AT Museum Volunteer Newsletter - February 2016

February 2016
brought to you by Joe Harold, Appalachian Trail Museum Manager

The snow is sitting deep around the Museum as the picture below shows.  Before too long we will be cleaning up the building and getting ready for a new season.  I have been busy purchasing retail merchandise and planning the things that need to be done before we open once again to the public.  In this month's newsletter you will learn about the clean up day, some orientation sessions for new Docents and old timers alike and something about our upcoming Volunteer Picnic in April.  I hope you are all as excited as I am when you think about another season at the A.T. Museum.

____________________________________________

Clean Up Day 

I have scheduled this year's Clean Up Day for March 19th.  As usual, we will clean out the cob webs and dead lady bugs and get the place ready for another season, as well as spruce up the grounds around the Museum.  

Last year's cleanup crew

If you are interested in helping, please head on over to the VolunteerSpot Group Page and select the 2016 Museum Cleanup Day event.  We hope to meet around 9 am, where everyone will pick something to do and get to work.  I will provide light refreshments to help fuel everyone up.  

If anyone wants to help with the snacks, just let me know.  Thanks, Joe
____________________________________________

Orientation Sessions 

I have added five Orientation Sessions to the VolunteerSpot Group Page.  They are Friday, March 18th at 11 am, Saturday, the 19th at 1 pm (after Cleanup), Sunday, the 20th at 11 am, Friday, the 25th at 11 am and Saturday the 26th at 10 am (prior to first day of the season).  

Blah, blah, blah...

I have updated the Docent Manual and sent it out to all active Docents, but if you need a copy, you can find it on our website in the Volunteer area.  

If you want to refresh your memory or are someone new to volunteering at the Museum, these sessions will be very beneficial for you.  
____________________________________________

Volunteer Picnic 

I have scheduled this year's Volunteer Picnic for April 16th.  This picnic is for all those who give their time to the A.T. Museum or are interested in getting involved.  We think of it as a nice meet and greet with all the greeters and other volunteers.  I perfect way to get to know each other.  

There will be dogs and burger and all the other nice things that a picnic entails, especially getting together in our shared passion.  You can sign up to help with the food at the handy dandy VolunteerSpot Group Page
____________________________________________

The Barn Wall has Fallen 

You may have already heard, but as Punxsutawney Phil was getting ready to make his appearance, the old barn wall up on Michaux Road decided it was time to tumble down.  

Most likely the night of February 1st, as the temperatures once again dove below freezing, the wall decided it had had enough.  Down most of it came in what I imagine was a loud rumble.  

January 2014

I was camping a mile or so away out in the woods, but I didn't even feel a tremor as I shivered in my sleeping bag on about a foot of packed snow.  Our good friend Andre Weltman let me know about the wall on the morning of the 2nd and I headed up there to take a few pictures before going home that day.   

Feb 2nd, 2016

In the end, Mother Nature always takes back what is hers.  It is a little sad, but time moves on.  
____________________________________________

Planning Hikes 

For a while now, I have been hoping to schedule a little one or two night hike in our area.  I know a few of you are interested in strapping on that pack and doing a little walking, so I will try to commit to something this Spring.  What I'm thinking about is a little one or two nighter that covers about 20 miles of the A.T.  Caledonia would be the start after a simple shuttle from the Museum and we could stay at the Birch Run and maybe Toms Run shelter areas.  I haven't picked a date yet, but if anyone finds this interesting, let me know and we can start planning.  

You may have noticed that each year, I disappear for a little while as I feed my obsession with backpacking.  Last year, I hiked the Laurel Highlands Hiking Trail and also did some hiking with my wife in NY, ME and NJ on the A.T.  I really need my dirt time.

Setting up camp in NJ. Getting our dirt time.

This year, the plan is to participate in the North Country Trail's Hike 100 Challenge.  The challenge is in honor of the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service and the idea is to hike 100 miles within the year.  I hope to complete the challenge with about eight days of hiking.  Hiking through Northwestern PA's Allegheny National Forest. 

