Springfield Armory National Historic Site, Springfield, Massachusetts

Springfield Amory is special because of its contribution of firearms starting in the 1700s and running through the 1900s. In 1794 the new federal government decided to manufacture its own muskets so that the country would not be dependent on foreign arms. President George Washington selected Springfield, Massachusetts as the site of one of two federal armories. The second armory was built at Harper's Ferry in Virginia until the beginning of the Civil War when it was destroyed by the North. 

Springfield Armory

No. 9 Mine & Museum, Lansford, Pennsylvania

The No. 9 coal mine was one of The Lehigh Coal & Company's anthracite mines built during the 1800s. No. 9 was built in the Panther Valley of Pennsylvania. The Panther Valley is an area of greatest unrelieved pressure, and the geo-chemical forces and relative lack of faulting here has yielded the highest quality coal on earth. Today, the Panther Valley is anthracite's oldest community. Lehigh Anthracite, LLC's premium anthracite coal is still mined in the valley and shipped throughout the world. 

Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, Ronks, Pennsylvania

We visited The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania after our lunch train ride on Father's Day aboard the Strasburg Railroad. The railroad museum was created to provide a historical account of railroading in Pennsylvania by preserving rolling stock, artifacts, and archives of railroad companies of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The museum has branched out over the years, acquiring some pieces that are not directly related to Pennsylvania, but are important to the history of railroading. In addition to full-size rolling stock pieces, the museum offers a number of other commodities, which include several model railroad layouts, a hands on educational center, a library and archives, and a smaller exhibit gallery on the second floor. Unfortunately, we ran out of time to view the exhibit on the second floor.

The museum's collection has more than 100 historic locomotives and railroad cars that chronicle American railroad history. You can climb aboard some of the locomotives and cars, inspect a 62-ton locomotive from underneath, view restoration activities via closed-circuit television, enjoy interactive educational programs, and more.

D-16 Class, An American Star

National Toy Train Museum, Ronks, Pennsylvania

Filled with toy trains of all makes, sizes and ages, the National Toy Train Museum has many displays as well as train cities set up for guests to play with - just by pushing buttons you can light up the displays and make the trains run. We had fun playing with the displays. There was even a huge complete Lego city set up with Lego trains. Starting off in the museum were Lionel trains, specifically featuring the woman who paints their trains ~~ Angela Trotta Thomas. Can you imagine being one of the artists to be licensed by Lionel Trains? What an honor! This painting was featured on one of her Christmas boxcars.

Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

The Civil War started in April 1861 when Confederate forces bombarded the Union controlled Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina. The war ended in April 1865 when General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant at the Court House in Appomattox, Virginia (see my Blog on our visit there). 

Firing on Fort Sumpter

Haines Shoe House, York, Pennsylvania

Another quirky find from Roadside America, the Haines Shoe House was built by Mahlon Haines in 1948 as a form of advertisement. Mr. Haines was traveling by bicycle to Washington, D.C. where his mother lived, but broke down in York, Pennsylvania. He did not have any money so he started buying shoes and boots and then reselling them. His business was so lucrative that he decided to stay. To advertise his business, he built the Shoe House. He never lived in the house, but there were five stories with bedrooms, kitchen, sitting room, bathrooms which were for guests that stayed at the house. I'm trying to recall what the guide told us about the house and Mr. Haines, and I cannot recall everything she said about him.

National Watch & Clock Museum, Columbia, Pennsylvania

The National Watch & Clock Museum was a fantastic place to visit. I don't know how I find these places, but we were glad to visit it. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did through my blog. This is just a sampling of the clocks they have in the museum. 

The ancient timepieces in the museum are the early evidence of our enduring fascination with time. Though they date from a really long time ago, they point the way to the watches, clocks, and calendars of today ~~ and the revelations about time that still lie ahead. 

Tellerhur, circa 1680

Fort Necessity National Battlefield, Farmington, Pennsylvania

It was the middle of winter in 1753-1754, the beginning of the French & Indian War. Lt. Col. George Washington was 21 years old and given the task of heading an expedition into the wilderness to warn the French to withdraw from that part of Ohio country that had been claimed by Virginia. The French considered Ohio a vital link between New France (Canada) and Louisiana, and advanced southward and westward from Fort Niagara on Lake Ontario, driving out English traders and claiming the Ohio River Valley for France. Washington was to tell the French to withdraw, and their refusal to withdraw set the stage for the events that took place at Fort Necessity.

Fort Necessity

Flight 93 National Memorial, Stoystown, Pennsylvania

Where were you on the morning of September 11, 2001? I remember sitting at my desk at work when word came over the radio. Everyone was totally shocked and in disbelief. Then we started learning the story ... America was under attack. 

In a huge field just east of the town of Stoystown and north of Shanksville, Pennsylvania, the passengers on Flight 93 make a momentous decision to take back the plane and not let the hijackers fulfill their objective. The hijacker's target: the Nation's Capitol, and thank goodness these heroic people thwarted that goal, giving their lives in that effort.

Thomas Jefferson Monticello, Charlottesville, Virginia

Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President of the United States, American Founding Father, and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence. After writing the Declaration he spent the next 33 years in public service: delegate to the Virginia General Assembly and to Congress, Governor of Virginia, Minister to France, Secretary of State, Vice President, and President from 1801 to 1809. His achievements include the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis & Clark Expedition.  

When visiting Monticello, you save money by buying your tickets on line and at the same time, reserve your time for the house tour. When we went it was very busy with tours occurring every 10 minutes. The instructions say to arrive 30 minutes ahead of your tour time, which gives you time to park, get to the ticket office to pick up your tickets, and then take a shuttle bus to the House. No photos are allowed in the house, but photos are allowed everywhere outside.