1100 Jefferson

The Potomac Eagle: A Rail Ride Through the Trough

Hi! Marketing Volunteer Pam Sanderlin here, blogging on my latest tour, The Potomac Eagle: A Rail Ride Through the Trough. What a great way to spend a day – a lovely train ride, delicious lunch, gorgeous scenery, and the opportunity to see eagles in their natural habitat.

While riding on the bus from Washington, we listened as Joe Nevin, expert rail historian and wonderful storyteller, described the history of the South Branch Valley Railroad (SBVR) and the Potomac Eagle excursion train that runs between Romney and Petersburg, West Virginia.

The view from the train

After a few false starts, this rail line was finally completed in 1910 and was bought and sold a few times before its transfer to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company. In the mid 1970’s the line was abandoned by the B&O but taken over in 1978 by the state of West Virginia when officials became concerned about being able to support existing and prospective industry in the area. By saving the railroad from abandonment, the State Rail Authority protected an estimated 2,600 jobs, and 1,900 jobs have been created since the takeover. We have the Pilgrim’s Pride chicken company to thank for being the railroad’s largest customer and helping it survive and thrive. They depended on it for the delivery of corn and other materials used to manufacture their poultry feed. We passed their enormous feed silo on our way to lunch.

Passing by the Pilgrim's Pride feed silos

Lunch was our first stop and we enjoyed salad, pulled pork sandwiches, and flourless chocolate cake in raspberry sauce before reboarding the bus to hear how the Potomac Eagle excursion train service was born.

Lunch at the Lost River Brewing Company

Spurred by a report showing the line had great potential, in late 1989 the Romney Business and Professional Organization began the process of introducing an excursion train to the SBVR line. In the spring of 1991, the first train left the Romney depot. The Potomac Eagle has grown over time mainly because of the amazing scenery through the “Trough,” where, squeezed between two Appalachian ridges, the South Branch of the Potomac River flows - and because it is a natural habitat for American bald eagles. More and more eagles have nested there over time and in 2016 there were 8 documented nests in the Trough. The train provides a perfect opportunity for viewing the eagles while taking in the beautiful river and surroundings.

South Branch of the Potomac River

We boarded the Potomac Eagle train in Petersburg – we had a reserved car, but part of the fun was wandering from car to car. Each car is unique and I’m sure each could tell quite a story of its life on its original railroad line. These vintage cars have been purchased and added over time – they are colorful and some are filled with pictures. Every car has windows you can open – this is a requirement as they obtain new cars. The windows provided a great breeze and opportunity to take pictures of the lovely countryside as it rolled by.

All aboard the Potomac Eagle!

There is a concession car where you can buy hot dogs, drinks, and popcorn. And at the back of the train are two open air cars made for viewing scenery. The first open car has large wide-open windows cut out of both sides of the car, where you can lean out a little and get a great view of the mountains and the river, which runs by on the right or left throughout the trip.

The first open air car

The final car is an open-top gondola car (formerly used to haul pipe and railroad ties), which is now outfitted with benches. When we approached the Trough, the train stopped and we walked out onto this car. Just as the train started moving again, the sun came out, and we had a magnificent view of the hillside across the river in the Trough where the eagles live.

Gondola car, outfitted with benches

A woman joined us and began calling out and pointing when she spotted eagles. She told us to look for the eagles’ bright white heads and we saw at least six along the way. It is a remarkable feeling to see these large birds in the wild. An adult bald eagle is 2 ½ feet long and has a wingspan of 6 ½ to 7 feet. We saw one fly and it was most impressive.

Spectacular twists and turns led the way out of the Trough as the train continued to Romney, where we reboarded our bus. A beautiful sunset greeted us as we made one more quick stop on the way home.

What a wonderful adventure! I have already purchased tickets on my own to ride the Potomac Eagle in the fall, and I understand there might be an additional Smithsonian tour around that time. I highly recommend the experience.

The beautiful Trough scenery!

The Civil War: Three Key Sites - Harpers Ferry, Antietam, and Gettysburg

Hi! Marketing Volunteer Pam Sanderlin here, blogging on my latest tour, The Civil War: Three Key Sites - Harpers Ferry, Antietam, and Gettysburg. I knew this would be an ambitious undertaking – three major battlefields in three different states in one day – but we did it all – and learned fascinating historic details along the way from our expert guide Gregg Clemmer. The itinerary we were given called the program “Civil War at a Glance,” and this was an appropriate title. We got an introduction to the Civil War with a focus on these particular locations.

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park: We began our tour in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, site of the National Armory and Arsenal before and during the Civil War. In 1859, just prior to the war, this was the site of John Brown’s Raid. Abolitionist John Brown led a 21-man “army of liberation” to seize the armory and several other strategic points. A surprise for me was that Robert E. Lee and J.E.B. Stuart, then Union officers, were sent from Washington to stop the uprising. Brown was captured in the armory fire engine house (now known as “John Brown’s Fort”) and was later hanged for treason.

John Brown's Fort at Harpers Ferry

John Brown called himself an abolitionist and talked about freeing the slaves but his actions often belied his proclamations. We learned that he was actually a murderer who had killed a family in Kansas in the name of abolitionism, and the family didn’t even own slaves. Further, during the raid at Harpers Ferry, the first man killed was a freed slave. Regardless, Brown’s raid on the armory and arsenal is viewed as a precursor to the war and many revere him for his views. Our guide cleverly introduced the concept of the JB bookends of the Civil War – it started with John Brown and ended with John Wilkes Booth.

The Civil War had a devastating effect on Harpers Ferry - the arsenal was attacked and burned, the town’s industries were destroyed, troops from both sides moved through the town frequently, and it changed hands 8 times. Our guide focused on the battle of September 1862, when Maj. Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson surrounded and captured the 12,500-man Union garrison stationed there, the largest single capture of Federal forces during the war.

The surprising news of this Confederate victory encouraged Lee as he ventured for the first time into northern territory and faced battle with George B. McClellan at Antietam, the next stop on our tour.

Antietam National Battlefield: Antietam (or Sharpsburg, Maryland, if you are from the south) is the site of the bloodiest one-day battle in American history. Nearly 23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded, or missing after 12 hours of combat in September 1862. Union soldiers had found Lee’s battle plans rolled around three cigars, yet McClellan missed his chance to effectively use the found intelligence. He erroneously believed that Lee had more men than he had when, in fact, McClellan had more than twice as many troops as Lee. Instead of driving a full-on assault that would have devastated Lee, McClellan led smaller assaults that were far less successful and resulted in horrific casualties. At the end of the day, tactically the battle was a draw, but strategically the north won because Lee retreated to the south.

We drove by Millers Cornfield where men were slaughtered that day and stopped at the Clara Barton memorial. In the heat of battle, this amazing woman cared for the sick and wounded on site. At one point a bullet passed through her sleeve and killed the man she was treating.

Our next stop was Sunken Road or Bloody Lane where bodies were stacked in the road after that battle. Our guide described the reenactment that occurred on this battlefield in 1962 – he was there. They erected bleachers for the spectators and it was quite a spectacle; it reminded me of the Coliseum in an eerie way. After that day, the National Park Service decided never to do a reenactment on an actual battlefield again.

The Sunken Road, or "Bloody Lane" at Antietam

Our final stop was Burnside’s Bridge which stands today as it did then, with a large “witness” tree on the other side of the river. Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside captured the bridge after four hours of fighting but lost it again while taking two hours to “reorganize” his troops, giving confederate reinforcements time to show up and push him back.

It always saddens me to learn about the incompetence of these generals and to think of the lives they squandered.

Burnside’s Bridge at Antietam

Gettysburg National Military Park: Fought over the first three days of July in 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point of the Civil War. It is often referred to as the “High Water Mark” of the Confederacy because it is the furthest north that army ever fought. Lee’s “Army of Northern Virginia” faced Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade’s “Army of the Potomac”. Despite some early Confederate successes, the Union prevailed, and Lee retreated again to Virginia.

I had thought there were a lot of memorials in Antietam, but the memorials in Gettysburg comprise "one of the largest collections of outdoor sculpture in the world."

We walked through tall grass out into the wide open Wheatfield to see a monument to those who perished there and to hear the gruesome tale of how their bodies were buried in large mass graves in the field until they were recovered and reburied.

We stood on top of Little Round Top and joined the statue of General Gouverneur K. Warren as he surveyed the battlefield far below, realizing this was an important vantage point for the Union Army. Also on Little Round Top, we stood where Union Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was told “This is the left of the Union line. You are to hold this ground at all costs!” And he did.

General Gouverneur K. Warren memorial statue on Little Round Top

Our next stop was the high-water mark of the Confederacy itself, where 12,500 men marched through an open field in Pickett’s Charge – over 50% were injured or died at the hands of Union artillery. This was the end of the Battle of Gettysburg.

