184.5 Miles of History, Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park

Lock House

Traveling down the interstate, I find it hard to imagine an America without roads and highways. You can drive from the east coast to the west coast along one continuous high-speed route. This was hardly the case back in 1828, when ground was broken for the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal. With the goal of driving western expansion and moving goods from east to west, this monumental transportation project hoped to connect the Chesapeake Bay with the Ohio River. Today, the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park shares the legacy of transportation in the growth of our nation.

Canal Boat

Competing with the innovative new form of steam powered transportation, the C & O Canal went head to head with the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. As digging commenced along the northern banks of the Potomac River, construction of new railroad tracks carried on almost parallel to the canal.  Eventually, the canal would loose this battle and fall well short of its goal of reaching the Ohio River. But despite this short fall, the canal operated successfully for nearly one hundred years, moving people and cargo from Georgetown to Cumberland, Maryland. 

Canal Aquaduct

The C & O Canal could not keep up with the new technological advances in transportation. The first competitor, the railroads, was later replaced with widespread use of automobiles. The complex system of locks, lock houses, aqueducts, and flood gates were no match for less labor-intensive forms of transportation. The C & O canal's short falls met its match when extensive flood damage closed the canal in 1924. Despite its years of faithful service, plans were soon underway to remove the canal and pave a highway over this transportation legacy. 

Turning Basin

Mule Statue Cumberland, Maryland

Advocates would emerge to fight for the canal and its iconic towpath, the flat trail, used by mules to tow barges up the canal. First declared a National Monument in 1961 and then dedicated as a National Park in 1971, the C & O Canal National Historical Park protects this unique transportation legacy for future generations. 

One can’t help but wonder, will people will be fighting to save historic interstates and highways 100 years from now? 

Lock

History under the Border Fence, Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park

Border Fence at Brownsville, Texas

Located on the north bank of the Rio Grand, a unique piece of shared history sits in exile stuck between two nations. Not much is left of the historic Fort Brown site other than a few earth works and a rich archaeological record. A vertical canon sticking out of the ground is the only clear evidence of the events that unfolded at this location. 

As part of military tradition, the vertical canon identifies the spot where Major Jacob Brown fell during the siege of Fort Texas. Following the battle the fort was renamed in his honor, as was the town of Brownsville, which developed around the fort.

Sitting between a fourteen-foot border fence and the Mexican border, this historic site rests in a kind of no-man’s land between two countries. The geographic situation presents a real challenge for both the historic preservation of the site and the interpretation of its lasting legacy.

The challenges Fort Brown faces today are fitting given its history. 

Palo Alto National Battlefield Park 
Visitor Center

Established in 1845 by Zachary Taylor’s Army of Occupation, the fort played a pivotal role of instigating a war with the neighbors just south of the U.S. border. Following the annexation of Texas and a few tense months on a disputed borderline north of the Rio Grande, hostilities broke out when a Mexican siege attacked the fort, resulting in the battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma.

These events led to the U.S.- Mexican War, a war that would forever change the fortunes and futures of both nations. America would fulfill its manifest destiny, reaching to the Pacific Ocean, while Mexico was reduced to roughly half its size. 

Mexican Lines on the Palo Alto Battlefield

This unique chapter in the history of both nations can be experienced at the Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park, where the Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma battlefields are protected and interpreted for visitors.

What about Fort Brown?  

Stuck in the neutral zone between the border fence and Mexico, the fort is symbolic of a legacy shared by two nations, trapped behind a wall of ignorance and fear.

U.S. Lines on the Palo Alto Battlefield 

Honoring the King of the Mountain, Kings Mountain National Military Park

Although Kings Mountain National Military Park was established in 1931, honoring the legacy of Kings Mountain runs much deeper.

Located near the border between South and North Carolina, the battle of Kings Mountain was an important turning point during the southern campaign of the Revolutionary War. A group of backcountry militia men overran loyalist forces under the command of Major Patrick Ferguson providing a much needed boost to the morale of patriot forces throughout America. This Military Park honors the patriot victory of October 7, 1780.

Original 1815 Chronicle Marker next to a replica

The first memorial to the battle appeared on Kings Mountain in 1815 with the dedication of the chronicle marker, the second oldest battlefield monument in the United States. Over the years a series of monuments and markers emerged on the slopes of Kings Mountain honoring the events that took place there. In 1909 the U.S. Monument was dedicated, towering 83 feet near the top of Kings Mountain. Despite the historic events of the battle and efforts to remember the sacrifices of the fallen through monuments, it was not until 1931 that congress created the Kings Mountain National Military Park.