The way we hope to do it is an interesting technique my wife and I have used on the A.T. before.  We will use two cars. We park one, drive South in the other and start hiking North (or I guess East if you are talking about the NCT).  When we hike back to car one, we resupply from our car (or a nearby store) and leap frog car number two to another spot on the trail and continue hiking back to car number two.  Repeat until you are done.  The NCT is a lot different from the A.T.  Resupply is not as easy as on the A.T. and I'm pretty sure there are no Hostels at all along that 100 mile stretch of the Allegheny National Forest.  

I love planning hikes.  And I get even more excited when the plan becomes reality and I am on the trail moving along to my next goal.  The plan is to do this hike around the middle of June, just as the Solstice arrives.  
____________________________________________

The Volunteer Sign Up Site 

I have updated the VolunteerSpot Group Page and they are now fresh and ready for your sign ups.  In addition to the Docent shift sign up, we have Road Scholar, Orientation, Picnic and Clean up sign ups.  It's never too early to start planning your season.  Thanks to all who give their time. 

____________________________________________

Things Coming Down the Trail

March 18th, 2016 - First Orientation Session

March 19th, 2016 - 9 to Noonish - AT Museum Clean Up Day and Second Orientation Session. 
March 20th, 2016 - Third Orientation Session
March 25th, 2016 - Forth Orientation Session

March 26, 2016 - Last Orientation and AT Museum opens for the 2016 season

April 3rd, 2016 - Annual A.T. Museum Board Meeting

April 16th, 2016 - Volunteer Appreciation Picnic

April 25th,, 2016 - Road Scholar Hike

AT Museum Volunteer Newsletter - January 2016

January 2016
brought to you by Joe Harold, Appalachian Trail Museum Manager

We have begun a new year and with the turning of the calendar, a new season at the AT Museum will soon be upon us.  As usual, everything is looking good for another successful season at the Museum.  I continue the process of ordering retail items for sale and aside from some minor issues with one of the new heat pumps, the Old Grist Mill slumbers for now, awaiting the Spring and the foot treads of new visitors checking out the exhibits.

Watch this area transform next season...

____________________________________________

The Volunteer Sign Up Site 

I have updated the VolunteerSpot Group Page and they are now fresh and ready for your sign ups.  In addition to the Docent shift sign up, you can find the Road Scholar sign up and and also a Picnic sign up, for when we start having our annual Hiker Picnics and also our Volunteer Picnic.  

I have also placed the annual Museum Clean up Day (March 19th) on the group page. The clean up starts at about 9:00 am and we should be done around Noon.  Refreshments will be available.   

Once I determine when to have my Orientation days (for new and returning Docents), I will add that Sign Up to the Group also.  You can start picking your shifts now if you like. Hurry before they are all gone.  ;) 
____________________________________________

Community Read Update 

On January 8th, Larry Luxenberg and Jim Foster attended the Community Read Kickoff at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA.  

Community Read Kick Off

This is the third year that Longwood Gardens has teamed up with local libraries and community partners for the Community Read.  This program is designed to encourage reading for pleasure and to start a conversation.  This year's theme is "one person to inspire many" and features two inspiring titles.  

Grandma Gatewood's Walk, by Ben Montgomery

Grandma Gatewood's Walk by Ben Montgomery.  The story of Emma "Grandma" Gatewood, first solo, female thru hiker.  Emma is a Class of 2012 of the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame inductee and one of our main exhibits at the Museum.

On Meadowview Street by Henry Cole

On Meadowview Street by Henry Cole.  This book is an interesting offering to the younger crowd and we plan on adding it to our Children's Bookshelf in our ground floor Children's Area reading nook at the Museum.  

The Museum will be providing speakers for some of the local library events and we are planning our own event at the Museum some time in April.  You can find out more about the Community Read and the events at the Longwood Gardens Community Read page. 
____________________________________________

Museum Receives Grant from South Mountain Partnership 

Once again, due to the unwavering efforts of Gwen Loose, the Museum Societies Vice-President, the A.T. Museum is going to receive another grant to help us with the renovation of the top two floors of the Museum.  

The South Mountain Partnership has awarded us $11,500 to help complete the demolition, build-out and utilities on the top two floors of the Old Grist Mill.  The Museum will provide matching funds and donated labor.  Ron Bungay and his crew have been doing all the work on the two upper floors and Jack Adams and his crew have been building the ramp, which is an important part of making the upper floor accessible.  

The start date of the grant will be in February or early March, so no work will be going on until the grant is in effect.  That's ok, since it is pretty quiet in the Museum right now.  

Thanks Gwen, for your continuing support of the Museum.  We are well on our way with this grant.  Also, much thanks goes to the South Mountain Partnership, who have been an important part of the Museum's success and growth throughout the last several years.
____________________________________________

Spring Museum Volunteer Appreciation Picnic 

Last July, Ron and Carol Bungay had a great idea to have a Volunteer Picnic to show our appreciation to all our volunteers and also as a nice meet and greet, so that the volunteers could meet each other and get to know their counterparts.  We are planning on repeating this, but a little earlier in the season this time.  

Museum grounds picnic area

I have picked April 16th as a tentative date for the picnic.  We can use the new tables and fire ring on the Museum grounds and I will put up the two canopies if the weather doesn't cooperate.  

So if you give your valuable time at the Museum, or maybe are thinking about volunteering at the Museum, mark your calendars now and we will make this happen.  
____________________________________________

Sunday Public Programs 

Once again the Museum is hoping to offer a robust and interesting offering of Sunday Public Programs.  We are starting to book the presenters now and hope to offer great stuff throughout the season.  If you have something you would like to present, let me know and you can have an early pick of which Sunday you want to present.  Your topic can be just about anything, relating to the trail, the outdoors, the park, the area, you get the idea.  If the program can be held outdoors on our Rampatheater or down by the picnic tables, all the better.  

Send me a short description of your presentation and pick your date.  I will be updating the AT Museum Programs page on this site soon, so as of now.  All Sundays are open between Memorial Day and Labor Day.  
____________________________________________

Interesting Camp Michaux 

Whenever I have a few free hours, I have been heading up Michaux Rd. and walking around the ruins of Camp Michaux.  If you have never explored this place of ruins and the reclamation of nature, now is the perfect time.  I like to come up after the leaves have fallen and before the snows arrive.  You can see so much more when Mother Nature has loosened her grip on the blanket of plant life, which makes finding the ruins much easier.

Historical sign at the bottom of Michaux Rd

As I walk from ruin to ruin, pausing to read about what I am looking at in the Historical Societies self-guided tour of the area, I think about the three (really four) lives that this place has had in the twentieth century.  

Civilian Conservation Camp (CCC).  1933-1941.  In 1933, this camp was created on the property of the old Bunker Hill Farm (aka Gardners Farm).  That farm had supplied grain and other produce to the workers at the Iron Furnace down the mountain, but had not been farmed since about 1919.  The camp built Michaux Road and improved Ridge Road and did other conservation work in the area like replanting all the surrounding mountains that the iron industry had stripped of its hardwoods to make charcoal.  As World War II arrived, the manpower that made up the CCC was now needed for something more urgent.

POW Interrogation Camp.  1943-1945.  As the war progressed, the Army decided to transform the old CCC camp into a POW Interrogation Center.  Double rows of barb wire fence were erected in two different compounds and seven guard towers were built.  Its location and mission were shrouded in secrecy and intrigue.  German (and later some Japanese) prisoners were brought to Pine Grove for a short time to determine if they had any secrets to share that the Army could use to help win the war.  Its location was selected due to its remoteness and close proximity to Washington DC.  One prisoner who seemed to spend a longer time at the camp was a painter and many of his paintings of the camp still exist at various locations, including the Historical Society in Carlisle.  You can read a very interesting book about the camp titled Secret War at Home, which we carry at the Museum.  It details the POW era and also touches on the other lives of the camp.

Church Camp.  1947-1972.  After the war, the vacant camp was acquired by the Evangelical and Reformed Church and the United Presbyterian Church to form a Summer Church Camp.  As you can see by the dates, this was the longest duration of any of the three.  For twenty-five years, kids from the area would come and spend their summers, enjoying nature and practicing their faith.  The Appalachian Trail Conference would use their Michaux Lodge (previously a forestry office and interrogation building) for their winter meetings.  The Churches made many improvements to the camp throughout the years including a swimming pool that you can still find, sitting in the woods, filled with water and debris as it reverts back to nature.  When the Lodge burnt down in 1969 and the state would not rebuild it, the Church decided to cancel the lease of the property.  The buildings were dismantled and removed and all that remained were the stone and cement foundations.  Nature would take care of the rest.

Old Swimming Pool

One of the things I find interesting as I did my self-guided tour, is the remnants of some of the POW structures, like the bases of the guard towers and the indentation of the double fence row that can still be seen today, even after the Church had removed these structures when the converted the area to the Church Camp.  Another interesting thing is the non-native Yucca plants still growing in the area and the flowers that spring up where the old farm house used to be each spring.  

Fountain build in the CCC era still sits in the woods.

One of the bases of the old guard towers

The steps to nowhere. Used by the Church Camp for pictures.

If you ever want to fall down the Internet Rabbit Hole that is the Camp, check out this interesting website.  I have already spent hours scrolling down and reading the interesting stories.  It is called Camp Michaux - Farm - CCC, POW and Church Camp.

So, if you have a few hours, print out the self-guided tour and explore the place that was transformed again and again for different uses and finally, when the people left, Nature took back what was hers.
____________________________________________

Things Coming Down the Trail

January 22nd - 24th, 2016 - Northern Ruck - Bears Den Hostel, VA
March 19th, 2016 - 9 to Noonish - AT Museum Clean Up Day
March 26, 2016 - AT Museum opens for the 2016 season
April 4th, 2016 - Road Scholar Hike
April 16th, 2016 - Volunteer Appreciation Picnic
April 25th,, 2016 - Road Scholar Hike

AT Museum Volunteer Newsletter - Volume 2, Issue 14

Volume 2, Issue 14 - December, 2015
brought to you by Joe Harold, Appalachian Trail Museum Manager

The recent weather is confusing to me.  With only a few days until the winter solstice arrives, I'm wanting to see some snow.  60 degree days are for spring and early fall, not winter.  But the off season continues.  For me, that means, buying stuff to sell next year.  Work on maybe cataloging the artifacts we accrued this year and updating the Docent Manual and the other things I use to do this job.  The down time is needed, but I'm always needing to get into the woods during every season.  So I squeeze in what I can with the Holidays going on, and continue to have that itch that always needs to be scratched.  
____________________________________________

The Bionic Woman 

A few weeks ago, I received an email telling me that Niki "The Bionic Woman" Rellon would be hiking through the park in a few days and they were wondering if we could open the Museum for her as she came by.  If you don't recognize her name, she is an amazing woman that has been hiking the trail this year.  What makes her special, is when she completes (somewhere down in Virginia), she will be the first female amputee to complete a Thru Hike.  Niki is an amazing outdoorswoman, who lost her leg after a rappelling accident in Utah back in 2013.  You can read a little about her on Robert Sutherland's blog.  Her story is quite interesting.

The Bionic Woman, enjoying a Coke in the Museum

So this was right around Thanksgiving and one of our amazing volunteers, this year's Volunteer of the Year, Michele "Amma" Burton, agreed to be on standby (others volunteered to, thanks to all who offered to help) for her arrival.  As you know, hiker schedules can be erratic and you never know exactly when a hiker will arrive.  Their time tables are usually quite flexible.  Having a "local" around really helped me out.

