The Fall Colors of Maryland

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October 17th 2010

Published: November 11th 2010

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Fall Flowers

Along The Road to Thurmont MD

On Tuesday morning, October 5, 2010 we worked our way to MD 97 from Greenbelt MD, turned northwest on MD 140 toward Taneytown and then southwest on US 15 toward Thurmont and Cunningham Falls State Park. Even as we made our way to Thurmont on this splendid fall day, flowers sporadically decorated the roadside. We reflected on our time in the District as we drove and were pleased with our accomplishments, but we fully realized there remains much more to see and experience. Only a few blocks from the campground was the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Mount Vernon is just across the Potomac River and the US Marine Corps Museum is in Quantico VA. In the District, we missed the Library of Congress, the Pentagon and the National Geographic Museum just to name a few. We failed to fully explore the Smithsonian Air and Space, American History, Natural History and American Indian Museums, and there were other Smithsonian museums we never even entered. We plan to return in Spring 2011 to take in some more of this amazing city.

From looking at the atlas, we knew that Thurmont MD was close to Hagerstown and Frederick, and we were planning

A Soft, Fluffy, Colorful Pillow?

Cunningham Falls State Park - Thurmont MD

to make a one-day to visit each of these small cities. The rest of the week would be spent recuperating from our hectic three weeks in the Washington DC area. Because we had been so busy (even if it was shopping, laundry or an oil change), we had done virtually no planning for the days following our visit to the Capital. As we approached Thurmont on US 15, we saw an exit marked for the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial. I knew the memorial was in Emmitsburg but had no idea about Emmitsburg’s location. Then we saw an exit for Gettysburg PA - I had not even considered visiting attractions in nearby PA! (After briefly researching Gettysburg, we decided that historic icon deserves more time than was available during this visit.) Upon arrival at Cunningham Falls, the Park Ranger told us that there were three covered bridges in the county and that the upcoming weekend was the 40-somethingth Thurmont Colorfest Weekend. No crowds, please, no more crowds - at least not for a while!!!

Our primary objective for the several weeks after leaving Washington DC was to absorb the splendor of the fall flora as we traveled southward through the

348 Fell In One Day - September 11, 2001

National Fallen Firefighters Memorial - Emmitsburg MD

Blue Ridge Mountains. When we arrived in Thurmont, the leaves were just beginning to show fall colors. The beautiful displays we watched evolve in the park and our relaxing drives through the northern Maryland countryside would have made our visit to the area worthwhile even had we not seen any other attractions. Not being of a sedentary nature, we set out on Thursday, October 7, 2010 to see the three covered bridges. Unlike the bridges of Madison County IA, all of the bridges of Washington County MD are still in service. For some folks, they would be just three more covered bridges; however, they are unique and regal in their own way. Since we still had quite a bit of time left, we headed for Emmittsburg MD to see the Fallen Firefighters Memorial. It was impressive and sobering to say the least.

On Sunday, we took a short, easy hike to Cunningham Falls and stopped at various points in the park for some photo ops. Monday I worked on the blog and the photos, but Tuesday found us on the move to Frederick. We started at the Visitor Bureau and took the self-guided tour of the historic downtown. On

Francis Scott Key Memorial

Mount Olivet Cemetery - Frederick MD

our way to the Monocacy National Battlefield, we spotted and checked out the Francis Scott Key Memorial in the Mount Olivet Cemetery. Key was born in Frederick but is buried in Baltimore MD. After a short stop at Mount Olivet, we reached the location of “The Battle That Saved Washington.” Although the Confederates won the July 9, 1864 engagement, the encounter delayed the Confederate advance on an under-defended Washington by a day and allowed Union reinforcements to arrive before the CSA forces. That evening we treated ourselves to a roaring campfire.

Wednesday found us hiking to the Catoctin Furnace where pig iron was smelted during the Civil War era. The pig iron history in Appalachia is quite interesting. An acre of hardwood forest was required to make the charcoal needed to manufacture a ton of pig iron. Clear-cut logging was the method of choice, and the effects were dramatic to say the least. Learning about the recovery of the forest is as much a story of the history of the pig iron industry as the manufacturing process itself. On our way back to Cunningham Falls State Park campground, we stopped by a small but interesting museum. The Catoctin Mountain

Pretty Hike To The Ruins

Catoctin Furnace - Cunningham Falls State Park - Thurmont MD

National Park is across MD 77 from Cunningham Falls, and somewhere within the confines of that national park is Camp David - the Presidential Retreat. Inside the Cozy Inn Restaurant is a small Camp David Museum outlining the impact of that famous sanctuary on Thurmont as well as on the Cozy Inn itself. For example, Mammie Eisenhower became good friends of the wife of the Cozy Inn owner and numerous Presidential staff members and media personalities who stayed at the Cozy Inn have given memorabilia to the owners over the years. The food was pretty tasty too- yes, the owners accomplished their mission!

