We took a day to explore Valley Forge National Historic Park in Pennsylvania.

We have mixed feelings about historical interpreters. We’ve seen some that are disturbingly creepy, but the Ranger’s at Valley Forge were top notch and a wealth of information.

The new country didn’t have an army when the revolution began. General George Washington had to organize and train an army while fighting the war itself. When Washington and his men arrived at Valley Forge they didn’t have lodging. The soldiers had to build their own log huts. There was a competition to see who could get done first. The log huts you can see today are all reconstructions of what would have been there during the 1177-1778 winter.

They’ve got some of the huts open so you can see what they might have looked like.

Trying to build and train an army all while fighting the war was just one of Washington’s challenges. Remember…at this time, the United States of America was a newly formed family. It was more like 13 families all trying to learn how to live in the same house. So, the first thing Washington had to do was unite the men into one army. He needed to ensure that the men’s allegiance was to the newly forming United States and not to their home state.

French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon had a life mask made of Washington when he was studying Washington to do a sculpture so when you look at this statue, you’re looking at a very realistic depiction of George Washington.

The house above served as both residence and office for Washington and his staff during his stay at Valley Forge. Unlike the log huts, this is the original building.

The National Park Service has tried to get period pieces to show what Washington’s office would have looked like.

The house went through a few different owners who made some changes during the 100 years after Washington resided there.

When the Park Service got control of the house, they tried their best to restore it to what it was while Washington was there.

Through all of the changes the banister was never changed. So…we all had to touch the same banister that George Washington touched as we walked up the stairs.

In December of 1777, 12,000 soldiers and 400 women and children made their way into Valley Forge. Six months, 1,500 log huts, and two miles of fortifications later Valley Forge was the fourth largest city in America.

The boys got their 42nd badge at Valley Forge. They don’t do it for the swag…we don’t force them to do it…they do it because they love to learn and it gives them something to do while we’re at a National Park. It’s fun for the whole family.

I couldn’t leave out the flowers. I’ve just got this one picture, but I thought these pale pink flowers were so pretty!

See y’all down the road!

#easternloop2016