Day 7 Saturday 10/28/17
With some
driving to do, I left the Motel 6 shortly after sunrise. Hwy 11 south got me started. Cutting through the Bridgewater College
campus brought me to Hwy 42. One bonus
of leaving that early, I beat the homecoming crowd at the college.
Hwy 42 south
brought me to Natural Chimney’s Regional Park.
The place was crowded with RVs and very little signs of life. In the back of the park site sits its
namesake. The spires range from sixty-five to
one hundred-twenty feet tall.
Five hundred million years ago this was all underwater. Between the forces of erosion and seismic upheaval cylindrical holes formed in the sandstone. The holes filled with sediment and hardened. The sandstone eventually eroded away, leaving these columns.
Five hundred million years ago this was all underwater. Between the forces of erosion and seismic upheaval cylindrical holes formed in the sandstone. The holes filled with sediment and hardened. The sandstone eventually eroded away, leaving these columns.
I didn’t stick
around very long in the park. I worked
my way back to what I thought was Hwy 42 and continued south. As expected, I was driving through farm
country and not thinking anything of it.
Suddenly I came to an unexpected T intersection with Old C&W Railway Road. A half mile or so further I came across what looked like an old train station. The side of the building read Staunton, which actually was on my AAA map, but it looked like it should have been a much bigger place, and much further down the road.
Fortunately, there are plenty of resources available on line about abandoned rail lines. The Chesapeake Western Railroad, aka Robert E. Lee's Railroad, had its own tale to tell. It all began in 1871 with the Washington, Cincinnati and St. Louis Railroad which was to connect Washington DC to Cincinnati, through Harrisonburg. Some of the grading work was completed around Harrisonburg before the project was scraped. Twenty years later it was revisited as a line connecting the coal fields of West Virginia to Bridgewater and on to Harrisonburg. That would be the C&W Railroad. It was extended to Stokeville in 1902. The Stokesville section was shut down in 1930. The rest was eventually bought out by Norfolk and Western Railroad and is still in use today. But why was it nicknamed Robert E. Lee's Railroad? After the Civil War, Lee returned to Virginia. A few years later he took a position as Spokesman for Shenandoah Valley Railroad, which was later bought out by the Chesapeake and Western Railroad.
While I do enjoy an unexpected history lesson, I still had no idea where exactly I was. The roads had numbers, but they weren't on my map.
Suddenly I came to an unexpected T intersection with Old C&W Railway Road. A half mile or so further I came across what looked like an old train station. The side of the building read Staunton, which actually was on my AAA map, but it looked like it should have been a much bigger place, and much further down the road.
Fortunately, there are plenty of resources available on line about abandoned rail lines. The Chesapeake Western Railroad, aka Robert E. Lee's Railroad, had its own tale to tell. It all began in 1871 with the Washington, Cincinnati and St. Louis Railroad which was to connect Washington DC to Cincinnati, through Harrisonburg. Some of the grading work was completed around Harrisonburg before the project was scraped. Twenty years later it was revisited as a line connecting the coal fields of West Virginia to Bridgewater and on to Harrisonburg. That would be the C&W Railroad. It was extended to Stokeville in 1902. The Stokesville section was shut down in 1930. The rest was eventually bought out by Norfolk and Western Railroad and is still in use today. But why was it nicknamed Robert E. Lee's Railroad? After the Civil War, Lee returned to Virginia. A few years later he took a position as Spokesman for Shenandoah Valley Railroad, which was later bought out by the Chesapeake and Western Railroad.
While I do enjoy an unexpected history lesson, I still had no idea where exactly I was. The roads had numbers, but they weren't on my map.
Eventually, I found myself in deep forest and passed a sign telling me I was just miles from the West Virginia Border. I knew I wasn’t anywhere near where I thought I was. With minimal connection on my phone(first
world problems) I wasn’t getting enough clear information from google maps
either. I just knew West Virginia was in
the wrong direction. So, I backtracked
to the last intersection and made my best guess.
Ten minutes
later I came across Natural Chimneys Road…again. Eventually this would being me back to the
actual Hwy 42 south. I followed it until
Goshen where I picked up Hwy 35, crossing this bridge that’s been standing
since 1890.
When I came to
a stretch of road called Goshen Pass, I pulled off and took a few shots of the
Maury River.
Eventually, I
came to Hwy 11. I’ve driven this stretch
before and the last time I stopped into Natural Bridge State Park. I thought about revisiting it, but the lot
was jammed full, so I drove on.
But, I did
stop at a place called the Pink Cadillac Diner, and yes there is a pink Cadillac out
front. It was your basic diner, but with
50’s memorabilia on the walls and a juke box in the corner complete with
45s. The foot was noting special, but Brittnay took good care of me.