Our last stop was the Soldiers’ National Cemetery where President Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address at the cemetery’s dedication in November 1863. A flag marks the actual spot where he spoke in the cemetery.

Flag marks the spot; Soldiers’ National Cemetery where Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address

Although I thoroughly enjoyed the taste of history we got on this amazing tour, each of these battlefields could fill a day of site seeing and learning. Hopefully I can return to continue my Civil War education one day soon.

All photos taken by Pam Sanderlin.

 

The Rise of the Airplane: From the Wright Brothers to Lindbergh

On April 6th, Smithsonian Associates held a program called “The Rise of the Airplane: From the Wright Brothers to Lindbergh” at the S. Dillon Ripley Center. The guest speaker was aviation expert Paul Glenshaw, a man of many talents. His career covers multiple disciplines, including documentary filmmaking, exhibit design, STEM and STEAM education, photography, and playwrighting (he is the author of the upcoming play To Swing Through the Sky, commissioned by George Mason University). He has long been affiliated with the Smithsonian as he is one of the drawing instructors for the Smithsonian Associates’ Studio Arts program and a contributor to the Smithsonian's Air & Space magazine. In the lecture, Glenshaw explored the rise of the airplane by analyzing how the airplane changed the world, how the world changed it, and how the 1920s launched the boom of airplanes.

Glenshaw's lecture was entertaining as he was able to intertwine his personal passion for flight with the astonishing story behind the emergence of airplanes. The history of aviation is a story of remarkable people, and Glenshaw began his lecture with a quick history of the scientists, artists, and writers, or as Glenshaw calls them, the “Heroes and Weirdos,” whose work with aviation and flight influenced and inspired the Wright Brothers. These “Heroes and Weirdos” include Leonardo Da Vinci, the Montgolfier Brothers, and George Cayley. I really enjoyed this section of the lecture as Glenshaw was able to give a brief summary of each historical person's contribution as well as a unique fact about them.

After this section, Glenshaw talked about the Wright Brothers. Glenshaw emphasized the trials and tribulations they faced as they invented, built, and flew the world's first successful airplane. Glenshaw shared many videos of the Wright Brothers’ flights as well as videos of his own family flying replicas of the aircrafts. It was truly a special moment when Glenshaw showcased his and his family’s love of flying; the audience could truly tell that Glenshaw had successfully passed down his love of flying to his kids.

Wright, Wilbur, Orville Wright, and John T Daniels, photographer. [First flight, 120 feet in 12 seconds, 10:35 a.m.; Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, 1903]. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/00652085/

Glenshaw then transitioned to the entertainment aspect of flight, which was by far the funniest part of the lecture. The entertainers that Glenshaw highlighted had such unique and bizarre stories that it was hard to believe that these people were active during the time of the Wright Brothers. An example of these entertainers was “Captain” Thomas Baldwin, one of the greatest showman among American aerialists. Baldwin gained international fame in 1887 with his first parachute jump. After its success, Baldwin took his parachute act to Europe, South Africa, New Zealand, and Asia. Glenshaw described how Baldwin would earn a dollar for every foot he dropped, which was about 3,000! Glenshaw wrote more about Baldwin in his article from the Air & Space magazine called “Kings of the Air,” which I highly recommend.

Bain News Service, Publisher. Capt. Thomas S. Baldwin. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/ggb2004008188/

After explaining the entertainment aspects of flying and Charles Lindbergh's contributions to flight, Glenshaw concluded his lecture by explaining the evolution of airplanes from entertainment to war. In that section, I could truly feel the sense of urgency as Glenshaw described how different countries tried to create war machines out of airplanes.

In summary, through the laughter and airplane puns, I thoroughly enjoyed Glenshaw's lecture about the remarkable evolution of airplanes. And after visiting the Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center with my newfound appreciation for airplanes, I was able to see the Wright Model A (Reproduction), an early aircraft produced by the Wright Brothers, and truly realize the Wright Brothers contribution to aviation.

 -Written by Martina Umunna

Rick Steves on Thoughtful Travel: Broadening Your Global Perspective

Intern Jesse here writing to share my experience attending the Smithsonian Associates event “Rick Steves: on Thoughtful Travel: Broadening Your Global Perspective.” While I expected to attend and strictly gather an inside perspective for our blog readers, I left with insight and new inspiration for my own future endeavors. Rick Steves is a travel expert with various television shows and guidebooks to help Americans with all things travel. With a certain focus on Europe, Steves provides tours to Europe through his travel company based in his hometown of Seattle. 

In this lecture at Baird Auditorium in the Natural History Museum, Steves gave the audience a deeper look into travel as more than just a vacation. From the typical family cruise ship vacation to the quintessential tourist vacation catching all the go-to sights around Europe, Steves stressed the importance of traveling outside the norms. He urged travelers to meet locals and explore their favorite spots.  There were many profound statements spoken by Steves but there were five key points he made that stood out to me above the rest:

Have a good attitude. Allow locals to show off! Go ahead and listen to the story of the years old, mold ridden piece of cheese in your fingertips that the French shop owner is so eager to share. And take a good whiff, because to the people of that country, that could be the edible equivalent to the flowers growing in your garden at home. They are enthusiastic, not show-offs.

Be a part of history. We are in an exciting time in the world. History is being made every day and the chance to be a part of it is too good to pass up. Visit countries on their holidays, visit the places you read about in the headlines. Regardless of what side of the political climate you’re on, there is something to be learned when you are present for historical events, when you see something record breaking. These events and occurrences are happening all over the world, not just in our own country.

Know the history. Be aware of the context of the place you’re visiting, when you are visiting it. Before traveling somewhere, do a little research. The last thing you want to do is return home and see an article about an amazing, maybe even historical, event you were just a few miles away from but missed due to lack of knowledge. Understand how the city you are visiting came to be, who lived there, and who inhabits the area currently. Be engaged and be enlightened. Interact with the world around you and realize who, what, where, when, and why.

We are not the norm. There are all kinds of people in the world with all kinds of cultures and ways of life. By traveling with a particular humanistic awareness, the world becomes smaller and other people are humanized. Seeing how others live is a way to humble ethnocentricity and realize that there is more than one right way. Whether it be habits of work, food, or clothing, what we find normal at home can be seen as totally unordinary in another part of the world, and until you see it first hand, it's easy to have a “my way or the highway" mentality.

Not everyone has the ‘American Dream.’ Different people in different societies aspire to different dreams. People in Norway have their own ‘Norwegian Dream’ just like people in India have their own ‘Indian Dream’ and so on. Realizing that not everyone wishes to leave their home country for the picturesque dream our country prides itself on, helps to broaden the global perspective.

Along with thoughtful provocations, Steves provided images and anecdotes from his own travels, recent and otherwise. The stories and images presented served to motivate my travels even further. I am fortunate enough to say that my 2017 travel list will include Israel, the Caribbean, Spain, and several American states. This presentation gave me inspiration and endless ideas on how to expand my travel beyond a tourist's perspective and push the vacation itineraries outside of my comfort zone. I definitely plan to view the archived episodes and clips from Rick Steves on his website and use his guidebooks in my future travel adventures.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the event:

“Fear is for people who don’t get out much.”

“Tolerate alternative lifestyles or invest in more prisons.”

“If everyone had to travel before they voted, a lot of problems about gerrymandering would be solved.”

The Battle of the Meuse-Argonne

John Joseph "Jack Black" Pershing

With the centennial of the end of World War I around the corner, Smithsonian Associates held a program called “The Battle of the Meuse-Argonne” on February 27th at the S. Dillon Ripley Center. The guest speaker was Mitchell Yockelson, a military historian, archivist, and author of four books including Forty-Seven Days: How Pershing's Warriors Came of Age to Defeat the German Army in World War I. He currently teaches history at Norwich University and works as an Investigative Archivist at the National Archives and Records Administration. Yockelson also serves as a consultant in the U.S. World War One Centennial Commission. As one of the leading authorities on the topic of World War I, Yockelson's lecture was quite insightful as he was able to weave his personal admiration for General John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing with the extraordinary story of the Battle of the Meuse-Argonne, the largest in United States military history and commanded by that very same man.

Yockelson began the lecture with an anecdote about how he first learned about General Pershing. Coupled with a picture of a five-year-old Yockelson on the PowerPoint, Yockelson explained how he would always see the street sign “Pershing Drive” before he would go see the doctor for his yearly check-up. Yockelson's admiration grew as he learned about General Pershing’s achievements through reading scholastic books during his early adolescence and his military history classes in college. Yockelson walked the audience through the life of General Pershing, from his days at West Point, to the tragic fire that killed his wife and three daughters, and finally to the Battle of the Meuse-Argonne. Yockelson was able to characterize General Pershing so that I could feel the passion and admiration that Yockelson felt for him. 

A part that I really enjoyed in the lecture was when Yockelson emphasized the characteristics of General Pershing. Yockelson made sure to highlight the fact that General Pershing was a natural leader, which helped him immensely during World War I. He also stressed how General Pershing had an instinctive drive to understand other people’s cultures, such as his interactions with Native Americans, African Americans, and the Moro people from the Philippines. Not only does it explain how he was able to work with French and British allied forces during World War I, but it also makes General Pershing truly ahead of his time as he was able to (to a certain degree) respect his fellow man in era of prejudice and discrimination.

Mitch Yockelson, Ph.D. Photo Credit: WWI Centennial Commission

After explaining the ending of World War I in detail, Yockelson concluded his lecture by explaining how the Battle of the Meuse-Argonne, General Pershing, and World War I itself have been forgotten by the American people. He then shared that starting on April 6th the U.S. World War One Centennial Commission’s mission will be to educate people about World War I through lectures, tours, and books in hopes of honoring the sacrifices of the men and women who died protecting our nation. Keep an eye out for more Smithsonian Associates programs on World War I this spring!

All in all, through the laughter and the seriousness of the lecture, I thoroughly enjoy Yockelson telling the story of the remarkable General Pershing, a man truly to be admired.

 -Written by Martina Umunna

An Evening with Connie Britton

Intern Jesse here to share what the "Connie Britton: Actress as Advocate" evening program was like!

On Tuesday night, NPR's Linda Holmes sat down for a conversation with actress Connie Britton in the National Museum of Natural History's Baird Auditorium. Britton is best known for her roles in NBC's "Friday Night Lights" and ABC and CMT's "Nashville," and has also made appearances in "American Horror Story," "24," and "Spin City." Off screen, Britton holds the role of goodwill ambassador for the UN Development Programme.

Although the auditorium was large, the talk felt intimate with a very engaged audience. The evening started off with Holmes delving into Britton's start in acting (at age seven she was writing plays with her sister) and asking how her schooling played a part, if at all, in her success. Britton explained that she first attended Dartmouth with a major in Chinese, and the experience helped her to grow and learn more about the world. From there she went on to attend theater school in New York City, which is where she started her career. Britton spoke about her various acting roles, why she accepted the roles, and the responsibility she felt to women, to play characters that are more than "the supportive wife." When asked about her ambitions and what she sees for her future, Britton explained that she feels lucky everyday to live the life she always envisioned for herself. The next challenge as an actor that she would like the take on would be to create something from the ground up.

It was her reference to women in her industry and the struggles they face that made her UN role seem all the more fitting. In working with the UN as an ambassador, Britton focuses her efforts on poverty, particularly ending inequality. When she traveled to Africa with the ONE campaign, she became even more aware of the fact that "poverty is sexist." She hopes to help women feel empowered because, as she says, when women feel empowered, everything changes. Britton explained that before her acting career was established, she had hopes of helping the world. Her love of acting has led her to success, and with that success has come a platform with which to help the world by giving her time to charity. She explained that if you do something you love, most likely you will have the chance to use it to put good into the world.

 

After the discussion, the floor was open for questions. One audience member asked about what steps one can take to make a difference. Connie Britton's answer? Start next door. Start with your neighbor, then outward to your community, and from there your world, as each is an extension of the other.

The auditorium was full of Britton's fans, and one even offered Britton an invitation to her wedding during the Q&A! I too was a fan of Connie Britton prior to the evening, having watched "Friday Night Lights." That said, I had not known of her humanitarian work nor of her activism for women's rights. Her words were genuine and bold, and I left an even bigger fan than when I arrived.

Introducing Our Spring 2017 Social Media Intern

Hi readers! My name is Jesse Krim, and I am the spring 2017 Social Media Intern. I am originally from New York City and attend SUNY Purchase College in Westchester, New York. I am studying Arts Management and am in the process of deciding on a minor—art  history and Spanish are two very different subjects that are hard to choose between! I'm living in DC for the semester, and I already love the area. 

With an extensive background in visual arts, I have always been interested in museums and what they have to offer.  Being newly involved with the Smithsonian Institution, I’m super excited to be able to visit and explore the various museums surrounding me each day. I also look forward to the many events I plan to attend, and the photos I will take during my time here.

