We drove into the city of Philadelphia. Once we were able to find a parking space that would accomodate the truck, we headed off to the Pennsylvania State House, better known as "Independence Hall".
Here, during the blistering summer of 1776, 56 courageous men risked their lives, their fortune, and their sacred honor and defied the King of England. Eleven years later, representatives from 12 states gathered to shape the U.S. Constitution, finally creating one unified nation. The guided tour begins in the courtroom where lawyers from opposing sides shared tables and law books. George Washington's "rising sun" chair dominates the Assembly Room which is arranged today as it was during the Constitutional Convention.
A separate brick building houses the original draft of the Constitution which was typeset and then changes were made by writing in the columns until a final version was drafted and hand printed.
After leaving Independence Hall, we headed around the corner and across Chestnut street to the pavilion that encases the famed Liberty Bell.
The Bell was first heard in 1753 atop the Pennsylvania State House. The Liberty Bell's famous gap - often called a crack - is really the result of an attempt to fix the thin crack that destroyed the Bell's tone. The exact date of the crack is unknown but believed to have been between 1817 and 1846. The repair work dates to 1846. However, it failed when, as the Bell rang for George Washington's birthday anniversary, the original crack reappeared and lengthened. It zig-zagged up toward the top of the Bell, silencing it forever. Though it no longer rings, its voice has never been stilled. Its inscription, "Proclaim Liberty throughout All the land unto All the Inhabitants Thereof" is still prophetic and its crack is a reminder that liberty is not perfect.To get the flavor of the city as it was when Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, William Penn, and Thomas Jefferson, just to name a few, were here we took an audio walk of the historic district. We viewed the Todd House where Lawyer John Todd and Dolley Payne Todd lived from 1791 to 1793, when Todd died of Yellow Fever. Dolley later married congressman and future President, James Madison. The house depicts middle-class life in Philadelphia in the 18th century.
The original size of the house was only up to the front door or 1/3 of what you see now. We viewed Carpenters' Hall which was a building erected between 1770 and 1774 by the Carpenters' Company of Philadelphia. The First Continental Congress met here in 1774.All this walking made us very hungry and we were told not to miss having one of the Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches, so we found one of the many street vendors and bought a sandwich and drink.
Back to the tour, we walked many, many blocks and looked at many of the historical buildings, museums and grave sites. William Penn had developed this city around five squares, each with its own unique personality. After visiting Betsy Ross's House and taking a walk down
Elfreth's Alley, which has quaint brick homes that line the nation's oldest, continuously inhabited street,
we headed over to Christ Church burial ground to take a picture of Benjamin Franklin's gravestone.
By this time, we were bushed and decided it was time to head out of the big city and back to the campground. Tomorrow is another day and we've got Valley Forge scheduled for a visit.
We woke up Thursday to some cloudy skies but decided to go ahead to Valley Forge anyway. Valley Forge commemorates the resolve and endurance of Washington's Continental Army, who emerged from their brutal winter there (1777-78) and overcame several defeats (Battle of Brandywine, White Horse, and Germantown) to secure a victory over the British. Valley Forge received its name from the iron forge built along Valley Creek in the 1740's. By the time of the Revolution, a sawmill and gristmill had been added, making the place an important supply base for the Americans. The British destroyed the forge and mills in 1777, and only ruins remained at the time of the encampment.
The Continental Army arrived at Valley Forge on December 19, 1777. Immediate orders were issued to properly house the troops in huts called the Muhlenberg Huts. Each hut could sleep twelve men, with a fireplace and small community area.
Supplies were few, food was limited, and many of the troops were sick. General Washington sent a nine page letter to the Continental Congress requesting assistance. Amidst the cold and snow, the troops started building their winter homes or huts. The hardships of the encampment claimed the lives of approximately one in ten, nearly all from disease. Contrary to public belief, Valley Forge was not the coldest winter encampment during the American War for Independence. However a lack of provisions and suitable clothing caused the soldiers hardship. In his letters to Congress, Washington would somewhat exaggerate the suffering of the army in order to spur some action. In late 1777, the daily rations included 1 1/4 lbs. of Beef or 1 lb. salt fish or 1 lb. pork, 1 1/4 lbs. soft bread or flour or 1 lb. hard bread. Meal substitutions were peas, beans or rice and each man got 2 oz. of whiskey or rum. The Continental Army matured at Valley Forge. Training under Baron von Steuben went far in creating a unified force. The alliance with France provided much needed supplies and international recognition but the army would have to endure another five years before the war finally ended.The National Memorial Arch is the dominant feature of the park, was dedicated in 1917, and commemorates the "patience and fidelity" of the soldiers who wintered at Valley Forge in 1777-78.
The focal point of camp activities was the Isaac Potts House which became Washington's Headquarters.
Here, he and his staff of approximate 20 aides set up camp. He used one of the downstairs rooms as his office and meeting place.
This is the actual house, though the furniture is not. It was quite moving to know that you were walking up the same steps, using the same bannisters and George and Martha Washington did during this time. At the beginning of the encampment, fifty guards protected General Washington, his baggage, valuable papers, and Martha, when she came to visit. To be in the life guard, as the troops called it, one originally had to be a property-owning, native-born Virginian. It was assumed such men would be loyal to Washington.The Washington Chapel is located on private property within the park and hosts an active congregation.
This church commemorates George Washington's service to his country.That pretty much concludes the tour of Valley Forge. We felt very fortunate to be able to enjoy this experience and learn a bit more about our history. Once we got home, we decided to cook out on the grill and enjoy the beautiful weather by eating out. McKenzie earned her dog biscuits by keeping a constant vigil on the table until we were ready to sit down.
Friday will be a day of catching up, cleaning, laundry, etc., and just getting in some much needed rest. We've been going full speed for several weeks now. Saturday, we'll be heading to the Poconos to get some much needed rest for a few days before starting our New York City experience. Hope you've enjoyed Philadelphia and can better understand and appreciate what happened at Valley Forge. Valley Forge was not the darkest hour of the Revolutionary War; it is a place where an already accomplished group of professionals stood their ground, honed their craft, and thwarted one of the major British offensives of the war.
Until our next blog, take care of yourself and each other! See you in New York City!!!!!!
I must say that this is some of the most beautiful country we have ever seen. Everything is bright green with rolling hills and tons of flowers in every yard.
When driving, you have to be very careful so that you don't run into one of the Almish who are driving their horse-drawn wagons down the road. It is acceptable to pass them but they want you to give them as much room as possible so you don't scrare the horses. 
We drove thru small towns with names such as Paradise, Smoketown, Bird in Hand, and Blue Ball and stopped to shop at some of the Farmer's Markets. Of course, they had delicious bakery items and fresh fruits and vegetables. Later, we took a tour of an Almish home and farm which was very interesting. 
They do not believe that anyone needs an education beyond the 8th grade, the women are not allowed to use buttons or snaps on their dresses so they use straight pins, and once a man is married, he will grow a beard, but not a mustache as they consider men with mustaches as evil. 
They live a much simpler life, without electricity or much of the farm equipment we are used to. 
It was quite a display. The first thing we noticed when we drove into the town of Hershey is that it smells like chocolate! The second thing is that the main street leading to the chocolate factory has lamp posts that resemble Hershey kisses, both wrapped and unwrapped. 
There's lots of things to do there including a tour, a museum, a garden, and an amusement park. We did the tour and museum and learned a great deal about Milton Hershey who created Hershey Chocolates and founded the town of Hershey so his employees would have a place to live.
This museum is also home to the famous "Lincoln Train Ride" where you can ride President Lincoln's train and relive the history as you travel to Gettysburg for the dedication of the new cemetery. I'm not sure how they did this, but it felt as if you were actually riding a train and ahead of you on a screen was Abraham Lincoln addressing you as if you had just gotten onto the train to take the ride with him to Gettysburg. It was kind of like being in an I-Max theatre, but actually riding a train also. Afterwards, George and I stopped to look at one of the old orginal train sleeping compartments.
Our last stop for the day was at the Adams County Winery. We tasted about eight different wines and decided on a few bottles that we especially liked. Our wine cellar is full once again! We are planning on staying home tomorrow and getting a few things done. Unfortunately, when we were in Washington, we had very bad internet access so I was really behind on my blog updates. On Thursday, our last day here, we will head over to York where we will take a tour of the Harley factory and a chocolate factory. Hope they give out samples! Be kind to one another and remember "Life is good".
In addition to the battlefield, the national cemetery is located within the park. When the armies marched away from Gettysburg they left behind a community in shambles and more than 51,000 killed, wounded, and missing soldiers. Wounded and dying were crowded into nearly every building. Most of the dead lay in hastily dug and inadequate graves, some had not been buried at all. This situation so distressed Pennsylvania's governor, Andrew Curtin, that he commissioned a local attorney to purchase land for a proper burial ground for Union soldiers. Within four months of the battle, reinterment began on 17 acres that became Gettysburg National Cemetery. The remains of 3,320 Confederate soldiers were removed from the battlefield to cemeteries in the South.
Since our feet had not completely cratered yet, we decided to go ahead and take a tour of the Library of Congress. The building is by far the most beautiful building in the city. It is the largest library in the world and was founded in 1800 to serve the research needs of the U.S. Congress. Although that is still its primary missioin, the Library's reading rooms are open to those above high school age without charge or special permission and its web site (
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The giant pandas arrive in December of 2000 as part of an international breeding and conservation effort. They are on loan from China for 10 years and the Zoo is one of only four zoos in the country with giant pandas.
The zoo contains more than 2,000 animals, including many endangered species from giant pandas and Asian elephants to Komodo dragons and white-naped cranes. The National Zoo is an international leader in wildlife conservation and education and was one of the first conservation organizations in the nation's capital. The zoo encompasses 163 acres of very hilly terrain and after tramping around most of the day, we were really glad that the trip to the train station was all down hill. Otherwise, George would have had to pull me all the way home.
On July 4th, while Nancy, George and I were waiting for the fireworks to take place, we visited two of the more popular museums - the Museum of National Air and Space and the National Museum of Natural History. Since the National Air and Space Museum opened in 1976, it has been the most-visited museum in the world. The museum tells the story of flight from the earliest days of balloon flight, to the sands of Kitty Hawk, to the current explorations of space. Here we saw lots of "firsts" - the Spirit of St. Louis in which Charles Lindbergh completed his first solo nonstop transatlantic flight; the Apollo 11 command module, Columbia, that carried home the astronauts from the first landing on the Moon, and SpaceShipOne, the first privately built, piloted vehicle to reach space.
In addition to the Treasures of American History that were on display, the Natural Museum of History focuses on wonderful displays of animals, plants, fossils, rocks, minerals and cultural artifacts. The total area of the museum is more than 18 football fields.
A different type of museum for us, was the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. It is dedicated to exhibiting american crafts from the 19th to the 21st centuries. The permanent collection features works of contemporary American craft in glass, ceramic, metal, wood and fiber. This was Washington's first art museum. We thought the "Game Fish" was quite unique as it is made up entirely of things children play with such as yoyo's, dolls, balls, etc.
We also visited the Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. The eye-catching architecture sets it apart from the other museums on the National Mall. It was a bit too "far out"for our tastes, but we felt we should be subjected to a little of everything.
We saw several other monumental places, such as Ford's Theatre where on the night of April 14, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth. At approximately 10:15 p.m., when only one actor, Harry Hawk, was on stage and the audience was laughing, John Wilkes Booth entered the Presidental box and shot Lincoln. 
John Wilkes Booth, a well known actor, was a Southern sympathizer who saw Lincoln as the source of the South's problems. In late 1864 he began laying plans for kidnapping Lincoln. An early recruit was John Surratt. His mother, Mary Surratt, ran a boardinghouse where most of the conspirators' meetings took place. By 1865, David Herold, George Atzerodt, and Lewis Powell had joined Booth's band. An attempt to seize Lincoln on March 17 failed. After Lee's surrender, Booth put together his final desperate plan, Powell would kill Secretary of State William Henry Seward, Atzerodt would shoot Vice President Andrew Johnson, and Booth would assassinate Lincoln. Only Booth was successful. When the pain in his left leg became unbearable, Booth rode to the home of Dr. Samuel Mudd to have it set. On April 26 while Booth and Herold hid in a tobacco barn near Port Royal, VA., pursuing Union troops surrounded them. After Herold surrendered, Booth was shot and killed while still in the barn, which had been set on fire by the soldiers in an effort to force Booth out. The other conspirators were soon arrested; their trial began May 10 and ended June 29, 1865. Atzerodt, Herold, Powell, and Mrs. Surratt received death sentences and were hanged July 7, 1865. Arnold and O'Laughlin who were involved in the inital kidnapping conspiracy, were given life sentences as was Dr. Mudd. Ed Spangler, a stage hand at Ford's who held Booth's horse, received six years of hard labor. All four were sent to Fort Jefferson in Florida to serve their sentences. O'Laughlin died of yellow fever in 1867 and President Andrew Johnson pardoned the others in 1869.