Cunningham Falls State Park was booked solid for the final weekend of the season so our Friday departure was certain. Thursday we did lots of this and that around the campground while thoroughly enjoying the brilliant foliage. A short Friday morning drive brought us to the Brunswick Family Campground in Brunswick MD. This municipal campground has grass sites (that might become soggy in wet weather) with full hook-ups and is a good deal for Brunswick residents. Our early arrival left us time to head for the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park near Knoxville MD

Order Hoop Used To Pass Orders To Train Crew

Hagerstown Railroad Museum at City Park - Hagerstown MD

for an afternoon walk along the canal and the Potomac River. Little did we know that a pedestrian bridge alongside the CSX railroad trestle would take us across the Potomac to Harpers Ferry WV. The skies had been overcast all afternoon and had become more threatening as the day progressed. Many of the shops were closing for the day so we vowed to return another day and headed for the truck.

The tourism literature references three railroad attractions (including a roundhouse museum) in Hagerstown MD. Since I have never seen a roundhouse, we set out on Saturday morning for stop #1 - the Hagerstown Railroad Museum. This free, small community undertaking is one of the best documented museums I have ever seen and the docent on duty was knowledgeable, enthusiastic and cordial. Very nice. Our next stop was The Train Room museum - an extensive, private collection of model railroading memorabilia and some toys circa the mid-twentieth century. The main attraction is a large, working model railroad layout with an animated carnival as the centerpiece. Okay if you have time. Our final Hagerstown stop was planned to be the grand finale - the Hagerstown Roundhouse Museum. What a disappointment!

Sunken Road Became Bloody Lane

Antietam National Battlefield - Sharpsburg MD

The museum is NOT that of a roundhouse but that of model railroading exhibit housed in a building NEAR where the roundhouse had been located before its demolition on March 13, 1999. To be fair, there is a miniature roundhouse in one of the model train layouts. The exhibits are nice, but keep your expectations under control.

On the way back to Brunswick, we stopped at the Antietam National Battlefield. On September 17, 1862, Antietam Creek became the site of the bloodiest one-day battle of the Civil War. Of approximately 100,000 soldiers; some 23,000 were killed, wounded or became missing. In the 24-acre “bloody” cornfield, one brigade suffered over sixty percent casualties in thirty minutes. In three hours, the wounds of 12,200 combatants caused the name of Sunken Road to be changed to Bloody Lane. Clara Barton, who later founded the Red Cross, was christened “The Angel of the Battlefield.” Even the civilians had property and crops destroyed in the battle and were affected by decomposition-caused disease in the aftermath. So many gave so much. Walking those hallowed grounds is sobering to say the least.

On Sunday we drove to Harpers Ferry National Historic Park, took the NPS

John Brown's Abolition Speech

Harpers Ferry National Historiuc Park - Harpers Ferry WV

bus to the town site and strolled along the historic streets. No hint of rain this day! Harpers Ferry was the site of a large arms manufacturing complex in the mid-1800s, and early abolitionist John Brown waged a takeover of the armory on October 16, 1859 and seizure of the 100,000+ rifles and muskets stored there. Brown hoped that arming slaves with these weapons would lead to an uprising that would end slavery. Unbeknownst to us, a re-enactment of the standoff between John Brown and the USMC was scheduled for that weekend to celebrate the 151st anniversary of the takeover. Historical Marine Corps uniforms and artifacts were on display as well. The entire lower Harpers Ferry village lies within the National Historic Park. Some buildings house museums whereas others sport commercial enterprises of a tourist nature.

Our primary goal for this segment of the adventure was to enjoy the fall foliage. Whether we were driving the country roads in search of covered bridges, hiking to Cunningham Falls, strolling amid the ruins of the Catoctin Furnace or learning of the prices paid during the Battles of Monocacy or Antietam; our goal was realized, and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit to