Valley Forge

[Thaddeus Kosciuszko]

Over the Labor Day weekend Mrs. TK, daughter, and I made a visit to Valley Forge.  Unfortunately we didn't have our bikes with us, so we followed the driving tour.

 

We stopped first at the Muhlenberg Brigade barracks.  These reconstructed cabins represent how the soldiers lived during their stay at Valley Forge.  I suspect these are in somewhat better condition than most of the cabins the typical soldier lived in, given accounts I've read.

 

 

 

Two re-enactors portrayed soldiers of the time.  The young gentleman pointed to one item after another asking "What's this?" and the soldiers patiently explained what each was.  I learned a great deal from the young man's questions and the responses he received.

 

 

View of the surrounding fields

 

 

This arch, the National Memorial Arch, was dedicated in 1917 to honor the soldiers who endured the winter at Valley Forge.

 

 

The inscription reads:

 

 

 

The statue honoring General Anthony Wayne, also known as "Mad" Anthony Wayne - "Mad" as in crazy, loony, etc.  Two versions of how earned this name - one of his soldiers labelled him so because Wayne refused to use influence to get the soldier out of prison, and the other because Wayne led an unheard-of but successful night attack on Stony Point which was thought an impregnable fortress.

 

 

 

General Knox's quarters.  At the time of the Revolution, only the portion of the house to the left of the door and small window existed; everything to right was added later.  To his credit, Knox lodged here temporarily then moved to more modest quarters closer to his men.

 

 

 

For me, the highlight of the tour: General Washington's headquarters which seem rather unassuming, especially when a few hundred feet away a building more that three times this size existed.  When the British moved into a building for headquarters, typically they simply took possession and put the owners out.  Washington paid the owner for the use of the building, and according to available records the price was fair for the time.

 

 

 

The kitchen and dining area

 

 

 

One of the 'offices' from which Washington and his aides ran the army

 

 

 

Sleeping quarters - I took a picture of the room Washington slept in, but you'll have to go the Valley Forge to see that yourself!

 

 

I found it exciting in a quiet way to walk through the same building Washington walked for the months of the Valley Forge encampment.  And not only Washington, but also LaFayette, Hamilton, von Steuben, and any number of others instrumental to the Revolution.  Perhaps even Private Joseph Plumb Martin entered the building now and then...

 

Cabins for the soldiers of Washington's bodyguard - yes, the Army provided soldiers whose primary mission was to protect Washington.

 

 

 

The artillery park, located centrally in the encampment so the cannon could be deployed rapidly to the battlefield.  Of course, forage for the horses was nearly non-existent, so thankfully the emaciated horses were never required to drag cannon into battle.

 

 

 

The illustrious Baron von Steuben, who wrote the Drill Manual that transformed the Continental Army into a cohesive fighting unit.

 

 

 

My next favorite stop on the tour - the Washington Memorial Chapel, still an active parish

 

 

The stained glass over the main doors

 

 

Looking forward to the altar

 

 

I will need to go back at some point to tour the Park on a bike and to ride some of the trails, as I know I missed a fair portion of what the park has to offer.  Maybe I'll even visit in winter to get a more realistic impression of the hardships the soldiers endured.

[TrentonMakes]

Great photos. I used to ride through VF Park from time to time (lived in Pottstown a little to the west) but I never saw some of those things. The chapel looks especially beautiful.

[Indy]

I'm confused, doesn't look like much of a valley and I don't see any signs of a place to do metal work.

[Thaddeus Kosciuszko]

I'm confused, doesn't look like much of a valley and I don't see any signs of a place to do metal work.

 

The encampment bordered both banks of the Schuykill (say Skoo-kul) River and Valley Creek, hence the "Valley" part.

 

Numerous industries arose along Valley Creek, including mills and at least one forge - hence the "Forge" part.  During the summer previous to the Continental Army's arrival the British raided the valley, captured (stole) supplies for their army, and burned the mills and forge.  During archeological excavations charred timbers were found.

 

One reason you don't see a forge: one was unearthed, studied, and photographed.  But exposure to the air and weather was causing rapid deterioration of the remaining wood structures, sluiceway, and water wheel.  The entire site was re-buried in an effort to better preserve it.

[jsharr ★]

How does one forge a valley any way?

[Square Wheels]

Beautiful as always.

[Pokey]

 

[Ralphie ★]

That chapel looks almost identical to the one at my college, Farber College.

[Zealot]

Thanks for the photos! I'd soooo love to see that.

[Nate]

If you are on the PA turnpike headed for Philly, you better take the Valley Forge exit. Otherwise, you're headed for the part of Philly where the streets are named after presidents and letters of the alphabet. Unless you're trying to buy crack, Roosevelt and D isn't where you want to be

 

There's a lot of cool stuff over there, though, in the Valley Forge park. If you come all that way, you might as well take the Schuykill (the freeway, not the river) into center city and go see the old town stuff like the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall and all that. Take the Kelly Street exit and go along the river if you really want to see some cool statues and old mansions and really get your money's worth

 

And by the way, this is the sort of stuff that happens when I leave the state for a few days...we get invaded by outsiders coming down to gawk at all the beautiful stuff here in PA