Seniors Drop By Oxon Hill

The Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Oxon, Hill, which seniors learn is a suburb of Washington, D.C., located southeast of the downtown district and east of Alexandria, Virginia.

Two student were declared co-champions after a roller-coaster finish, tying for the top honors for the third year in a row after both spelled correctly: Kjeldahl, Hohenzollern, juamave, groenedael, zindiq and euchologion. Would you have even come close for any of those big words? Not me! And the two champions were only 11 and 13 years old!

Back to Oxon Hill… named for the colonial 18th century manor home of Thomas Addison, which burned in 1895 but was replaced in 1929 by a large 49-room neo-Georgian-style home called Oxon Hill Manor, standing on a bluff over the Potomac River.

Seniors Enjoy Oxon Hill Historic Sites

Oxon Hill Manor, the Butler House, Oxon Cove Park, and historic St. Ignatius Church, constructed between 1890 and 1891, are all listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Seniors, check out these national historic sites, major attractions in Oxon Hill.

Politicians G. Gordon Liddy and George McGovern called this community “home.” Another “must see” site in the area is the 18th century Harmony Hall mansion, located on a 62.5-acre open pasture land estate along the Potomac River. In earlier decades, many residents in the area were scientists from the adjacent U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Air Force personnel, or musicians in military bands.

 TripAdvisor suggests The Woodrow Wilson Bridge Trail, is a favorite for many senior visitors. Oxon Cove Park and Oxon Cove Farm is a national historic district where visitors can enjoy a living farm museum. This farm museum was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

Oxon Hill Manor would be an excellent visit for my wife and me as both these seniors  love to visit old historic homes. The National Harbor Marina is a fun place to hang around and take in the boats and sites.

Seniors Drive The National Historic Road

The National Historic Road, also known as the Cumberland Road, and later US Route 40, was the first major highway in the United States built by the federal government. Built between 1811 and 1837, the 620-mile Road connected the Potomac and Ohio Rivers and was a main transport path to the West for thousands of settlers.

The nation’s first federally funded interstate highway,  opened the nation to the west and became a corridor for the movement of goods and people. Today, senior visitors experience a physical timeline, including classic inns, tollhouses, diners, and motels that trace 200 years of American history.

Be sure to set your GPS for the Road and enjoy all the scenery, the sites and the history.  -jeb

Seniors Stop By Limerick

I like that name “Limerick” and my curiosity led me to see if seniors might enjoy a visit. This area was settled by Welsh immigrants in the 1690s. In 1698, William Evans christened the community “Limerick” after his hometown of Limerick in Ireland. The township has grown from a 1990 population of only 6,600 to 18,074 (2010 census).

In Limerick, senior visitors will find the William and Mordecai Evans House and Isaac Hunsberger House that are each listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Many visitors enjoy the Mennonite Heritage Center that tells the story of the life of Mennonites in southeastern Pennsylvania.

The Valley Forge National Historical Park is the site where the Continental Army camped in 1777-1778.

The Independence National Historical Park, encompassing Independence Hall, the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial, and Liberty Bell are all of historical significance near Limerick.

Seniors Can Golf And Shop

Facebook has a host of suggestions for senior visitors to consider. Toss in the clubs and play a round or two at beautiful Landis Creek Golf Club. The Waltz Golf Farm on West Ridge Pike has been steadily growing in Limerick since 1964 and produces bumper crops of family fun for mini-golf fans.

The Philadelphia Premium Outlets in Limerick is a 553,000-square-foot open-air outlet mall providing excellent shopping choices with over 150 stores. Upscale merchants: Calvin Klein, Coach, J.Crew, Nieman Marcus, Polo,Tommy Hilfiger and Sony, are among the featured stores ready for your browsing.

Seniors, Invite Grandkids

The Lighthouse at Landis Creek (photo by Bill Cannon) is an unusual site where visitors love to shoot their own photos. One can not help but notice the Limerick Nuclear Power Plant with steam rising from the twin towers.

