Valley Forge - Part 1

My excursion for today was to Valley Forge National Historical Park, located just east of Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.  The areas of the village and park have a small overlap.  This is where the Continental Army established its headquarters after the British captured Philadelphia.  When I checked into the visitor center, a ranger gave me a map and showed me the route of a driving tour, most of which I followed.  The first place along the route was the Muhlenberg Brigade, an encampment led by Brigadier General Peter Muhlenberg, who had been a Lutheran pastor in Virginia.  The site includes these cabins, which would have housed enlisted soldiers.

Here are two more cabins at the Muhlenberg Brigade.

The next stop on the driving tour was the National Memorial Arch, built between 1914 and 1917.

The top section of the arch includes a quotation from General George Washington.

The road for the driving tour goes between the two Pennsylvania Columns.

Continuing west from the columns, the road leads to this statue of General Anthony Wayne, who had fought against the British in the Battle of Brandywine and later was court martialed - at his own request - for his role in the Paoli Massacre.

The driving tour's route once more continues west to the headquarters of General Henry Knox.  This native of Massachusetts had been involved in the Boston Tea Party and the transportation of cannons from Fort Ticonderoga in New York to Boston, after the fort was captured by Continental troops led by Benedict Arnold and the Green Mountain Boys led by Ethan Allen.  Here is a shot of Knox's headquarters, being checked out by a visiting family.

From this building, a walkway led southward to this bridge over Valley Creek.

A side trail connecting to the walkway led me to a place from which I could take a picture of this building, which looks like it has seen better days.  Part of a modern house is in the background to the left.  Nearby is the Philander Chase Knox Estate, in front of which several vehicles were parked, thus preventing me from taking any shots of it.  As it turns out, the estate is used mainly for wedding receptions.  As far as I can tell, P.C. Knox is not related to the aforementioned Henry Knox, but of his own right was a Senator (R-PA), an attorney general, and a secretary of state.

Also near the Knox headquarters is the Knox covered bridge, named after P.C. Knox.

The driving tour's route did not take me across the bridge, but had me turn right just before it.  I took so many pictures that I want to make two posts to present them all, so stay tuned for Part 2.