Eleanor Rose is Heading North

There's not much time for posting from the road, but I couldn't wait to put up this pic. It's always exciting to find a piece of history in an unexpected location.

This is just a miniature historical recreation, but it was still quite a find. While walking around downtown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the last thing on earth I expected to hear was a steam whistle! It took only a few minutes to find the source, in the public park on City Island in the middle of the Susquehanna River. It was a reproduction of The General from the great locomotive chase!

This is not a typical city park kiddie train engine that is powered by a lawn mower engine. This is live steam; water boiled by burning LP gas or propane, from pressure tanks hidden in the tender.

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I wonder how many of the locals know the General was owned by a Southern railroad.

We found Harrisburg to be a nicer city than we expected, loaded with friendly people.
Trains and Civil War- something for each of you!
Have you been to Strasburg yet? Take a side trip to Steamtown in Scranton....
Enjoy!
 
There's not much time for posting from the road, but I couldn't wait to put up this pic. It's always exciting to find a piece of history in an unexpected location.

This is just a miniature historical recreation, but it was still quite a find. While walking around downtown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the last thing on earth I expected to hear was a steam whistle! It took only a few minutes to find the source, in the public park on City Island in the middle of the Susquehanna River. It was a reproduction of The General from the great locomotive chase!

This is not a typical city park kiddie train engine that is powered by a lawn mower engine. This is live steam; water boiled by burning LP gas or propane, from pressure tanks hidden in the tender.

View attachment 141120
View attachment 141121
I wonder how many of the locals know the General was owned by a Southern railroad.

We found Harrisburg to be a nicer city than we expected, loaded with friendly people.
Looks like the fun is beginning.
 
Have you been to Strasburg yet? Take a side trip to Steamtown in Scranton....

We covered Strasburg many years ago, but may go back next year. We're in Scranton right now. The trolley museum (affiliated with Steamtown) is our first stop today.

Scranton was a major source of iron rails for the US during the Civil War.

Yesterday's main events were the Pennsylvania state capitol and Harrisburg's Civil War museum. There's so much to show and talk about at the museum that it may need to have its own thread.
 
We covered Strasburg many years ago, but may go back next year. We're in Scranton right now. The trolley museum (affiliated with Steamtown) is our first stop today.

Scranton was a major source of iron rails for the US during the Civil War.

Yesterday's main events were the Pennsylvania state capitol and Harrisburg's Civil War museum. There's so much to show and talk about at the museum that it may need to have its own thread.
Thanks for your response.
Happy to hear you are enjoying your 'march through the northeast'! Look forward to hearing more!
 
Looks like I'll have more time tonight for posting Harrisburg pictures. It's cold and wet in Boston, the wind is blowing hard enough to destroy an umbrella, and we're 5 or 6 blocks from the nearest subway station. Tomorrow's forecast is worse. My wife's part time employer picked out this hotel. We always choose one that is no more than one block from a subway entrance, because you can never count on Boston weather.

I know that the "Confederate high water mark" at Gettysburg is more conceptual and abstract than geographical, but there is also a geographic high water mark, the northernmost point reached by the CSA army in the eastern theater. Before Lee decided to converge his forces on the town of Gettysburg, lead cavalry elements were scouting ahead of the infantry, approaching the city of Harrisburg, which was lightly defended by members of a New York City militia. They had two small defensive works anchoring their line along the crest of a low ridge immediately beyond the Susquehanna River. That ridge can be seen in both of the pictures below, taken from downtown. In the first one, larger mountains can be seen beyond, colored slightly by haze.

There was some minor action along that line, as Jenkins' cavalry probed it sufficiently to reveal its strength. There was no focused attack made because Lee had given no order to make a serious move to take Harrisburg, and the infantry never advanced much beyond Carlisle. As far as I know, there was never a specific plan finalized for crossing the Susquehanna River, which would have been difficult and dangerous. It's a wide river with a swift current.

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Eleanor Rose will be heading back south soon! We couldn't come home without stopping by Gettysburg for a few days. Our first stop was Sweney's Tavern at the Farnsworth House. We met two locals at the bar and almost missed our dinner reservation upstairs. You know we're having a great time if we forget to eat! We're staying at the Federal Point Inn for the first time. Built in 1895, the inn was once the Meade School. When it was dedicated in 1897, the president of the local school board said the school would display “high character” and “give the children of Gettysburg all the advantages that other towns enjoy”. It was the only high school in the area at that time. It was converted into an elementary school in September of 1909. The inn is supposed to be haunted, but we haven't spotted any ghosts yet. I'll be sure to let you know if we do!! :unsure:
 
Eleanor Rose will be heading back south soon! We couldn't come home without stopping by Gettysburg for a few days. Our first stop was Sweney's Tavern at the Farnsworth House. We met two locals at the bar and almost missed our dinner reservation upstairs. You know we're having a great time if we forget to eat! We're staying at the Federal Point Inn for the first time. Built in 1895, the inn was once the Meade School. When it was dedicated in 1897, the president of the local school board said the school would display “high character” and “give the children of Gettysburg all the advantages that other towns enjoy”. It was the only high school in the area at that time. It was converted into an elementary school in September of 1909. The inn is supposed to be haunted, but we haven't spotted any ghosts yet. I'll be sure to let you know if we do!! :unsure:
The Inn is haunted!!! Get out now! :D

Too late I guess. Please report any activity. On my next visit to Gettysburg (... please let there be another) I would like to stay at Farnsworth House. One of my favourite photos from the restaurant ... Sam Elliott's shirt he wore as John Buford in the movie.

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