So, Niki did come by and Amma was able to come down and show her the Museum and Amma being the Trail Angel she is, also went well beyond that with her help.  She brought here a big turkey sandwich that day then took her on a food run the next day then brought her home so she could clean up and have a nice bed for the night.  Niki, a German girl, cooked up some stroganoff for a nice meal

Amma and Bionic Woman up the mountain at Amma's place

Niki's last update on her Facebook page had her in Shenandoah overcoming a small problem with her leg, but she is getting close.  Congrats Bionic Woman.  Keep on hiking.

____________________________________________

The Halfway Point: Moving through PA since 1937 or so

You all know that "AT Halfway Point" is pretty much our claim to fame here at the AT Museum.  Pretty much on a weekly basis, I have the question about the Halfway Point and when I mention that the point moves, pretty much every year, because the trail length changes pretty much every year, I have devised a little Primer on the whys and wherefores of the living trail that we love so much.  Here is a little bit of information that I have gathered and try to pass on to our visitors when they inquire as to why the trail length changes and therefore why the halfway point moves.  

Back in 1937, when the "completion" of the AT was determined, there was a small knob just outside of Boiling Springs, PA that was named Center Point Knob and a bronze plaque was placed on a nice white rock in the middle of the trail.  The official length at this time was 2049 miles according to Publication No. 5 - 3rd edition.  The Mountain Club of Maryland was pretty proud of this point and tried hard to keep the official trail length the same, so the point wouldn't move.  But sometimes reality doesn't comply to peoples wishes. 

Center Point Knob

So, the reason the trail's length changes, is because the trail will never really be "complete"  There is always somewhere along the trail that needs attention.  It might be a large re-route that changes the length, or maybe a club will add some switch backs that improve the erosion control along a steep part.  Lately, I have been seeing that a simple re-measurement reveals that what was once thought of as being a .4 piece of trail, was actually .6 or something.  Things change.  So, long story short, the trail is a living trail.  Always changing in length.  Sometimes more, sometimes less, but always changing.  

When the trail length changes, so does the Halfway Point.  There have been a few more "permanent" markers along the trail marking the Halfway Point, but they never were accurate for more than a year or maybe a couple.  Now, long distance hikers like to have their little celebrations during their months long hike.  Getting halfway done of an over 2000 mile long trail is one of those events.  They like to know when they are "there".  They dance their dances, sing their songs, then continue on, maybe taking on the Half-Gallon Challenge at the General Store in the Park.

You have probably seen the marker we have outside the Museum.  This marker used to be about three quarters of a mile up Piney Mountain that rises up behind the Museum and was placed there in 1987 by 1985 Hiker Wood Chuck (the same guy who made the Museum's sign)  This marker stood up on that mountain for a couple of decades and was used in many celebrations and pictures even though the point had moved on to somewhere else.  At that time the trail length was 2138 (according to the math on the sign).

1987 Marker, now an artifact at the AT Museum

The next sign the PATC put up was in 2011 (also made by Wood Chuck) and is still standing about 3.5 miles south of the Museum.  This sign adds up to 2081 miles, so you can see that generally the trail has been growing as the years go by.  

2011 Halfway Marker.  About 3.5 miles south of the AT Museum

Back in 2013, when I got involved with the AT Museum and started spending more time on the trail in the area, I came across a place on the trail that was that year's Halfway Point.  There was no official marker, but the hikers had taken it upon themselves to create one.  They had made a small circle of rocks (very abundant material in our state) and formed a 1/2 inside the circle.  

2013 Hiker made marker

This formed an idea in my head.  I decided to help the Hikers out.  Each year, the ATC announces the Official Trail Length and the various AT Guide makers calculate where the Halfway Point is for that year and publish it in their guide.  I decided to take that information and create a place for hikers to mark their actual completion of half of the trail.  I made a small sign and laminated it and placed it in 2014's Halfway Point and the hikers came and did their thing.  It was kind of rinky dink, so I got mixed reviews, but that of course, left lots of room for improvement.  