Mahnderach Park invites seniors to bring along grandkids to a favored spot for enjoying the outdoors with a huge slide, BB courts and lots  of fun.

Limerick Community Day in August is a fun-filled day of entertainment, great food choices, vendors and business expositions.  The Limerick Parks and Recreation Department invites senior visitors to “Movies Under The Stars” beginning at dusk in Limerick Community Park on Swamp Pike. Attendance at the movie is free, open to the public and BYOChairs.

Seniors, you don’t have to go all the way to Ireland to enjoy Limerick!.-jeb

Seniors Enjoy Franklinville

Senior travelers will find Franklinville, New York about 50 miles south of Buffalo in the foothills of the Allagheny Mountains. I met a fellow recently from Franklinville.

I had never heard of this town, so I told him that I was going to research his town and perhaps write a travel blog. He said that it was quite small, 3000 population, (I love small towns), and that there was not much happening. I discovered otherwise.  It is a neat community.

The town was first settled around 1806 by Joseph McClure and known then as McClure Settlement. The Town of Franklinville was later established in 1824. The central core of the village is on the National Register of Historic Places as the Park Square Historic District. Significant buildings range in date from 1828 to 1924.

Also listed on the National Register of Historic Places is the Simeon B. Robbins House. The House, or The Miner’s Cabin, is a three story, Queen Anne style wood frame dwelling built in 1895. The House features three towers and is currently used as a museum and meeting space by the Ischua Valley Historical Society.

Seniors Enjoy A Maple Festival

The original St. Philomena’s Roman Catholic Church was constructed in 1875. Later St. Philomena’s congregation built a new church in 1964 on Plymouth Avenue and today the parish hall is still in use on Mill St. where the parish holds many events, functions, and parties.

The Ted Broeck Academy and Franklinville Central School are also an important part of Franklinville.

Seniors can enjoy a Maple Festival, held annually during the last weekend of April each year. The Western New York Maple Festival has occurred every year since its inception by the Franklinville JayCees in 1962. The festival attracts tens of thousands of visitors to the village, showcasing local area maple producers and their delicious maple syrup and maple products.

 Seniors Also Enjoy Creekside Roundup

Creekside Roundup is another fun time that senior visitors can enjoy. This horse friendly community takes part in several events that includes horse pulling, a sport with a team of super strong equine athletes. They are bred for their strength and ability to pull heavy loads short distances.

A weekend of equestrian activities includes an all-equestrian parade, horse breed demonstrations, training demonstrations, trail rides, beef BBQ, tack sale, horse artwork sale, and a “Horse Ball” country/western dance. Sound like fun? It is. Plan to swing by the end of September or early October.

 Seniors, set your GPS for Franklinville, New York and enjoy not only the town but the surrounding scenic views in the beautiful Ischua Valley. -jeb

 

Seniors Enjoy Small Town Prosperity

I was watching a bull riding show and one of the riders was from Prosperity, South Carolina.  Sounded like a neat name to me, thus this blog and this senior enjoys unusual names.

Prosperity is a town in Newberry County with a population of around 1,200. Newberry County is a progressive county, rich in history, agriculture, natural resources, green spaces, beautiful waterways and strong community values.

Newberry County is an area filled to its borders with history: ancient Indian sites, battlefields of the American Revolution, historic plantations, and beautiful homes. The town of Newberry was founded in 1789 as the county seat.

 Seniors Find Historic Places On The National Register

Prosperity, South Carolina is a small town, but it rates big with senior visitors and is loaded with history. There are several homes well over a hundred years old that have been passed down through family generations. The Jacob Bedenbaugh House, Howard Junior High School, and Prosperity Cemetery are all listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Prosperity was chartered in 1851 under the name Frog Level.  There are several fun legends as to how that name originated. Frog Level was changed to Prosperity by popular demand in 1873. Southern Railroad established a depot there in the 1870s and citizens wanted a name that better reflected the character of their town. The Town Clock and the Prosperity Depot both stand proud after all these years.

