Historic Site

Centralia PA On Fire

Near-ghost town in central Pennsylvania that has been gradually abandoned due to a coal mine fire that has been burning slowly underground since 1962. Coordinates are for the “graffiti highway”, abandoned SR 61.

Clara Barton Homestead

The Clara Barton Birthplace Museum is open seasonally and by appointment. Guests enjoy a rich learning experience touring Clara’s childhood home.

Columbus Chapel and Boal Mansion Museum

Home of eight generations of the Boal family for over 200 years with the original furnishings. A centuries-old chapel of the Columbus family imported from Spain in 1909 containing the Admiral’s Desk of Christopher Columbus, fine European art.

Fort Griswold

800 men led by traitor Benedict Arnold destroyed the “immense” stockpile of goods and naval stores kept here. Buildings, wharfs and ships were soon in flames. One hundred and forty-three buildings, nearly all the town, were consumed.

Fort Ticonderoga

Historic fort and living museum. On May 10, 1775, Ethan Allen, Benedict Arnold, and the Green Mountain Boys crossed Lake Champlain from Vermont and at dawn surprised and captured the sleeping garrison. This was the first American victory of the Revolutionary War.

Gerlach NV

The sleepy ex-mining desert town of Gerlach (pop. 107ish) provides an isolated hub for desert tourism and outdoor activities in the northwest corner of the state. The nearest town is 60 miles away and the only paved road in/out is NV 447, heading to Fernley NV and Eagleville CA. The annual Burning Man Festival is held in the desert nearby, helping to keep the local economy propped up, and there is fuel, a mom-n-pop hotel, and a couple small restaurants that are worth stopping in for a bite and to jaw with the locals, who are very friendly.

Nearby Guru Road, a very rough but short stretch of gravel, features a popular art installation and place for self-reflection that is worth checking out. The town has long been a revered stop-in for long-distance motorcyclists, seeking a bit of desert isolation and desert-crazy.

Hildene – Lincoln Family Home

In the beautiful green mountains of VT is the home of Abraham Lincoln’s only son that survived to be an adult. The guided tour really explains life in this mansion back in the early 20th century. The surrounding grounds are truly remarkable and very beautiful.

Longfellow’s Wayside Inn

Great look into the way things used to be. There are a few attractions scattered around the property that are worth seeing, including Martha’s Chapel, the old Schoolhouse, and the nearby picturesque Grist Mill, which iis just down the street and has its own parking area.

Mabry Mill

One of the most photographed spots on the parkway. There is an interpretive trail with exhibits about Appalachian life. On Sundays there are often informal music gatherings. Weekend exhibits are not uncommon. If you get a chance, go visit the Meadows of Dan, at milepost 177.7. Very sweet little town.

Mound Cemetery

Historic cemetery built atop a pre-historic burial mound. Highest number of burials of American Revolutionary War officers in the country

Old North Bridge

On April 19, 1775, the American Revolution began at Lexington and Concord with a clash of arms known to history as “the shot heard round the world.

Stony Point Battlefield

One of the last major Revolutionary War battles in the northeastern colonies occurred on this dramatic peninsula, which rises high over the Hudson River. There is about a quarter mile hike up a steep but paved driveway from the parking lot to the museum, then a nice foot path with interpretive signage and great views of the river.

The Stony Point Lighthouse, built in 1826, is the oldest lighthouse on the Hudson River.