2014 Halfway Marker.  Ol' Rinky Dink

The hikers would fix it up from time to time with their duct tape and it did last the season.  I asked Vern Graham, one of our Road Scholar Hike Guides if he could make something more substantial and he didn't disappoint.

2015 Halfway Point Marker

So this year, I placed my second movable, temporary Halfway Marker along the trail for hikers to enjoy.  The point was right where the trail crosses Dead Woman's Hollow Road.  This year I added a register so the hikers could record their thoughts.  I removed it for the winter in November.

The Official Length has been announced for the 2016 Season and the trail shrunk just a tad (.1 mile) and the Halfway Point moved a bit back to the North about .2 miles.  I will be placing an updated sign some time after the snows melt next year (if the snows ever come that is)  It will be along the old forest road that heads to the PATC Anna Mitchner cabin.  

And that's the story of the AT Halfway Point.
____________________________________________

Longwood Gardens

A little while ago, Larry Luxenberg and Jim Foster were contacted by Longwood Gardens about getting involved with a Community Read Program they were planning.  

The Gardens are this huge place near Philly in Kennett Square, PA and it is a wonderful place to visit that is open 365 days a year and something is always in bloom.  I hear their Holiday decorations are over the top.  A Community Read is when they pick a couple of books on a certain topic, one that would appeal to adults the other to children and promote events throughout the area.  For this next read, they picked Grandma Gatewood's Walk to promote and asked if we wanted to be involved as we represent the Trail in the area.  

A few days ago, Larry and I met with a group of librarians from the local area along with a representative of Longwood Gardens and discussed the program and the things we can do.  
The program is set to kick off in early January and most of the events will be in March and April.  We will be providing speakers to the local libraries and hopefully have an event or two ourselves in the Spring.  We will be sending out more information as the program continues.

Check out Longwood Gardens at their website http://longwoodgardens.org/
____________________________________________

Ramp Progress

Just a quick update on the second floor ramp.  We are getting close.  Here are a couple pictures of where we are stopping for the winter.  I can already envision how it will look when the faux bridge is finished up and we get all of our plantings around the ramp.  I think it will look good and will blend into the environment and building.   

Where the ramp will come into the deck

Ginger and the ramp

____________________________________________

Things Coming Down the Trail

January 8th, 2016 - Longwood Gardens Community Read Kickoff
January 22nd - 24th, 2016 - Northern Ruck - Bears Den Hostel, VA
March 26, 2016 - AT Museum opens for the 2016 season

AT Museum Volunteer Newsletter - Volume 2, Issue 13

Volume 2, Issue 13 - November, 2015
brought to you by Joe Harold, Appalachian Trail Museum Manager

I admit that I breathe a little sigh of relief and I can feel some stress leaving my body when closing day comes.  I really love when the Museum is open and welcoming visitors, but I also feel there is a time for rest and renewal, just like the trees of the forest, who drop their colorful leaves, store their energy in their roots and sleep until Spring.  It is just nice to not have to worry about filling shifts and organizing volunteers; at least for a while.

But, there is still plenty for me to do at and for the Museum.  Not two days after our "official" closing date, Ed Riggs and I opened the Museum for our last group of the season; I am conducting a full inventory of our retail stock and will start ordering new stuff for next season; I have lots of work planned for the new on-line store on our website, and there are always things to do in the Museum, to keep it safe for the winter and have it ready for the Spring.  As the seasons turn, so does the world of the A.T. Museum
____________________________________________

Annual Volunteer Recognition Event

Yesterday, we held our annual Volunteer Recognition Event, one of our favorite traditions at the Museum.  The day itself, was a beautiful fall day.  Clear azure sky, bright sun with a warm breeze occasionally rustling the fallen leaves around the Museum.

Refreshments in the basement

Volunteers mingle and talk

We started the event with some light snacks in the renovated basement, followed by a dedication to our new serviceberry tree that was planted in the middle of October.  We dedicated the tree to Katy Sexton, one of our most valued and dedicated volunteers, who passed away last year.  Larry said a few words about the dedication and then Jay told us a story of Katy and how she loved the serviceberry.  Georgia told us a little more about the tree and Red Wolf followed up with some interesting information.  It was a moving dedication.

Our new Serviceberry Tree

Larry Speaks

Jay shares a story of Katy

Georgia talks about the wonderful things we will see on this tree

Red Wolf speaks

Katy and Duffy

Next, we all headed to the Ironmasters Mansion to eat so much food, it was ridiculous. There was squash soup, meatballs, vegetable lasagna, pork bbq, corn pudding, baked ziti, meatloaf, salad, and more.  There were many pies and cookies for desert.  It was all very filling.

We finished up the event with our recognition part.  After talking about our milestones and accomplishments of the year, we thanks those of you that have gone that extra mile, whether you were present or not.  We also awarded our second annual President's Award to Gwen Loose and our Volunteer of the Year was Michele Burton.  

Gwen Loose - 2015 President's Award

Michele Burton - 2015 Volunteer of the Year

The museum exists because of all the volunteers.  Every minute that is donated is appreciated so much.  I thank you all for what you have given to the A.T. Museum and I hope you want to continue to serve at the Museum next season.

____________________________________________

Museum Closes for the Season, Re-Opens for School Group from Texas

November 1st was the last day of the season for the A.T. Museum, but we weren't done welcoming visitors.  A school group from Texas made arrangements to come visit the museum on November 4th and we were able to accommodate them for the second year in a row.  

Large group from Texas hanging out in the pavilion

Ed Riggs and I set up the place and three large groups rotated through the Museum in between doing other things like play by the pavilion and take a hike from Michaux road back to the park.  Once we give the kids a couple of challenges, they seemed to get a little more out of the Museum part of the visit.  After the last group came through, I shut everything down (this time for the season) and headed out to my car.  They were still having fun down at the pavilion and had made a nice fire in our new fire ring.  

Camp fire to end the day

____________________________________________

Camp Michaux

I'm sure most of you are aware of the amazing thing in the forest that is Camp Michaux.  This place, which are just the ruined foundations of a once great open area has a lot of history.  The area started off as a farm that supported the Iron Furnace and its workers by providing wheat and other produce.  In the early 1930s, it became a Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) camp and these guys replanted the mountains and built Michaux Road.  

When the war started, the CCC basically ceased to exist, as now those men were needed to fight the war.  Soon that remote camp became a POW interrogation camp, where valuable information was gleaned from the prisoners before they were moved to a traditional POW camp.  

After the war the camp was turned into a Church Camp that was active from the late 40s to the early 70s.  The place was a Church Camp longer than the CCC camp and POW camp combined and lots of kids created many fond memories of the place over the years.

I have become very fascinated with this area.  We take the Road Scholar Groups through the camp and show them a few of the ruins and talk about the camps some, but I have been wanting to explore the whole place for a while now.  I did that last week.  

The steps to nowhere. They used to take group pictures here.

This is the best time to walk through the camp.  The leaves have fallen from the trees and the underbrush has died back for the winter and you can see some of the ruins a little better.

The Cumberland County Historical Society has a nice self-guided walking tour that you can download and print from their website and we have an interesting book at the Museum that concentrates on the POW years.

I also found a very interesting website that has a lot of pictures from all the versions of the camp, but concentrates more on the people who went to the Church Camp.  

Water fountain built by the CCC

If you are looking for a nice walk around the forest this fall or winter.  Check out Camp Michaux.
____________________________________________

Eagle Project Improves Museum Grounds

Ali the Boy Scout has finished his Eagle Scout project.  He and his crew, rebuilt the fire ring, providing an area with a grate where you can cook.  They also built two picnic tables for the area and a nice fire wood rack.  I am very pleased with his work and wish him the best of luck on making Eagle.

New tables and fire ring

We hope to have a couple of nice picnics next year using these new fixtures on our grounds.

____________________________________________

Things Coming Down the Trail

March 26, 2016 - AT Museum opens for the 2016 season