Park Units 111-115: Antietam National Battlefield; Harpers Ferry NHP, Cedar Creek and Belle Grove, Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail

We (Catherine, Jason, Jillian, John and I) had a busy first day of our trip! We drove to Hagerstown, MD last night, then arrived at Antietam National Battlefield early in the morning. We did some of the walking tour which was quiet and foggy and the countryside was beautiful.

The visitor's center had a long film that explained the civil war battles here in great detail and we were all left shaking our heads at the nature of war during this time and the horrible loss of lives. More people were killed in the one battle here than in the American Revolution, the Spanish-American War and the War of 1812 combined.

We spent only about an hour here, then drove to Harper's Ferry which is close by. We took the shuttle bus to the restored town. Without cars drive through the town, it felt more historic and calm. There were lots of interesting things to do and see. The town has lots of mini-museums such as the Provost Marshall Office, Boarding House, Dry Goods store, African-American history, etc.

We also walked down to the junction of the Potomac River with the Shenandoah River and walked across the railroad bridge which is part of the Appalachian Trail. Great views of the river valley.

Many of the buildings were constructed right into the limestone in the area and used fieldstones and brick for building materials. Our favorite spot was an exhibit of how they use archeology to learn more about the buildings and lifetime of that time period. It showed lots of techniques and clues to determining the history of the building. This site is also part of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail that runs from Maine to Georgia and the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, linking the tidal Potomac to the upper Youghiogheny river basin.

There were a handful of nice restaurants and we had a terrific lunch outside, even though it was misting a bit.

We traveled next to Cedar Creek and Belle Grove, another historical park commemorating an important civil war battle. We started at the Belle Grove plantation which has just restored the barn from the 19th century and we walked the grounds and viewed the plantation home.

At the Cedar Grove visitor's center, they had a slide show about the important battle there, but the best part was the typical old diorama with a modern surprise: it lit up to show where the troops were and where they moved and fought. It was mesmerizing! It also gave us a much better understanding of events in the area.

Finally, we ended the evening in Winchester, VA old town. This is an impressive historic restored village that has modern use as stores and restaurants. We enjoyed a terrific Korean/Japanese dinner and walking around looking at the old buildings. We'd highly recommend this for an interesting evening!

Tomorrow we are off to Shenandoah National Park!