When Halloween comes along Prosperity citizenry enjoys Spooktacular in the Square. My wife and I would enjoy taking in the Prosperity Community Yard Sale. The first Saturday of each month from May until October seniors will find lots of goods in the Grace Street Public Parking Lot.

 Seniors Enjoy Arts and Crafts Fair

The first Saturday in May, Prosperity is Hoppin’ with Arts and Crafts. Along with the local arts and crafts stores, and the art center, the arts and fine crafts of over 35 juried vendors set up on the square, which is closed to traffic.  Christmas Tree Lighting and Prosperity Christmas Parade are two December highlights.

 Seniors can take a stroll along Lakewood Drive and enjoy the beautiful scenery where local folks enjoy boating and fishing.

Dreher Island State Recreation Area is located in Prosperity roughly 30 miles from the state’s capital of Columbia. It occupies all of the largest island in 50,000-acre Lake Murray, a reservoir of the Saluda River. The Park has been a haven for hiking, picnicking, boating and fishing for the surrounding communities in the Piedmont Region of South Carolina.

So you see, this small town enjoys sharing its many amenities. -jeb

 

Seniors Find An Old Mining Ghost Town In Arizona

Oatman, a small town on the National Register of Historic Places is in the Black Mountains of Mohave County, Arizona. Senior travelers will find Oatman on historic route 66, Oatman Hwy, about 28 miles from Kingman AZ just across the Colorado River and up the hill from Laughlin, Nevada.

One visitor noted that The Oatman Hotel is worth a visit. There is an ice cream counter on the ground floor and upstairs is the room where, supposedly, Clark Gable and Carole Lombard spent their honeymoon.

The Hotel is allegedly haunted by “Oatie”, the friendly ghost of an Irish miner. Oatman, AZ is what many call…“Old West Fun!”

Seniors Hear The Town’s Story

Located at an elevation of 2,710 feet (830 m), Oatman began as a small mining camp soon after two prospectors struck a $10 million gold find in 1915, though the vicinity had already been settled for a number of years.

Oatman’s population grew to more than 3,500 in the course of a year. The district had produced $40 million (or approximately $2,600,000,000 in today’s market price) in gold by 1941. Senior visitors will see many old historic buildings in town and some contain artifacts of the mining era.

“Oatman” was chosen for the name of the town in the posthumous honor of Olive Oatman, a young Illinois girl who had been taken captive by Indians during her pioneer family’s journey westward in 1851 and forced into slavery for five years.

She was later traded to Mohave Indians, who adopted her as a daughter and had her face tattooed in the custom of the tribe. She was released near the current site of the town. Although they discovered gold in the area in 1863, Oatman did not officially become a town until 1906.

 Seniors Find Burros In Oatman

Oatman was fortunate insofar as it was located on busy U.S. Route 66 and was able to cater to travelers driving between Kingman and Needles, California. Yet even that advantage was short-lived, as the town was completely bypassed in 1953 when a new route between Kingman and Needles was built. By the 1960s, Oatman was all but abandoned…except of course, for a lot of wild burros.

Today Oatman is an authentic old western town with feral burros roaming the street.  Back when Oatman was a gold boom town, the miners hauled their supplies with faithful burros. When the gold ran out, around the time that the road got paved, the old miners simply abandoned their burros to fend for themselves.

These burros know their stuff and are often found blocking traffic, unfazed by the honking of passing motorists. Watch your handbags ladies, the burros are known to grab them thinking they may contain tasty burro snacks.

Seniors, when you are in northern Arizona, take a side trip over to Oatman and take in a weekend gunfight.  -jeb

 

 

 

 

Seniors Stop By Colorful Saunderstown

Senior travelers happen upon Saunderstown, a small village and historic district in the towns of Narragansett and North Kingstown, Rhode Island.

