Until we came to Fort Necessity, I had never heard of the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail. But that isn’t unusual. Tom and I are always finding National Park System units that we have never heard of before. You probably never heard of Fort Necessity before I started working here! The Potomac Heritage National Scenic …
Cumberland, Maryland, Historic City Center
On one of the few weeks without some very welcome guests, Tom and I headed to Cumberland, Maryland. Why Cumberland? We had several reasons for going. First, it is about an hour away from Fort Necessity, so an easy drive. Second, we rode bikes through Cumberland several times but never stopped to see the town. …
National Road Festival in the Heritage Corridor
The weekend that Tom and I started working at Fort Necessity was a festival. Usually a festival means “all hands on deck” with all the rangers working overtime. Tom and I volunteered to work and help out however we could. We set up tents and prepared for the crowds of people. Turns out the National …
Saints and Sinners: Why Aren’t You a Saint Yet?
In my morning devotionals recently, Oswald Chambers asked the questions, “Why aren’t you a saint yet?” I just laughed the first time I read it, but I’ve come back to it several times since then. Despite the Wesleyan emphasis on going on to perfection, most of the people I meet in churches are not saints. …
Pioneers: Settlers Who Brought American Ideal West
I recently finished reading a book that I enjoyed very much, so I thought I would share it with you. It is David McCullough‘s latest book titled: “The Pioneers: The Heroic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West.” It is a rather long title and a little misleading. When I think of pioneers …
Maywood Grill in Chalk Hill, Pennsylvania
While my brother and his family were here we ate at the Maywood Grill in Chalk Hill. Even though the Maywood Grill is just a couple of miles away from us, we had not eaten there before. We had tried, but they seemed to be closed on the days we wanted to eat there. Maywood …
Christmas Shop in Chalk Hill, Pennsylvania
As I mentioned last week, my brother and his family came to visit and we had a great time together. We went several places we had not visited before: Fallingwater, the National Coverlet Museum, and Laurel Caverns. One of the fun things about exploring with new people is that they see things you don’t notice. …
Mount Washington Tavern: History Lesson 8
Tom and I work four days a week with three days off. At Fort Necessity we work Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. On Sunday and Monday I work in the Visitors Center. On Friday and Saturday I get dressed up in a historic outfit and work at Mount Washington Tavern. Last week I wrote about …
Stretched in God’s Hands
I am a person who likes routine. Routine helps me feel like I am in control, even when events are spinning chaotically around me. I could be called a person of regular habits. Some of my routines are such ingrained habits that I occasionally forget that I have done them. Living life on the road …
National Road: History Lesson 7
In History Lesson 6 I talked about Braddock Road Trace and Washington’s Trace, the preliminary roads across part of Pennsylvania. Today I am taking that lesson to the next level with the building of the first national road in the United States. After the French and Indian War, Great Britain agreed that settlers would not …