U.S. Monument 

Rather than introducing new commemorative monuments, the National Park Service manages the Military Park to reflect the landscape and forest as it looked during the time of the battle. These efforts rely on the innovative use of controlled fires to burn the forest’s understory in an effort to return the site back to its appearance during the 1780’s. The growth and management of non-native plant species is also tightly controlled, which allows native plants to flourish in the Park. The natural environment in the Military Park looks very different from the surrounding areas, and gives visitors a unique glimpse into our past.  

Forests of Kings Mountain

Battlefield hiking trail

Coastal Defenses to Climate Change, Gateway National Recreation Area

Battery Weed,  Staten Island New York

Verrazano-Narrows Bridge

Defending our nation’s harbors is serious business, and Gateway National Recreation Area provides an opportunity to explore the history of coastal defenses. From early earth works to guided missiles, our military has spent millions of dollars protecting the entrances to our nation.  

Surprisingly, now the greatest threat to these amazing fortifications is not an invading army but the effects of global climate change. Rising sea levels and the increasing number of devastating storms, like Super Storm Sandy, have taken a toll on these defenses like no other military force could.

Fort Tomplins, Staten Island New York

While working on an urban camping study for Gateway National Recreation Area, I explored a number of the coastal defenses at the park. By far the most impressive fortifications are at Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island. Nicknamed, the Guardian of the Narrows, Fort Wadsworth sits at the mouth of New York Harbor by the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. 

Military defenses have existed on this site for over 200 years and date back to before the Revolutionary War. The two sites that make up Fort Wadsworth are Fort Tompkins and Battery Weed. The thick masonry walls of Fort Tompkins command the high ground overlooking the harbor entrance. While the Civil War era Battery Weed sits at water level providing a clear shot at any vessels foolish enough to try entering the harbor.

Guardian of the Narrows

Sandy Hook, a narrow barrier island in New Jersey, makes up yet another part of Gateway National Recreation Area and is home to Fort Hancock. Established in 1874, this site was the U.S. Army’s first proving grounds for new weaponry and would serve the nation through two world wars. During the cold war, Sandy Hook became a critical part of the Nike Missile Defense System as masonry walls gave way for surface to air missile launch pads. The batteries and remnants of these Nike sites can be seen today, but as Super Storm Sandy raged along the east coast, the storm surge submerged the majority of Sandy Hook.  

NIKE Missile at Sandy Hook

To the north of Fort Wadsworth one can visit another key part of Gateway National Recreation Area, Floyd Bennett Field and Fort Tilden. During the golden age of aviation, Floyd Bennett Field was New York City’s first Municipal Airport and went on to serve our nation during World War II as a training location for Navy pilots. Another barrier island, Fort Tilden also housed military defense batteries and was the location of numerous Nike missile launch sites. Like Sandy Hook to the south, the barrier island of Fort Tilden was pounded by Super Storm Sandy.

With the increased frequency of violent weather, it is hard to ignore the rising evidence of climate change and the "science" behind it. With these mounting threats to costal heritage, what will the future be for our legacy of coastal defenses?  

Antietam National Battlefield, Stepping into the History of the Civil War

Getting to serve as the project manager for the Antietam National Battlefield Foundation Document was a real honor and a highlight of my 2012 travels for the National Park Service. 

Although there are a number of battlefield sites throughout the National Park Service, Antietam holds an iconic place in American history.

Referred to as America’s single bloodiest day, Antietam is not only the site of great sacrifice, but a real turning point in the Civil War.  The Union victory on these western Maryland fields gave President Abraham Lincoln a much-needed opportunity to finally release the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. This changed the course of the Civil War, from a war to preserve the union to a moral crusade to end slavery.

Antietam was one of the original five battlefields parks (Chickamauga & Chattanooga, Antietam, Shiloh, Gettysburg, Vicksburg) to be created in the United States during the 1890’s. While Yosemite and Yellowstone are credited as the first National Parks, these battlefield parks represent a new way to think about both preservation and the commemoration of historic landscapes.

The integrity of the rural landscape allows visitors to experience a sense of how it felt to be present on September 17, 1862 when the Army of the Potomac and the Army of Northern Virginia clashed. Even with the addition of commemorative monuments and markers along the rolling hills, you can still get a sense of the desperate struggle that raged along the Bloody Lane, or over Burnsides Bridge.

With the 150^th anniversary of the American Civil War in full swing, take a few moments to reflect on the sacrifices of the fallen, read a book about this pivotal time in our nation’s history, or forge a deeper connection by visiting one of the many historic sites and stand in the steps of history.