crowded than the rest. Although the towpath is a high traffic area here, we never felt cramped. In fact, walking along the Canal provides shaded and relaxing respite from Georgetown’s constant commerce, as does the garden of the Old Stone House.

EASE OF USE/ACCESS (4/5)
The Georgetown C&O Canal NHP Visitor Center is located just a block south of the bustling commercial Washington D.C. area of M Street between 30th and 31st Street. The Old Stone House is located on the northern side of M Street. The House is easy to spot; it’s the building that’s neither a restaurant nor a clothing store.

Georgetown’s parking dearth sparks many angry tales, but Michael has never had difficulty finding metered street parking east of Wisconsin Avenue and north of M. If two hours just are not enough, there are plenty of pay parking lots on K Street under the Whitehurst Freeway.

Famously, the D.C. Metro does not serve Georgetown. The official word is that earth is too unstable to support a tunnel; urban legend says the hoity-toity Georgetown residents want their part of town to maintain a modicum of exclusivity. The nearest Metro stops are Rosslyn and Foggy Bottom.

The Georgetown VC and ticket office for Canal boat rides is temporarily placed in a small trailer while its former address receives restorative TLC. Just follow the multitude of brown signs strategically placed throughout Georgetown to find it.

The Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center is located just off MacArthur Boulevard, a few miles west of the D.C. Beltway (I-495). Take Beltway Exit 41 (Clara Barton Parkway) away from Washington D.C. There are signs. Exits 40 (Cabin John Parkway) and 39 (River Road) could also work. Use a map, however, because further written directions would only confuse.

CONCESSIONS/BOOKSTORE (4/5)
Stop at the Old Stone House to find unique titles on historic preservation, coffee table books on D.C. and most temptingly, a wide array of glassware from the Jamestown glassworks, pewter cups and bowls, redware pottery and all kinds of handmade Colonial items: soaps, candles, wooden toys. If you have any upcoming birthdays or anniversaries in your family, this is a great place to begin your shopping.

Great Falls Tavern contains a bookstore with a few titles about the history of the Canal and a few camping and hiking guides but no pewter or Jamestown glass delights. Save your pennies for the Georgetown shop.

COSTS (1/5)
Entrance to Great Falls Park is $5 a car, good for 3 days and both the Maryland and Virginia sides of the Falls. There is no charge to visit the Old Stone House or to use any portion of the Canal’s towpath. If you want to take a boat ride, however, it will set you back $8 a person ($6 for seniors, $5 for kids).

RANGER/GUIDE TO TOURIST RATIO (4/5)
Rangers invited us into Great Falls Tavern in Maryland and tried to persuade us to jump on the last canal boat tour of the day in Georgetown. No less than 4 costumed interpreters managed the canal locks and mules necessary to move the boat. We didn’t encounter any Rangers at the Old Stone House.

TOURS/CLASSES (7/10)
Who better to introduce a charming American destination than Charles Kuralt? An 8-minute On the Road segment plays by request at all of the C&O Canal VCs, including the Great Falls Tavern. Somehow, he can make George Washington’s disappointment and the demise of the Canal’s commercial ventures sound not so bad. With Mr. Kuralt’s soothing voice still in our heads, we headed out into the sunshine and the Great Falls. There are some exhibits and a historically furnished room in the Great Falls Tavern, but not enough to keep you indoors.

The Georgetown VC is temporarily displaced, but visitors still flock to the Canal. We lingered as interpreters filled the canal lock and readied the boat to move slowly down the canal. Rangers discussed the history of the Canal while the workers showed us firsthand the manpower (and mule power) needed to use the Canal.

Boat tours last one hour and run Wednesday through Sunday at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Special tours can be arranged for groups and if there are any extra spaces on those boats, Rangers will open ticket sales to the public.

FUN (9/10)
We had a glorious day at the C&O Canal Sites and the Old Stone House.

WOULD WE RECOMMEND? (9/10)
Washington D.C. in late Spring becomes a joyous place. The days are warm, the sun is bright, the flowers are blooming and the humidity has yet to descend. From Georgetown to the Great Falls Tavern, up and down the Potomac, suntanned joggers and cyclists, couples in love and the occasional dog walker enjoy the smooth towpath terrain. The garden of the Old Stone House attracts anyone and everyone looking for a little shade and cool grass to set down their shopping bags. The Canal recaptures the activity and animation it briefly enjoyed in the past. We couldn’t think of a nicer way to spend the day.

TOTAL 60/80

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Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail

Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania
Visited: May 5, 2006
NPS Site Visited: 287 of 353

NPS Website; Local Website;
Another Local Website

The Potomac Heritage NST differs from all the other NPS trail systems in one important and very distinguishable way: its trails do not connect and do not lead to any conscious goal. In fact, there is no published map that shows either the Trail’s course or the land it encompasses.

How do you know you are on the Potomac Heritage NST? You might see a sign or you might run into a National Parks Passport Book stamp at a Visitor Center.

During college, Michael biked portions of the trail (the Mount Vernon Trail, the C&O Canal Towpath and he’s sure others) nearly every day and never knew it. He cherished those easily accessible recreational opportunities as one of the best parts of living in Washington D.C.

The following is a guide as to what trails are a part of the Potomac Heritage NST, links to our reviews of the Sites they pass through as well as which VC’s have a Potomac Heritage NST passport stamp. Enjoy!

Segment 1
The 184.5-mile Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath

Park Sites:
1. Chesapeake and Ohio Canal NHP (D.C. Area)
Potomac Heritage NST Stamps: Great Falls Tavern; Georgetown, D.C. VC
2. Chesapeake and Ohio Canal NHP (Maryland and West Virginia)
Potomac Heritage NST Stamps: Cumberland, Md; Williamsport, Md.; C&O Headquarters, Hagerstown, Md.; Hancock, Md; Ferry Hill, Sharpsburg, Md.
3. Harpers Ferry NHP
Potomac Heritage NST Stamp: Stamp at Harpers Ferry even though the NPS mimeographed pamphlet explicitly states that the Trail does NOT exist in West Virginia.
4. Antietam NB
No Stamp Here

Segments 2 and 3
The 17-mile Mount Vernon Trail and the 10-mile Potomac Heritage Trail in George Washington Memorial Parkway

Park Sites:
1. George Washington MEM PKWY
Potomac Heritage NST Stamp: Stamp at Turkey Run Park
2. LBJ MEM Grove
No Stamp Here
3. Theodore Roosevelt Island
No Stamp Here
4. U.S.M.C. Memorial and Netherlands Carillon
No Stamp Here
5. Great Falls Park
No Stamp Here
6. Claude Moore Colonial Farm
No Stamp Here

Segments 4 and 5
The 70-mile Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail
and the 150-mile Great Allegheny Passage (connecting Cumberland, Md. and Pittsburgh, Pa.)

Park Sites:
1. Chesapeake and Ohio Canal NHP (Maryland and West Virginia)
Potomac Heritage NST Stamp: Cumberland, Md.
The Trail runs nearby but not through these two sites:
2. Friendship Hill NHS
No Stamp Here and
3. Fort Necessity NB
No Stamp Here
4. Potomac Heritage NST Stamps can be found at Ohiopyle SP and Laurel Ridge SP

Segment 6
The 21-mile Potomac Heritage Trail On-Road Bicycling Route in Prince Georges County, Md.

Park Sites:
1. Fort Washington Park
Potomac Heritage NST Stamp: Fort Washington Park VC
2. Piscataway Park
No Stamp Here

Segment 7
A two-mile route in Nanjemoy Natural Resource Management Area, Charles County, Md.

Park Sites:
1. This segment is close to but does not encompass: Thomas Stone NHS
No Stamp Here

Segment 8
A 4.5-mile route in Prince William Forest Park

Park Sites:
1. Prince William Forest Park
Potomac Heritage NST Stamp: Prince William Forest Park VC

Segment 9
7.7 miles of trails within Riverbend Park, Great Falls Park and Scott’s Run Nature Preserve in northern Fairfax County, Va.

Park Site:
1. Great Falls Park
Potomac Heritage NST Stamp: Great Falls Park VC

Segment 10
A 15-mile linear park system in Loudoun County, Va.

Park Sites:
1. None, we think
No Stamps Here

Segment 11
The 23-mile Alexandria Heritage Trail in Alexandria, Va.

Park Sites:
1. None, we think
No Stamps Here

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