Monocacy National Battlefield

 In the summer of 1864, Confederate General Lee ordered his troops to march towards Washington DC which was lightly defended because the bulk of the Union forces were engaged in the siege of Petersburg and Richmond. However agents of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad noticed signs of General Early's movements and tipped off the Union commanders giving them time to assemble 6,000 Federal troops under General Lew Wallace at Frederick, Maryland. The armies met on July 9 and the ensuing battle which only lasted from 8:30 to 5:00 resulted in victory for the Confederate Army. The Union was forced to retreat but the battle delayed the Confederates long enough for Union troops to arrive in Washington and prevent the capture of the Union capitol.

 The visitor center has a short video, exhibits, and a fiber optic battle map which makes it easy to follow the movements of the troops. A brochure is available for a five stop self guided auto tour. Short trails branch out from the parking spaces at each stop. 

 

The visitor center is accessible. The interpretive signs at the first stop, the Best House, are accessible but the trails are not. The trails at stop 2 and 3 are not accessible. We did not stop at 4 or 5 however a short portion of the trail at stop 5 is designated as accessible. It's possible to see the battlefield and understand the action by reading the information on the brochure at each stop. 

The visitor center parking lot is large enough for RVs. The auto tour lots parking areas are large enough for short RVs. One section of the tour road is gravel in fairly good condition. Route 355 which cuts through the middle of the battlefield is busy making left turns onto it from the tour route difficult. Battlefield  39.37739, -77.39496

Thomas Stone National Historic Site

  At 33 years of age, Thomas Stone was the youngest  signer of the Declaration of Independent. He came from a wealthy family and was a lawyer when he bought the property now owned by the national park. Formerly a tobacco plantation, the land had been worked out but was still suitable for raising livestock, grain, fruits, and vegetables which were tended by 25- 35 slaves. The house that Stone had built in 1771 was in the family until 1936.

  The house is open for tours but during our visit it was closed due to coronavirus. The visitor center has a few exhibits. A couple of trails loop through the property and provide access to the outbuildings and tenant house.

  The visitor center is accessible. The trail to the house starts as a boardwalk but the majority of it is over lumpy, grassy ground which is tough to push through. The loop trails are also grassy and a hill south of the tenant house is extremely steep. I do not recommend trying the loop trails. There’s an accessible parking space at the house so driving to it may be an option. There’s ramp to one section of the house
      

The parking lot is large enough for any RV. Park  38.53027, -77.03588

Smallwood State Park

  The 984 acres of this park was once part of General William Smallwood’s tobacco plantation. Smallwood served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War and also as the 4th governor of Maryland.

  The park is located on the Mattawoman Creek where it flows into the Potomac River. None of the sites border the creek but there is a marina and boat ramp. Smallwood’s house has been renovated and is open to tour on very limited dates. A couple of trails meander through the property.

   I don’t like to make reservations because it’s hard to tell the condition of the sites and plus there’s often a reservation fee which makes the campsite expensive for a one night stay. Occasionally  that backfires. Due to coronavirus all sites at Smallwood must be reserved. Our internet was slow to bring up the park site and we had to call the Maryland park office with only minutes to spare before it closed. Luckily we ended up with a very nice site.

The park has 15 sites. None are designated as accessible but many can be used. We did not walk the trails because of the  cold weather and recent rains. The house wasn’t open. Park  38.55304, -77.1872

C&O Canal Towpath–Great Falls

   Construction on the C&O Canal began in 1828 and ended in 1850. When completed it connected the tidewater of Washington, D.C. to Cumberland, Maryland, a distance of 184.5-mile. Fish, salt, bricks, and potatoes went upstream; pork, lumber, grain, coal, and stone headed downstream on the return trip.

   By the 1920s the railroads became the major cargo carriers and the canal fell into disrepair. In 1938 the US government became the  owner of the canal and young men of the CCC were put to work repairing the canal and locks. Additional repairs have been sporadic over the years, slowed by flooding and changes in political parties but by 1960 the entire 184.5 miles could be hiked and biked. The canal became a National Historic Park in 1971.

   We took a walk along the towpath from the Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center south for about 1 1/2 miles to where the canal widens at Turtle Rock. We also detoured to the Great Falls Overlook Trail which has great views of the rocky Potomac River. There’s no way that a boat full of cargo could navigate those waters!

  The canal path is surfaced with finely crushed rock and is accessible. The Great Falls Trail is a combination of sandy soil and boardwalk. Wheelchair users may need assistance on a steeply arched bridge. The view at the end of the trail is blocked by the top of the railing. The visitor center was closed but it is accessible.
 

 

  The parking lot is very large. RVs can be parked lengthwise across the spaces. Towpath  39.00483, -77.24554

 

Glenstone

   Glenstone is a private art museum, funded by billionaire businessman Mitchell Rales who created it as a philanthropic project after a near death experience. The museum is more than the works of art displayed in the buildings. It’s the buildings themselves, the setting of the buildings, the meadows and the wood and the paths the wind through them, and the art that is located along the paths. Photography is not permitted in the galleries.

 

  Admission is free but you can’t just show up and get in. Only a certain number of visitors are admitted each day and the entry slots fill fast.  My sister, whom we were visiting in Washington DC, checked several times a day for cancellations and grabbed a couple of slots as soon as they became available. Thanks Gail!

