Jasper County Democrat, Volume 19, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 July 1916 — VALLEY FORGE ONE OF NATION’S MOST VENERATED SPOTS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

VALLEY FORGE ONE OF NATION’S MOST VENERATED SPOTS

Hills and Valleys Where Washington Camped in 1777 Have Been Made Beautiful by a Grateful Nation—Visited by Thousands

8—“ ——— Thousands of visitors . Boston never leave at city until they have sited Concord and xington, 20 miles my, to gaze upon the Where the embattled And fired the shot How many visitors to liladelphia remember at at Valiey Forge, a sv minutes’ ride from our city hall, is a locality fully as significant in its historic associations as Lexington? Here, in the lonely woods of Valley Forge, Is the spot forever hallowed where Washington knelt upon the snow and prayed In the extremity of despair that the cause of liberty should yet be successful, says the Philadelphia Record. Thousands of visitors do, Indeed, visit Valley Forge, but many thousands more would do so if they realized the pleasure which attends such a trip, altogether apart from the rich reward to be gained by seeing with theft* own eyes the ground where a handful of ragged and starving men, paupers In everything save their store of indomitable courage, fought cold and hunger—enemies more relentless than hostile troops—through that terrible winter of 1777. For now the beautiful woodlands that line the Schuylkill, the slopes that enclose the Chester Valley, are ideal spots for a day’s Jaunt. That anyone within Philadelphia should not make a pilgrimage to Valley Forge, less than an hour’s ride from the city, seems unthinkable. Valley Forge Is extremely accessible. Two railroad lines, a traction car line and automobile passenger omnibuses running from the city to all the points of Interest in the vicinity, make it an extremely_easy matter for

any tourist to reach Valley Forge and enjoy the day there. A dozen splendid Inns in the neighborhood, located among the pleasant hills of the beautiful Chester Valley, are famous among automobtlists for their cordial welcome, their appetizing dinners and their attractive rooms. Some of them have the added charm of recalling, by their Colonial architecture and their quaint furnishings the historic days when they were first erected. In no locality, outside of Europe, can be found so many delightful wayside taverns as are open to the rambler through this lovely valley. PATRIOT ARMY STARVED. Washington and his little army of some 10,000 men—equal only to the hundredth part of the vast force which Germany is now putting on the field in France —after the unsuccessful battle with the British under Lord Howe at Germantown, withdrew in discouragement to take up winter quarters at Valley Forge, 24 miles northwest of Philadelphia. The British troops, numbering 15,000, contented themselves with remaining in the city throughout the winter, making occasional forays in force through the surrounding country and clearing it of provisions as effectually as did Sherman in his march through Georgia. As

a consequence, the Continental troops suffered unimaginable hardships for lack of food in the qix months from the middle of December, 1777, until June 19, 1778, when Lord Howe, relinquishing the command of the British army to Lord Cornwallis, evacuated the city and withdrew to New York. Through the efforts of the state of Pennsylvania, Valley Forge is now public property. More than 400 acres are Included In the park, comprising Washington’s headquarters, most of the campground and the remains of the Revolutionary forts and earthworks. Altogether the state has appropriated more than $350,000 for the preservation of the campsite. Pleasant drives have been constructed

where impenetrable thickets once grew. The entrenchments and forts that were concealed in a dense wood a few years ago are now accessible to visitors. The fine drives of the park attract horsemen and automobilists in great numbers. By the principal road the ascent of Mount Joy, an elevation of 500 feet, is made by easy grades, and from the brow of the hill views covering 20 miles are obtained. WASHINGTON’S HEADQUARTERS. Washington's headquarters, a stone farmhouse which belonged to Isaac Potts, a Quaker, stands near the railroad station, and at the entrance to the park. It was Isaac Potts who is said to have seen Washington at prayer in the icebound woods, at a time when hope seemed almost gone. The rooms are today as they were in Washington s time. The log kitchen at the rear was built while Washington occupied the house. FVom it descends an entrance into what was a tunnel to the banks of the Schuylkill river. Priceless Revolutionary relics are gathered in the building. The tent which Washington used on the field is still preserved. entrance to the park stands the beautiful memorial arch of stone built by the nation and completed last year. It is known as the Washington Memorial arch, and to be called the Steuben Memorial arch, is planned for the other principal entrances of the park. For beauty and impressiveness no similar structure in the United States, with the exception of the Washington arch in Washington Square, New York, whose design is similar, can compare with that which now stands at Valley Forge.

FINE MEMORIAL BUILDINGS. Other new edifices of curpassing beauty and dignity are the group of memorial buildings erected by popular subscriptions from citizens of every state. They Include the Washington Memorial chapel, the Thanksgiving tower and the Patriots’ hall. Services are held in the chapel by its rector, the Rev. W. Herbert Burk, who started the movement for the erection of the buildings in 1903. The entire group of buildings are of the beautiful Collegiate Gothic type of architecture. They house a collection of Revolutionary relics and a library of Americana which is unique. It is estimated that $200,000 will be needed to complete the structures as planned. When finished they will constitute a sort of Westminster abbey, without comparison in the United States for historical associations, a Mecca for all patriotic Americans from every part of the nation. It is estimated that 100.000 visitors from all over the United States make a pilgrimage to Valley Forge each year. With the inauguration of Philadelphia’s Greater Fourth of July, signalized by the visit of President Wilson, members of congress and delegates from each of the, thirteen original states of the Union, great interest was evident in 1915, when the richness of Philadelphia’s historic memories were brought more closely to the attention of the whole nation. Americans from Maine to California visit Valley Forge. Do the citizens of Philadelphia realize what an exceptional opportunity they themselves have of spending a memorable afternoon in a place so near at hand, so crowded with memorials of the most critical period in American history, so beautiful in its setting among the cool, green hills of Chester Valley, so attractive in every way to the person who wishes to escape for a day the city streets?

Where Washington Lived.