Posts Tagged With: Catoctin Mountain Park

Harpers Ferry, WV Wednesday April 6

Stops at four National Park Service sites today only produced one new and additional National Park for our total collection. The other three national parks were places we visited 20 or more years ago, well before we had purchased the National Park Service passport book. So, we made additional stops in order to add a few more stamps to the passport book. The additional stops were not a hassle since they are all conveniently close to each other.

We left Wilmington Delaware in the rain. The drive to Gettysburg National Military Park was on two lane back roads. Google maps had us taking about 2 to 3 dozen different roads as they went over curvy and hilly terrain between Wilmington and Gettysburg. Speed limits were rarely over 45 mph but the fields were green and flowering trees were in abundance along the roadways. Antique stores are frequent in the small towns and crossroads we drove through

We moved from Pennsylvania to Minnesota in 2003. In 2008, a new visitor center was completed at Gettysburg. We had not been here since then. I had to take an hour and a half training session for the National Park Service today and while I was doing that, Chris enjoyed the new film, exhibits, and cyclorama.

Gettysburg National Military Park was not a destination but a way station. For all of the many, many times we have been to Gettysburg, we have never visited Eisenhower National Historic site. This site is the home and farm of former President Dwight and First Lady Mamie Eisenhower. They purchased this property after his military career. It was their first and only home that they owned. While president, Eisenhower would bring numerous dignitaries to Camp David in the Catoctin Mountains and then also bring them up to his home and farm. It is only 20 miles between the two locations. At the farm, the Eisenhowers raised Angus cattle which won championships at the Pennsylvania Farm Show.

The home they originally selected was red brick and in some disrepair. The architect hired to oversee the renovations found a decaying 200 year old log cabin beneath the brick. The house could not be saved. Mamie Eisenhower told the contractors to save as many pieces of brick and other materials that they could. Those pieces were then incorporated into the new home. We were only able to see and walk around the outside of the home. The inside of the home is still closed due to Covid and lack of staffing reasons. However we were able to talk to the park ranger responsible for the property and gather information from him. Unlike some recent presidents, the Eisenhowers were down to earth and the interior furnishings reflect a very simple and common decor and furnishings.

Leaving Gettysburg, we drove to Catoctin Mountain Park. The purpose was to obtain a passport stamp since we had been here previously. Catoctin Mountain Park traces its roots to the Great Depression and a program called Recreational Demonstration Areas. 46 of these RDAs were created in 24 states, most eventually became state or national parks. Catoctin was built on 10,000 acres and Civilian Conservation Corps crews helped to restore the eastern hardwood forests. The forest had been depleted through decades of tree cutting for charcoal making, tannin, heating, and buildings. The plan was to give the finished park to Maryland.

Before this occurred, President Franklin D Roosevelt chose part of the property as a presidential retreat. The retreat was later named Camp David. Since it would not be appropriate or legal for the federal government to control state parkland, the Catoctin Recreational Demonstration Area was cut into two pieces. The northern portion is Catoctin Mountain Park and the home of the presidential retreat and the national park unit. The southern portion became Maryland’s Cunningham Falls State Park. In Catoctin, Camp Greentop is the oldest camp in the U.S. for children with disabilities. Greentop was built by the WPA and is still operating today.

In the process of obtaining the Junior Ranger booklet from the Ranger at the visitor center, she made us aware that another ranger stationed here had worked in the early 2000s at the Mississippi National River And Recreation Area (MISS). Ranger Carrie Andresen-Strawn came out and chatted with us and we shared information about the people we and she knew at MISS.

Our last park service stop was tonight‘s overnight location at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. We made it to Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in time to have the passport book stamped. We have been here previously so no cheating was involved. Wednesday morning we hope to visit another NPS site farther south in Virginia. We will return to Harpers Ferry in the afternoon and re-acquaint ourselves with it. The forecast is for rain all day so we might cut down on our outside walking around.

Lodging for two nights is at an Airbnb. No fancy meals today, we had plenty of delicious meals over the last several days.

Ed and Chris, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia Wednesday April 6