Being involved in social media, I love to put my arts background to use. Whether it be the composition, coloring, or subject of a photo, I hope to attract viewers by catching the eye. I look forward to seeing what this opportunity brings. Other than my involvement in social media and the arts, I am an avid traveler, CrossFit addict, and food enthusiast; my time here will be full of exploring!

Railways and History in Altoona and Johnstown

Hi! Marketing Volunteer Pam Sanderlin here, blogging about my first overnight tour, Railways and History in Altoona and Johnstown. The first day was a treat for transportation historians, focusing on Altoona (a critical railroad hub for more than a century), the Allegheny Portage Railroad, and the Horseshoe Curve. The second day was spent learning about the Johnstown flood of 1889 and held special meaning for me as my great grandmother survived that flood. Our outstanding leader, Joe Nevin, who provided a detailed historical backdrop to all we experienced, skillfully linked everything together into a fascinating and compelling story.

Day 1: Our first stop was the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site. When the Erie Canal was finished in 1824, Pennsylvania’s business trading dropped off and the Mainline of Public Works was born to build a Main Line Canal across the state. But how do you build an efficient canal over the Allegheny Mountains? The answer was the Portage Railroad—5 incline planes were built up each side of the mountain and at the head of each incline were engines that moved endless ropes that pulled railroad cars up the mountain. Canal boats were built in sections and at the end of the canal on one side, these sections were loaded onto the cars to be hauled up and down the mountain to the canal on the other side. Although the process seems incredibly cumbersome to me, this unique engineering solution reduced travel time for passengers and goods from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh from 23 to 4 days (when the canals weren’t frozen), and was in service for 20 years until the railroad was built straight through.

Sectioned canal boat loaded on rail cars to be pulled up Portage Railroad

Another engineering marvel greeted us at our next stop—the Horseshoe Curve. We went up a funicular (incline) to see the curve first hand. It is a beautiful spot overlooking fall trees and the water of a reservoir that once provided water to the canal. The curve was opened in 1854 and provides a 1.8 foot rise per 100 feet up the mountain, which is a doable climb for steam engines. With the addition of the Horseshoe Curve, passengers could travel from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh in 15 hours. The curve is still the way for trains to cross the Alleghenies today—at the end of the day, we took the train from Altoona to Johnstown and happily experienced the curve ourselves.

Horseshoe Curve

Altoona is home to The Railroaders Memorial Museum, our next stop. Here, we watched an informative film and then learned about several vintage train cars on display in and around the newly constructed roundhouse. My favorite story of the day, shared by Joe while we were there, is that Nazi saboteurs targeted the Horseshoe Curve as a key industrial site to be destroyed during World War II. Luckily they were found out and captured on U.S. soil. It is amazing what you learn on these tours!

Day 2: After a pleasant night’s rest, we were off again. We spent the day in and around Johnstown learning about the flood of May 31, 1889. Johnstown has had many floods over the years—the town is in a valley where 2 rivers join to form one and the townspeople were used to flood water in their streets until the mid-20th century when the banks of the rivers were sealed with concrete.

What was remarkable and unique about this flood was that it was not caused by nature, but was the result of a manmade earthen dam that failed at the top of the mountain and released a 40 foot wall of water and debris. The enormous wave broke through a huge train trellis in its path and came thundering down on the unsuspecting town of Johnstown, destroying it within 10 minutes and killing over 2,200 people.

Johnstown before the flood...

...and after the flood.

What led to this disaster is a story in itself. The South Fork Dam was initially opened in 1853 to retain water to service the western Main Line Canal (supplying water in drought periods), but due to numerous issues it only operated for one year before the canal went out of business. The dam was well constructed with drainage (sluice) pipes and a control tower to monitor the water level. In the ensuing years, the control tower burned and the dam and area was bought and sold—one owner removed the sluice pipes and sold them for scrap limiting the options for safe removal of excess water. In 1875 the dam was bought in the name of the South Fork Fishing & Hunting Club of Pittsburgh, an exclusive club that boasted the elite of Pittsburgh society as members, and provided a beautiful spot for them to spend summer days enjoying the lake and environs.

However, the Club inadequately maintained the dam—they patched the holes from an earlier, lesser break in the dam with mud, never replaced the sluice pipes, lowered the top of the dam to enable carriages to ride over it, and put fish screens over the spillway, blocking the release of water from the lake.

