More Sightseeing

Recently, Ward and I took a trip to western WV to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Most of it was spent enjoying the mountain scenery and trails, but we spent a little time also exploring man-made things. 

Here are a few more scenes from our recent trip.

On the way there, we stopped at Lonaconing Park in MD. The park was centered around a coal and iron furnace that was built in 1837. This is one of several furnaces in the area that is rich in iron ore and coal. BTW, this was the first furnace to use coke instead of coal for smelting.

Also, on display was this old coal mine car complete with the track.

And right on cue, a coal train went by. 

After one morning of cold hiking, we had a look around the nearby town of Thomas (population 550). This building greeted us as we entered the town.

Across the street was this carved Pegasus. 

We visited the local library. It was a small, but friendly space that served not only the community but the nearby school.  And yes, we did come home with a couple of books from their book sale. 

The first stop on the way home was a visit to the Fairfax Stone State Park.

There wasn't much to see, but I wanted to visit because I had heard about this surveyor's stone all of my life. The first one was laid in 1736. This replacement was erected here in 1901. The stone marks the boundary between West Virginia and Maryland and had been part of land disputes and court cases for many years.

We followed another road sign to this chapel which claimed to be the smallest chapel in the lower 48 states. The grounds and the inside of the chapel were very pretty.

On our way to our next planned destination, Cathedral State Park, I was intrigued by this old stone tavern. Unfortunately, it was a private residence, so I could only admire it from afar.

This trip proved once again that if you take the time to look around, there are always interesting things to see.  (Of course, "interesting" can have a very broad meaning depending on who defines it.)

Until next time...