Valley Forge National Historical Park, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

The Declaration of Independence has been signed in the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia in the colony of Pennsylvania declaring independence for the thirteen colonies from Great Britain.  The American Revolutionary War was still being fought.  Great Britain had captured the city of Philadelphia.  In December of 1777, the Continental Army under the command of General George Washington established an encampment west of the city in an area called Valley Forge.  Most of you have heard the stories of the brutal cold winter in December of 1777 in Valley Forge that made many of the roads impassable, which also disrupted supplies to the army.  Today, when you visit the Valley Forge National Historical Park, you can visit the sites when the men were encamped.  You can visit replica cabins and see replica cannons.  By the way, if you do not enjoy cold weather, it is good to know that you can visit the park in the summer as it is open year round.

Some of you are saying, “I remember hearing about Valley Forge.  Those conditions must have been very bad.  Those soldiers had to be very brave.  There are numerous big problems with Valley Forge.  First, there was no railroad in Valley Forge when the men were here.  George Washington died before the railroad began.  Because Valley Forge, the American Revolutionary War, the Continental Army, and George Washington have no history with the railroad, I will not be making my brutal visit here.”

Let us take a look at this.  The encampment at Valley Forge was established in December of 1777, and it lasted until the summer of 1778.  The American Revolutionary War ended in 1783, and that was also the end of the Continental Army.  General George Washington who later was elected the first President of the United States of America died in 1799.  The railroad did not begin in North America until February of 1827.  So, you do have a point when you say that the Valley Forge National Historic Park has no connection to the railroad.  Ladies and gentlemen, there is more to the story of Valley Forge.

As mentioned, the railroad did not begin in North America until February of 1827.  The first railroad line was built in the city of Baltimore in the U.S. state of Maryland by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company.  As with many other industries, other railroad companies began.  Among them was the Reading Railroad who built a railroad to bring the coal from the coal mines of the northern and central regions of the state of Pennsylvania to the ships docked at the ports of Philadelphia.  In the year 1842, they built a rail line along the Schuylkill River.  This brought the line to pass by Valley Forge.  (The Schuylkill River runs on the northwest side of the park.  It is not accessible from the park itself.)  The Valley Forge National Historical Park was established in 1893.  A small train station was built allowing visitors to travel by train to the park.  At the time, the train was the only way to get to and from the park.  As more visitors came to visit, a larger train station was needed.

In 1911, a grander train station was built.  The train station was built in a Colonial Revival style.  It was built in the same style as George Washington’s Valley Forge Headquarters was built using the same materials.  The station was also the visitor center for the historical park.  As the passengers stepped off the train, they looked down into a valley overseeing the historical park.  When the current visitor center was built in the 1960’s, the train station ceased as the only entrance to the park, but train service continued until the 1980’s.

Now some of you are saying, “I know.  The train station was demolished, and the train tracks were taken up.  It is the same old story.”

Wrong!  The elegant train station remains.  It may no longer be an active train station, but it has been preserved as a museum.  You can walk the old train platforms.  The ticket office and waiting rooms are exhibit space showing the story of not just the train station but the happenings at Valley Forge.  As for the train tracks, the Reading Railroad no longer runs along here, but, if you are fortunate enough, Norfolk Southern Railway may reward you with a passing train.

Yes, the Valley Forge National Historical Park has a history with the railroad, but that is not the only reason to visit.  It is a place where freedom loving patriots endured great hardship to fight a war to make the United States of America the Land of the Free.

The Valley Forge National Historical Park is open year round.  It is located near U.S. Route 422 and Interstate 76 (Pennsylvania Turnpike).  You can get information on the hours and get directions and how to get to the park by public transportation at https://www.nps.gov/vafo/index.htm.

The next time you hear or think about Valley Forge, think about the harsh conditions the soldiers and families lived under.  Think about the man, George Washington.  Think about how the railroad brought visitors to see American history.