On that fateful day in May, heavy rains caused the lake to rise at an extraordinary rate—the dam failed at 3:09 PM sending 20,000,000 tons of water hurtling toward Johnstown.

We started our tour at the Johnstown Flood Memorial where we saw a somber film recounting the tragedy. We were joined by a very knowledgeable Park Ranger who gave us a tour of the South Fork Club House and walked us to the edge of what is left of the dam—the deep and wide ravine where the lake had been is impressive—a train track now runs through it at the bottom.

Our next stop was the Johnstown Flood Museum, which was formerly the Carnegie Library, donated by Carnegie after the flood. (It is notable that few of the Club members did anything for the town after their lake destroyed it.) After visiting the top floor which was originally a gym complete with a mezzanine for running, and seeing an award winning film about the flood, we viewed an amazing lighted re-enactment of the flood tumbling through the mountains to Johnstown.

The people of Johnstown rebuilt their city—what a heartbreaking, ugly chore that must have been—and 2 years later they opened the Johnstown Inclined Plane, the steepest in the world, encouraging people to move to the top of the mountain, safe from future floods. We rode the Incline (rebuilt and modernized in 1984), and took in a glorious view of Johnstown today on a beautiful sunny afternoon.

Johnstown Incline

Our final stop was Grandview Cemetery, where many of the flood victims are buried. We visited the “Unknown Plot” where the unmarked gravestones of 777 flood victims who could not be identified are lined up in neat rows. It is a moving spot—only one in 4 victims could be identified after the carnage of the flood and fire that followed.

Although I thoroughly enjoyed our first day in Altoona and hope to round the Horseshoe Curve in the future, our time in Johnstown was particularly meaningful to me and family members who joined me on the tour. I have heard stories of my great grandmother jumping from roof to roof to survive the flood all my life and recently learned that she was probably saved by her father who had worked on a canal boat and could read the currents. She was to be married the next day, and after the flood, borrowed a wedding dress and was married within weeks. There are many lessons to be learned from the Johnstown Flood but perhaps the most important is the message of hope and survival. I hope to go back and visit Johnstown again soon.

Johnstown today!

NaNoWriMo: How to Love the Process

Today is the last day of National Novel Writing Month! Ideally at this point, a budding novelist is finishing up the last few pages of their completed work. There might even be time to make a few edits before sharing the finalized story with friends and family.

But I’m going to be honest. This month has brought unexpected commitments, difficult time crunches, and opportunities to do things with friends and family that were hard to pass up in exchange for locking myself away to write. I got behind on where I wanted to be in order to finish, and I started looking at writing as more of something that I had to, not something that I could enjoy. So I had to remove myself for a minute, review the tips I received at the Smithsonian Associates’ “Write a Novel in a Month” program, and think about how I could change the experience to work for me.

In case any of you out there need an extra push to finish your novel or want to keep writing as part of your life after the month ends, here’s what helped me to enjoy the process again!

 

(image via rebloggy)

1. Just write

One of my main struggles while working on this novel was constantly second-guessing myself. Almost as soon as I wrote the first few paragraphs, I realized that the whole premise of my story was awful, I had no direction, and my sentence structure left something to be desired. I couldn’t write anything without doubting my ability to use the English language.

In Kathryn Johnson’s program, she talked about writing a rough draft. That it didn’t matter if the story was pretty or polished as long as it was out on paper. I forced myself to take this to heart and just write. And I will be the first to admit that what I have is nothing close to a classic, but my story is out there on paper, which is much more of an accomplishment than I realized at first.

 

(image via Acre)

2. Find creativity anywhere

When I attended the “Write a Novel in a Month” program back in the beginning of October, I was still finalizing my plans for the story. I was thinking about some bigger ideas I wanted to cover, but I wasn’t sure how they would show up in my novel yet. We discussed finding inspiration everywhere around you, and how a poignant novel doesn’t have to have an exotic setting. So I decided to focus on things that I knew. I wrote down funny things that happened to me throughout the day, looked at pictures I liked, and found ways to bring them into the details of my book. I love the Midwest, so a small town became the setting for part of my story. When forming your story, make sure to look around for the things that you relate to and care about to incorporate. Don’t feel pressure to write what you think people will like; write  about what matters to you.

Another way to find inspiration is to get together with fellow writers. You can go over ideas, discuss favorite books, or complain. Whatever works. But spending time with other creative people with a similar goal will help.