The population runs just over 6,000. The waterfront community was later named for the boat-building Saunders family, who moved into the area in the 1800s.

Saunderstown, Rhode Island is known as the birthplace of artist Gilbert Stuart, who is best known for painting the portrait of George Washington that is portrayed on the one-dollar bill. The Gilbert Stuart Birthplace and Museum consists of the house in which Stuart was born, a nature trail, and a functional gristmill.

Saunderstown is also the location of Casey Farm, an 18th-century plantation that is now a family farm. The farm, operated by Historic New England, grows organic vegetables, herbs, and flowers in a Community Agriculture Program.

 Seniors Enjoy Former Summer Resort  Area

The Saunderstown Historic District encompasses a section of Saunderstown which developed as a boatbuilding center and summer resort area in the late 19th century.

In addition to being home to a number of shipyards, several owned by members of the Saunders family, the area also became noted as a summer resort, hosting Benoni Lockwood and Frances Willing Wharton (a cousin to writer Edith Wharton), as well as the architect and artist Christopher Grant LaFarge, son of the famous artist John La Farge.

This area is mainly residential, with wood frame houses. Non-residential buildings include a country store, recreation center (which was formerly a fire barn), and the Saunderstown Post Office, which was built in 1902 as a Baptist church.

 Seniors Visit Casey Farm

Senior visitors make it a point not to miss Casey Farm. This mid-eighteenth century homestead overlooking Narragansett Bay was the center of a plantation that produced food for local and foreign markets. Located near Newport, Casey Farm had access to material goods imported from England, enabling its early owners to live in a fashionable manner.

Prosperity ended with the burning of Newport during the Revolution, and the farm settled into a pattern of absentee ownership. Today, farm managers raise organically grown vegetables, herbs, and flowers for subscribing households in a Community Supported Agriculture program.

Facebook suggests The Gilbert Stuart Birthplace and The Plum Pt. Bistro and Liliana’s Italian Restaurant would both be high on my list. The Coastal Growers Market with around twenty vendors would be a great place to stock up supplies for that picnic in the park.

Seniors could easily make it a vacation just visiting the wide variety of National Register of Historic Places in Washington County. There are 130 properties and districts listed on the National Register in the county, including 4 National Historic Landmarks. Seniors, enjoy a stop in Saunderstown. -jeb

Seniors Are High On Terre Haute

Terre Haute, Indiana, senior travelers will find, is near the state’s western border with Illinois and has a population that runs right at 61,000 with its metropolitan area population of 170,900+. Terre Haute is the self-proclaimed capital of the Wabash Valley.

Incorporated as a city in 1832, Terre Haute derived its name from an expression used by early 18th century French explorers to describe the terra firma of the city, which lies on a high flat plain. The English translation of “terre haute” is “high land”. Terre Haute is located alongside the eastern bank of the Wabash River in western Indiana.

Terre Haute is loaded with National Register Historic Places. TripAdvisor notes that Terre Haute lies just off the I-70 at the gateway to Illinois and that it is a refreshing hub of arts and activity in the midst of the heartland. The historic U.S. Highway 40 forms the National Road, taking senior travelers on a scenic route past historic bakeries, sculptures and the oldest billboard in the state.

Seniors Drive The Historic National Road

Senior visitors can take a tour of the downtown area and enjoy its museums, galleries and quaint cafes. Visit Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College across the Wabash River to honor its founder, recently sainted Mother Theodore Guerin.

The city is home to  Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana, Indiana State University and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, a private engineering school, where one of my former students attended. The Princeton Review has named Indiana State as one of the “Best in the Midwest” 11 years running.

Some say the #1 attraction in town is watching all the trains go buzzing by. Historic National Road, a multi-state scenic byway, runs along Wabash Avenue.

Destination360 notes that Terre Haute has a history with Coca-Cola: the now world-renowned contoured shape of the Coca-Cola bottle was designed and first introduced in Terre  Haute back in 1915 and 1916.