  Accessibility is a mixed bag. There are three parking lots, all surfaced with loose gravel. None have bus or RV spots. When we arrived a parking attendant directed us to the edge of one of the upper lots even after we asked for accessible parking. It was very difficult to push through the gravel however it is possible to be dropped off at the paved pathway to the museum. The pathway is 1/3 mile long and has a gentle uphill slope. A  cart may be requested for a ride up the hill. I don’t know if it is wheelchair accessible.

  The museum galleries are accessible except for Room 5 which features a sculpture by Michael Heizer. The sculpture is an arrangement of 15 steel beams positioned in a 16-foot-hole in the ground, surrounded by gravel. Museum docents guard against visitors falling in the hole. Only three people can go in the room at one time so a line forms. Nowhere is there an indication that wheelchairs are not permitted and we waited in line only to be turned away when we got to the head of the line. Fortunately we did not wait long.

  The path to the galleries is paved. The Woodland Trail is not paved but surfaced with hard packed gravel. It goes steeply down hill to a beautiful wooded area with a stream and a boardwalk. I thought it would start to gradually go back up the hill at the other end but instead there are steps which are not marked on the map in the museum brochure. Do not go on this trail unless you have a very energetic assistant. Museum   39.06262, -77.25352

Ladew Topiary Gardens

  Inherited family money from the leather manufacturing business allowed Harvey Ladew to retire in his 30s. He perused his love of fox hunting in both the US and Europe which lead to the purchase of  22 acres in Maryland that bordered a hunt club. There he set about restoring a house that was on the property and then turned his attention to the gardens What makes the gardens unique are the many topiary figures.The most amazing are a full sized horse with rider, hounds, and poor little fox that they are chasing.

 

  The gardens brochure has a path marked to avoids steps but still visit the majority of the garden. Wheelchair users will need assistance as most of the paths are rough or grassy. The gardens closes at 3:00 and we did not have enough time to see the butterfly house, nature walk, the manor house, or the barn gallery. We did visit Harvey Ladew’s studio where he painted and sculpted.

 The entrance to the parking lot is narrow with low hanging branches. We were fine with our small class C but larger RVs may not fit. The parking lot is large enough for RVs. Gardens  39.57983, -76.51458

Cumberland Visitor Center–C&O Canal Tow Path

   The first shovels of dirt were tossed aside on July 4, 1828 at the groundbreaking ceremony for the C&O Canal. Twenty-two years later the canal stretched 184.5 miles from Washington, D.C., to Cumberland, Maryland  and included 74 locks, 7 dams, 11 aqueducts and a 3,118-foot tunnel. Over the next 74 years canal boats transported thousand of tons of diverse cargo such as flour, coal, whiskey, bricks, ice, pork, and potatoes. The canal was totally abandoned by the early 1930s when competition from the railroads and flood damage made operating it economically impractical.

  The canal was designated a National Historical Park by President Nixon in 1971. The tow path which is mostly gravel and dirt is maintained for hiking and biking. We went a short distance both north and south from the Cumberland Visitor Center. We also crossed the canal to visit George Washington's Headquarters.

  South of the visitor center the the tow path goes from pavement to boardwalk and then to gravel. Going north the tow path connects to the Great Allegheny Passage which continues for another 150 to Pittsburgh, PA.  The section through the city is paved but I think it soon becomes gravel.

   To get to George Washington's Headquarters follow the ramp to upper level of the old train station. Sections of boardwalk make crossing the tracks fairly easy. Another ramp goes down to the headquarters which is a small cabin used by Washington in the 1700s during the French and Indian War and the Whiskey Rebellion. The cabin is not opened and there isn’t a ramp to access the porch. A push button is within reach and activates a recorded historic account. There are also interpretive signs.

          

   The visitor center was closed due to coronavirus but it does have a ramp for access.

   We parked in the accessible parking spaces on Canal Street. We stuck out in the street a bit but there wasn’t much traffic so it was okay. A pay lot is adjacent to the accessible parking. It’s a little too small for RVs but RVs should fit in the free parking lot on Howard Street under Interstate 68. Watch the overhead clearance.  Visitor Center  39.64962, -78.76268

Allegany Museum

     An abundance of coal and and a good transportation network consisting of the National Road, (the first federally funded road), the C&O Canal, and several railroads helped make Cumberland, Maryland a major manufacturing site. The museum exhibits cover breweries, glass making, and tire manufacturing along with some of the smaller businesses. Unfortunately the last of the industries closed in the 1980s.

      

    The museum has two unusual exhibits – the carvings of folk artist Claude Yoder and four amazingly detailed scenes from Sleeping Beauty that were originally displayed in the windows of Saks Fifth Avenue in New York City. They were rescued by Gary Baer, a Myersdale, PA toy store owner, and are on loan to the museum.

  

   The museum is in the process of adding a large new exhibit on the development of Cumberland as a transportation hub. We got a sneak peak and what we saw looked very interesting.

   Everything is accessible but a word of caution. The elevator acts up. It stopped working and the person that fixes it lives miles away. Tony had to thump me down two flights of stairs with a worker in front just in case he slipped.

  The parking lot is small. Our 25’ motorhome is about the limit that will fit. There’s a free parking lot on Howard Street under Interstate 68. Watch the overhead clearance.  Museum  39.65004, -78.76206