(image via Pinterest)

3. Make writing fit your lifestyle

Now, this is essential. I struggled so much because I was going about writing in the entirely wrong way. I am a social person and hate being alone. So when I started the process by writing alone in my room after my internship, it clearly did not stick. Once I adjusted my process, I actually looked forward to writing. What works for me will be different than what will help others, but here are just a few ideas of when to fit writing in:

• On your commute! Unless you’re driving, travel time is perfect for working on a story. You can write, people watch, or think.
• Before bed! I made a point of writing at least a few pages before going to sleep each night. Whether or not they make sense is debatable because I was tired, but it encouraged me to write quickly and just get it out.
• Don’t feel like you have to be alone when you write. I adopted a study group mentality and started working on my story while spending time with friends. If they put on a movie, I’d still go but work on my book.
• Make it a competition against yourself or someone else! I am competitive by nature, so I especially enjoyed this one. I’d set a time limit to see how much I could write or promise myself a prize for accomplishing certain goals. Another way to do this is through formal writing competitions. For example, American University's FOLIO competition is coming up as a chance to test your poetry and prose ability.

Most importantly, DO NOT feel like a failure if you don’t have the end result you expected. Writing is a process, and I know through this process I learned a lot about my story and myself that I did not know on November 1. So keep writing and, most importantly, enjoy it.

NaNoWriMo: 5 Tips for Developing Your Concept

The first week of National Novel Writing month is now behind us, and I hope it treated you well! I’ll be honest and start by saying that this experience is much more challenging than I expected. Coming into November, I thought I had a pretty solid idea for my book. But by the time I started writing, I realized that there were still a few holes in my story. I found myself typing out a page, only to delete it and change direction. I would forget what I named certain characters and confuse myself, constantly needing to check back and see what I put on the page before.

(image via Triton Printing)

As I got further along in the writing process, I realized that I was not applying what I learned at Kathryn Johnson’s class last Saturday! Instead of focusing on mostly meaningless details right away, I needed to pay attention to the big picture and overall concept of what I’m writing. Not just for coherency, but for my own enjoyment and sanity. So I pulled out my notes from the class, followed up on her advice, came up with some tools of my own, and it has made all the difference.

Are you still struggling with getting started or just looking for a way to get more organized? Here are the top five tips that helped me solidify my concept and get writing:

1. Find inspiration all around you.

Turns out, coming up with a plot that I can stick with for 50,000 words has taken some time and background knowledge on the subjects I’m covering. At her lecture, Kathryn Johnson assured us that a touching novel can be written in any setting. So write about what you know. What places are you familiar with? What your favorite piece of art would say if it could talk? Can you place familiar events in exotic places? There are no limits. So find something interesting to you and make it a part of the story.

2. Pick your audience.

Your audience determines a lot about how you write. For example, if you’re writing for children, you might want to keep your story shorter than if you’re writing for a college crowd. Pick an audience and make sure that your style and content will appeal to them. Conversely, don’t pick an audience who your story won’t appeal to!

3. Be able to describe your book in one sentence.

Kathryn Johnson recommended this as a way to sell your novel to publishers, but I also think that it’s a great way to stay on topic while writing the story. I wrote my one-sentence synopsis on top of a piece of paper. Every time the story starts veering too far from the main purpose, I can easily put it back on track.

4. Create an outline with characters, important events, and any message you hope to get across.

Right beneath my one-sentence summary, I have an outline of key characters and plot points that I want to incorporate into the book. If you’re writing to teach a moral or particular message, include this in the outline as well. This way, if you’re a little unsure of where you’re going at the current point in the story, you can skip ahead to the next important plot element and figure out how to connect the two later. This has helped me to make sure I cover everything that I want and has kept me from going off on tangents.

5. Creativity loves constraint.

This is actually a phrase that I picked up from a marketing class, but I think it’s just as relevant for writing. Though some of these tips may sound a little restraining, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Read these statements and think about which prompts a more interesting answer:

How are you doing?

Describe your day to me in five words.

Chances are, if someone asked me the first question, I would probably just say “good.” But, when given the task of using only five words to describe my whole day, I immediately start thinking of the highlights and interesting vocabulary to describe them. By placing specific restraints on writing, such as a target audience and certain events to include, you help your brain to start thinking creatively and more interesting work will come from it.

So, hopefully this will help you if you’re still trying to get a solid grasp on your novel! What other tips or techniques have worked for you? Feel free to leave them in the comments section!