This campground is family owned just 5 miles outside of Hancock located on a wooded mountain. It is well maintained with a camp store, friendly staff, clean laundry facilities, large pool, hiking trails, horse barn with riding trails. Good size campsites, with full hookups and fire rings. There a permanents sites as well. I wouldn't say all sites are level but again you are in the mountains. We would come back here again as we would like to ride the bike paths in town, kayak and ride the motorcycle through the rolling mountains. We rate it a 3.
Driving to the campground we notice abandoned orchards with old homes boarded up and no trespassing signs (all of which looked alike) posted everywhere, seemed strange to us. The road to the campground off the main highway reminds us of a rollacoaster. We would get up speed and coast all the way. Anyway, on Monday we went into town to the visitors center and learned some interesting facts.
One of the major industries for many years was fruit production (apples). In 1886, Edmund P. Cohill began the planting of commercial orchards. Other orchard men followed, and by 1925 over 5,000 acres of land were devoted to commercial fruit production. At one point, Maryland produced over two million bushels of apples. During its hay day the town was booming. Migrate works were hired and apples were shipped to far away places like Europe. Then OSHA stepped in with labor laws making it difficult for the orchard owners and slowly one by one the orchards shut down. At one point it is said that a German doctor bought the orchards. The towns people would still pick the fruit to feed their families but the doctor got nervous about liability and had all the trees sprayed so they would quit producing. The doctor has since died and all land has gone to his estate. I think it is a very sad story and would have loved to see all the orchards in their prime.
The C&O Canal reached Hancock in 1839, and the Western Maryland Railroad arrived in 1904.
The C & O Canal
Mile 124.1
Just 31 miles from Hancock, there is the amazing Paw Paw Tunnel that was built through a mountain to handle the C&O Canal.The Paw Paw Tunnel, at times referred to as one of the "Wonders of the World," is one of the major features of the canal. It was estimated that construction of the 3118' tunnel would take two years. Instead, it ended up being fourteen years between the onset of construction and the opening of the tunnel to traffic.
Some of the problems faced by the builders of the tunnel were ethnic violence which broke out among the Irish, English and Dutch workers, financial woes, and a general underestimation of the difficulty of the job.
The completed tunnel was only wide enough for one boat to go through at a time. When a boat arrived at a tunnel entrance, a boy would be sent to place a lantern at the other end to signal to oncoming boats that the tunnel was already occupied. Usually this sufficed. However, from time to time boats would meet in the middle and one would have to retreat. On one memorable occasion, the captains of the two boats which met in the middle were particularly stubborn. For days, neither would agree to turn around. Finally the section superintendent of that part of the canal could stand it no longer. He bought all the cornstalks he could and built a roaring fire at the upwind end of the tunnel. Both boats exited very quickly.
You can still walk through the 3,118 foot long tunnel, but we suggest that you not forget to bring a flashlight. Again, we will check this out on the Harley when we come back.
Headed to Mercer PA to visit my Aunt June and cousins tomorrow.
Excited for you 2. Can't wait till we can be out there with you.
ReplyDelete