Recap of my Winchester Battlefields tour

JeffFromSyracuse

Sergeant
Joined
Jul 6, 2020
Location
Philly Suburbs
I'm currently spending the week at my mother-in-law's near Harrisburg, PA. Having never visited fields in the Valley, I took advantage of the observed 4th of July Holiday and made the 150-ish mile drive to the closest fields in the lower valley. I went furthest to closest.

First stop: Tom's Brook. Just an interpretive plaque in the middle of a frisbee golf course in a county park. But informative and lovely scenery.

Second stop: Fisher's Hill. Probably my favorite stop of the day and likely the steepest hill I've climbed on a battlefield (I've never climbed Big Round Top in the summer). Very well interpreted, and quite charming, as you share the field with a small herd of cows.

Third stop: Cedar Creek. They have a temporary ranger station set up, and the ranger working was very knowledgeable and happy to answer all of my questions. The best part of the field was on NPS grounds, where there are several trails that start around the Vermont memorial, where the walking tour gave a great account of the initial flank attack. The rest of the field felt sort of disjointed and underwhelming, but hopefully as time goes on, the different land-owning groups can keep working together to paint a more vivid picture.

Fourth stop: Pritchard-Grimm Planation for the Kernstown Battlefield. A lovely little museum. The volunteers were extremely friendly, knowledgeable, and accommodating (it was their first day open since the start of the Pandemic). The walking tour they have is very nice, and a land acquisition by the ABT will soon expand their grounds.

Fifth stop: Rose Hill Park. Also part of the 1st Battle of Kernstown. It was a mile trail with interpretation as part of a regular park. A nice, quiet place.

Sixth stop: Star Fort. Located in a housing development, the site is small but well preserved with some interpretation.

Seventh stop and Final stop: Third Winchester. I have to say, I've never been so disappointed in a battlefield. I'm sure the Pandemic really messed things up for them, especially with the remodeled visitor's center not open. That said, I feel as though I came through at the wrong time of a transition. I didn't have a trail map, and the image I took a picture of at a trail head wasn't up to date. At least 30% of the interpretation signs were missing, with small signs that said new versions were coming soon. There was one sign that I could not even find. I relied on Google Maps to understand where I was on the trail, and there were unmarked off-shoots into deep woods that I had no reference for. Maybe I just came at the wrong time, but it seemed like the field was lacking something.

All in all, a great trip. I walked about 13 miles, drank at least a gallon of water, and enjoyed my day, even though it was above 90 degrees!
 
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