I'd gone a mile or so when I passed this curiosity. It's the vision of Mark Cline. Like me, he's a sucker for odd roadside attractions. In the 1990's he created this space and started filling it with dinosaurs, pirates, leprechauns, giant bugs and space aliens. Unfortunately, it all burned down in 2001. You can see more of what's inside here.
I'd gone a mile or so when I passed this curiosity. It's the vision of Mark Cline. Like me, he's a sucker for odd roadside attractions. In the 1990's he created this space and started filling it with dinosaurs, pirates, leprechauns, giant bugs and space aliens. Unfortunately, it all burned down in 2001. You can see more of what's inside here.
Hwy 11 brought
me to Hwy 130. Driving through Glasgow,
I pulled off for an overlook of the James River and the valley below.
Further down the road I saw two bridges side by side and people walking around. One bridge was fenced off for the railroad. There was also a set of stairs under the tracks and over to the footbridge.
Further down the road I saw two bridges side by side and people walking around. One bridge was fenced off for the railroad. There was also a set of stairs under the tracks and over to the footbridge.
Eventually, I did make it to the Super 8 in Appomattox for the night. After ditching my stuff in the room I worked my way out to Appomattox Courthouse. In 1865, this was a quiet community. That all changed in April when Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia met Union General Ulysses S. Grant's army in one of the very last battles of the Civil War.
Lee's army had been tasked with protecting the Confederate capital of Richmond. Grant's army laid siege and one by one cut off Lee's supply chain. After ten months, Lee informed Richmond he could no longer protect the capital. Lee's best hope for continuing the war was to head southwest and try to link up with General Johnston's Army of Tennessee, currently in North Carolina.
Grant knew this and as Lee worked his way west, so did Grant, always keeping his army to the south to block Lee's escape. Lee had a supply train waiting for him at Appomattox Courthouse. He just needed to get there.
They battled on April 6th, at a place called Sailor's Creek. It slowed down the Confederate Army and resulted in the surrender or capture of 7,700 men. It also allowed an advance for of Union troops to arrive at Appomattox Station first and capture the supplies.
Two more battles on the 7th and Grant sent Lee a note suggesting he surrender. Lee declined, but asked for his terms.
By the morning of April 9th, Lee had become fully aware of his situation. Lee sent a note to Grant hinting of surrender, but asking for his terms. Grant wrote back asking where he would like to meet. A ceasefire was arranged and they agreed to meet in the home of Wilmer McLean. Ironically, McLean had moved here from Manassas, site of the first battle of Bull Run four years earlier.
The two men met in the parlor and Lee asked Grant to write out his terms. Remembering a recent meeting with President Lincoln, none of the Confederate soldiers were to be punished. They were to simply lay down their arms and go back to their homes. Lee asked if the men could keep their horses. Grant agreed and the surrender was signed. Grant's army even fed the surrendered Confederates. He also told his own troops, to keep any celebration low key. The surrendered troops were not to be humiliated.
This of course didn't end the war. General Johnston surrendered his army a week and a half later. The last of the Confederate forces would surrender in May.
Lee's army had been tasked with protecting the Confederate capital of Richmond. Grant's army laid siege and one by one cut off Lee's supply chain. After ten months, Lee informed Richmond he could no longer protect the capital. Lee's best hope for continuing the war was to head southwest and try to link up with General Johnston's Army of Tennessee, currently in North Carolina.
Grant knew this and as Lee worked his way west, so did Grant, always keeping his army to the south to block Lee's escape. Lee had a supply train waiting for him at Appomattox Courthouse. He just needed to get there.
They battled on April 6th, at a place called Sailor's Creek. It slowed down the Confederate Army and resulted in the surrender or capture of 7,700 men. It also allowed an advance for of Union troops to arrive at Appomattox Station first and capture the supplies.
Two more battles on the 7th and Grant sent Lee a note suggesting he surrender. Lee declined, but asked for his terms.
By the morning of April 9th, Lee had become fully aware of his situation. Lee sent a note to Grant hinting of surrender, but asking for his terms. Grant wrote back asking where he would like to meet. A ceasefire was arranged and they agreed to meet in the home of Wilmer McLean. Ironically, McLean had moved here from Manassas, site of the first battle of Bull Run four years earlier.
The two men met in the parlor and Lee asked Grant to write out his terms. Remembering a recent meeting with President Lincoln, none of the Confederate soldiers were to be punished. They were to simply lay down their arms and go back to their homes. Lee asked if the men could keep their horses. Grant agreed and the surrender was signed. Grant's army even fed the surrendered Confederates. He also told his own troops, to keep any celebration low key. The surrendered troops were not to be humiliated.
This of course didn't end the war. General Johnston surrendered his army a week and a half later. The last of the Confederate forces would surrender in May.
No comments:
Post a Comment