Seniors Enjoy the Historical ‘Crossroads of America’

Me, I’d want to shoot a few photos of the Old Mill Dam, built in 1817. The local Chamber of Commerce welcomes visitors to Terre Haute known as the historical “Crossroads of America.”

Terre Haute’s history reaches back to the early 1800s with the construction of Fort Harrison as a permanent settlement within Indian Territory. The city grew up primarily around industry and river traffic on the Wabash River. The growth of the railroads and a short-lived oil boom contributed to the city’s prosperity.

 Senior visitors can enjoy the Swope Art Museum featuring American artists and the Arts Illiana gallery that features and sells work from local and regional artists. Locally made Clabber Girl baking powder is honored at the Clabber Girl Museum and Bake Shop, which also serves breakfast and lunch. Seniors, set your sites on Terre Haute and enjoy a memorable visit. -jeb

Seniors Explore Historic Lewisburg

This senior enjoys collecting the names of neat cities almost daily from a wide selection of resources. While when it comes time to write a blog on a particular city, I may not remember why it is on my travel bucket list, but I can usually surmise why as soon as I start to explore the city, just as it was for Lewisburg.

Lewisburg is a borough in Union County, Pennsylvania, 60 miles north of Harrisburg on the beautiful Susquehanna River. Historically it was the commercial center for a fertile grain and general farming region.

Today it  is home to Bucknell University and is near the Lewisburg Federal Penitentiary. Its 19th-century downtown was recently placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Borough of Lewisburg is what some historians have classified as a “Pennsylvania Town”, a distinct town layout developed in Colonial Pennsylvania.

Seniors Stroll The Downtown Historical District

Senior visitors, plan to stroll around the downtown historical district where you will find specialty shops, bistros, pubs, and restaurants to suit all palates. The historic district has numerous buildings and homes with a Victorian architectural style from times gone by.

Lewisburg’s Historic District was created in 1985. The district encompasses most of the Borough and a large portion of the Bucknell University campus. The District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, consists of 871 contributing historic buildings, structures and sites.

Downtown Lewisburg features six blocks of beautiful, historic, commercial and residential architecture. The Campus Theatre and the Lewisburg Hotel are two stand-out examples. The Theater, located in the heart of downtown Lewisburg, is one of the few remaining single screen Art Deco movie palaces in the country.

Seniors Enjoy Strolling Through The Community

My wife would want to visit the three historic museums: Packwood House, Silfer House and the Engle House. Each is stuffed with history and authenticity. Then she and I would take a stroll through the attractive campus of Bucknell University that is a huge part of the community.

Founded in 1784 by Ludwig Derr, the area was then called Derrstown. Much has been considered regarding ‘how’ the name changed from Derrstown to Lewisburg. The most likely is that Derr’s first name “Ludwig” translated into English as “Louis” but, being of German descent, it was spelled “Lewis”.

Later, after Derr’s death, the traditional germanic “burg” was appended to his first name to create Lewisburg.  I have one video to share with you on Lewisburg. I turned down the sound and enlarged by screen and enjoyed the many views of a fascinating town bursting with old-time charm. I hope that you enjoy the scenes of the borough as well. -jeb

Seniors Spring Into The “Art City”

 Springville, Utah is part of the Provo-Orem Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population runs right at 30,000.  Senior travelers will find Springville just a few minutes drive south of Provo.

Springville is a bedroom community for commuters who work in the Provo-Orem and Salt Lake City metropolitan area. It is a city on the move. In 1849 the City was originally named Hobble Creek, but as the town grew, the name was changed to Springville and was incorporated on February 13, 1853.

Springville is known as “Art City” due to its strong development of the arts. It is home to the Springville Museum of Art, Utah’s oldest museum for the visual fine arts (circa 1937). The museum showcases collections of many well-known artists, both local and national, including collections of Utah art, a major Soviet collection, early Americana, and the European Steed collection.

