Road Trip - Maryland! (Day 5)

May 29, 2013 (Wednesday)



C&O N.H.S. - Great Falls Tavern -Mike helping with the locks!

We were up and on the road a bit earlier than normal since we were headed towards the DC area. The first stop for the day was the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (C&O) National Historical Park. There is a small fee to enter the site - $5 per car. There are numerous visitor centers along the nearly 185 mile stretch of the Potomac River. We stopped at the Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center. There are some exhibits inside of the old locktender’s house and they are worth a quick peak. The really cool thing about this location is that they have canal boat rides.

There was a load of school kids going for a ride so we were able to watch the lock fill, open, and see the mules pull the boat down the canal. Mike even got to help open the lock! The canal system lifts canal boats from near sea level to 605 feet – 74 locks that make up the grade difference.

South of the visitor center there is a short walk that takes you to the Great Falls Overlook – It was a nice easy walk that had a lot of shade and the overlook was beautiful!  There are many other hikes that spur off the towpath as well – pick up a map at the visitor center.

Next stop – Clara Barton National Historic Site and Glen Echo Park. The history of this area is rather interesting.  Twin brothers Edwin and Edward Baltzley received $250,000 for an invention - a reversible egg beater (1888). With that money they invested in real estate –516 acres of land.  They intended to create their own town for high society people – the town was named “Glen Echo on the Potomac”. They founded the Glen Echo Railroad and began to sell building sites. The Chautauqua Union of Washington DC chose Glen Echo as their assembly site. Chautauqua was organized to teach bible study, organization and management, but also grew to offering summer courses all summer long.  Many buildings had to be built to accommodate all of the courses. The Baltzley brothers over-extended themselves and fell into debt; this forced the discontinuation of the Chautauqua programs at Glen Echo. By 1899 amusement park rides were added to the site, as were ball fields, bowling, boating, picnic area, and a dance pavilion. The site did well as an amusement park. A pool was also added to the site. The popularity of Glen Echo peaked in the early 1940’s. Along came World War II – boat rides were discontinued due to gas shortages, the shooting gallery closed since ammunition was difficult to obtain and many of the park workers joined the armed services.  Segregation was an issue during the 50’s and 60’s with protests occurring at the park entrance.  In 1955, the park was sold and became a full blown amusement park. In 1968, the amusement park closed and was bought by the General Services Administration in order to protect the Potomac Palisades and to provide additional park lands. In 1970, the title was transferred to the National Park service. Now, the park offers a wide variety of classes – focusing on the arts. Many of the old buildings have been renovated and many elements at what was originally on site still remain. The Carousel, I believe, is the only ride that remains in operation.

Okay, so know how the Clara Barton site ended up here… The Baltzley brothers offered to give Clara Barton a house if she would head the Chautauqua Women’s Executive Committee in there development. Also, since she was an influential person at the time (1891) they thought it might help sell building lots. Clara Barton saw the house as a way to benefit the Red Cross and she accepted the offer.  She found the community too remote and commuting to DC was difficult so she only stayed in Glen Echo during the Chautauqua season. A few years later (1897), a trolley line extended to Glen Echo and Clara moved to the Glen Echo home full time at that point. 

Perhaps, I should have first told you who Clara Barton was. Clara Barton was the founder of the American Red Cross. The background is rather interesting and she was a very brave and determined woman.  She spent time in war stricken areas and then at natural disaster sites.  The home is open for free tours on the hour. The tour lasts about an hour and was interesting.

Wow, I spend more time than expected on those two interesting sites. Next on the docket was Great Falls Park in Virginia.  This park is nearly directly opposite of where we were early at the C&O Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center. Great Falls Park provided a much better view of the falls and has three different viewing platforms.  There are a few exhibits in the visitor center but really the trails and falls are the highlight. The entrance fee paid to get in at the C&O site works to get in at the Great Falls Park site.

The last stop of the day was Arlington National Cemetery.  Parking is $1.75 for the first three hours.  The Cemetery is open at 8am-5pm or 7pm, depending on the season. There is a tour bus that you can hop on to get you around the cemetery ($8.75-$4.50). We just walked to the more well-known sites – which probably are the only places the bus takes you also. The welcome center as maps available as well as some interesting exhibits and displays. 

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier changing of the guard ceremony takes place every hour and during April-September at the half hour too. Other notable spots to visit include the Kennedy gravesites and the Arlington House. The Arlington House – The Robert E. Lee Memorial is a NPS site. The view from the Arlington House is impressive. The home is open from 9:30 to 4:30. The home site is currently under renovations, but you are able to walk through a large portion at this time. 

The evening was capped off with a visit with one of Mike’s college classmates. We met up at EW Beck’s Pub in Sykesville, not far from where we were camping.  The place was busy and the service in the bar area left a lot to be desired. The staff was nice enough put the TV on the Detroit Red Wings hockey game. The downtown area was very quaint.