Valley Forge

I love how we spaced out this trip.  Wednesday was the crazy busy day, but we managed to do a LOT in one day.  In the morning we did Hershey then drove one hour to Amish Country.  Then we only had to drive another hour to get to Valley Forge where our hotel was for the remaining 3 days of our trip.  Everything we wanted to see was SO CLOSE that it made the trip easier.

Valley Forge was an encampment where the Americans camped out for the winter during the Revolutionary War.  There was no bloodshed or fighting, but still over half the men/boys there died due to cold, sickness, & disease.  It was a beautiful area & it was really neat to go places that George Washington actually stood on.  It makes me happy that I married a history buff like myself & that our kids love it as well.

We bought the audio tour here as well which made our trip easier with my bummed out foot.  I wasn't able to get out & about with the family on this one due to all the steps & hills that my crutches wouldn't go to, but Trek took lots of pictures for me while I waited at each stopping point in the van.  The kids had a blast learning about it all too.

These were cabins that they built that 12 enlisted soldiers would bunk in.  TWELVE.  Can we say cramped?

The monuments here were just as beautiful as they were in Gettysburg.

This was George Washington's house during his stay at Valley Forge.  Most of it is still in original condition which is amazing to me.  It's a really NICE house for the 1700's.

The first room was the sitting room where Washington would meet with his officers & plan for future attacks against the British.

This was his bedroom where he slept during his time there.

There were also several other rooms where guests of honor or other officers would stay when they came to visit George Washington.

The kitchen was small, but served it's purpose well.

Surrounding George Washington's house were several cabins where his "secret service" stayed 24 hours a day watching for suspicious activity.

Valley Forge is much smaller than Gettysburg, but it was fun hearing the Revolutionary War side of things since we got a lot of Civil War information the day before.  It was beautiful there.