Completed in 1937, this building was designed in the style of the Spanish Colonial Revival style by architect Claud S. Ashworth. In 1986 it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.  That’s where this senior would go first on my visit to Springville… I love those historic sites.

 Seniors Enjoy Jack-O-Lanterns

Jaker’s Jack-O-Lanterns is a fun destination for folks of all ages, including seniors. In their  giant pumpkin patch and you pick your own pumpkin or choose one from the stand. This year a pumpkin tower is being introduced.

 The Springville – Mapleton Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum is a spot in town where senior visitors can enjoy learning about the town’s history.

Utah Valley is loaded with free things to take in all year long. Springville Travel information and resources in Utah County Utah state that the state of Utah is unique with its variety of landscapes, geology, and recreational activities.

Senior Golfers Find Championship Course

The most notable geographical feature of Utah County is Utah Lake, the largest natural freshwater lake in Utah. While the national parks are considered national treasures, there are many more places to see and things to do that are just as amazing and certainly less crowded.

At the Springville Utah website you can discover and explore some of Utah’s most famous attractions and the perhaps lesser known yet worth a visit sites nearby.

The Hobble Creek Golf Course features an 18 Hole Championship Golf Course, so toss your clubs in the trunk and play a round or two in Springville. In addition, the Springville Historical Society does a great  job of preserving Springville’s Past.

Enjoy the mountains, the beauty of Utah and the friendly folks of Springville . -jeb

Seniors Spend Time Enjoying Hartselle

Senior travelers will find that Hartselle, about 10 miles south of Decatur, is part of a growing region, in terms of population (14,000) and economic development. Named for George Hartselle, a founding father, there are still some of his descendants in town.

The Depot Days Festival, held in the fall, celebrates the town’s railroad heritage. October brings the Crestline Carnival. In November, open houses hosted by the Chamber of Commerce and merchants begin the “Hartselle for the Holidays” activities, plus the community wide Thanksgiving Service.

In December, Santa makes his official appearance during the Christmas Parade and residents graciously open their doors for the Beautification Association “Tour of Homes.”Throughout the year, there are banquets, neighborhood block parties, school festivals, school choral and band concerts, as well as lots of regularly scheduled activities at the Civic Center.

 Railroad Heritage Attracts Seniors

The historic railroad depot, built by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad in 1914 and operated through the 1960s, currently houses the Hartselle Area Chamber of Commerce. The City is comparatively young as towns go, having been established in 1870 as a site considered strategic alongside the South and North Alabama Railroad.

Originally the budding village was located a half-mile north of the present downtown area. It had to pick itself up and move at the railroad’s request because the slopes of the old site made it impractical as a train stop and depot. The town was recognized by the establishment of a postal facility in 1873, but was not chartered by the state until March 1875.

Many of the oldest buildings in town were destroyed by a great fire in 1916. Even after the fire, Hartselle has more buildings on the Alabama Historic Register than any other city in Alabama.

Sixty-nine of the buildings in the central business district of Hartselle, including the Hartselle Depot, have been nominated for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places because of their architectural and historic significance.

 Robbery, Best Small Town, Ghost Stories…

In the early morning hours of March 15, 1926, fifteen thieves looted the Bank of Hartselle. The robbers got away with $25,000 in cash, coins and gold bars and despite the efforts of local, state, and federal authorities, no arrests were ever made. Sounds like a Jesse James or a John Dillinger caper to me.

Hartselle has been included in the book, The 100 Best Small Towns in America. It is the birthplace of novelist and journalist William Bradford Huie and noted progressive U.S. congressman and senator John J. Sparkman. The Encyclopedia of Alabama has lots of good things to say about Hartselle.

Various urban legends have arisen around the claims that Cry Baby Hollow and the bridge going across it are haunted, just ask any of the locals about it.  Seniors, set your GPS for Hartselle and enjoy the town and some great southern hospitality. -jeb