The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1891-10-03
A Trip to Blue Ridge Summit

1ERRhN LILLE otpt -, 1891
| DEAR WING:
Having recently visited Blue Ridge
able to write something of interest to
your readers. AS the name implies
Blue Ridge Summit is situated right in
the midst of the Blue Ridge Mountains
on the Western Maryland railroad about
seventy miles from Baltimore. The
route to it is lovely. We go over the
| famous Horse SiOe Bend where The
curve is SO great one eau see the engine
| from the rear of tho train. Thomas
| Wilson's Sanitarium for sick children is
also passed. The farms look as if a
| great deal of care and money had been
expended on them. The only town nf
any note we saw was Westminster the
county seat of Carroll county. When
we reach Blue Ridge we are about five
miles from HagerstOwn and eleven rom
Emmittsburg. Pen Mar is about two
and IA half miles away. 1t is right on
L
land. The word means part of Pennsyl-
vania and Maryland From High Rock
we were two thousand feet above sea
level and Mt. Quirauk at twenty-five
hundred feet from which we had
very lovely view of the fertile Climber
land Valley, and the battle field of
Gettysburg. Or clear day, four states
Can be Seen. Another curiosity is the
Devils race course. One would never
imagine from its name what it could
ever be, it is an area Of rocks both large
and small about one and quarter miles
long and three or four hundred yards
wide. How or why it is, IS not knowa,
but 1t is supposed to be of volcanic
origin, OF probably an earthquake at
rocks have brown appearance as if they
had been subjected to intense heat. One
can see between the interstices a great
depth as if the rocks were a covering of
excavations. Biologists are coming up
from Washington shortly to investigate
and report in regard to it. Prof. Ely has
written one or two articles pertaining to
it. There are several other things or
rocks rather called after the Evil One
here such as Devils Coffin,'' and
Kitchen and village called Devils
Pipe Greek.
Bueua Vista hotel is quite an impos-
ing looking edifice overlooking the
the lovely Cumberland Valley. a street
Car track is laid from the station to the
hotel for the guests. 1t looks very odd
to see the street cars coming through
the woods. The cascades are very pretty
indeed, the water falling over rocks
one hundred feet or more. Other hotels
ale Monterey Spring, Blue Mountain
House, and so on. The Springs are
numerous aud the water excellent
Quite number of wealthy sOutheruers
have their summer houses here Some
all the way lrom Texas. We were
shown IA rock where General Lee sat and
ate his supper after ii battle. Nearly
every foot of that ground was traversed
by Lees army in his st coud Invasion Of
Maryland on his Way to Gettysburg,
The Confederate dead have been taken
to Richmond while the battle field is !
dotted all over with monuments TO the |
Uuiou officers and men. New York and
Ohio have the most. The appearance of
the place is tried to be kept as near as
possible as it Was at the time of the battle
Lee and Meade's men drew water from
the same spring the night before.
One thing looked oddly to me to see
the log houses We don't have any in
this section of country. They were
built of logs and pastered between
These didn't have the chlmueys on the
outside like some I've seen i'll Virginia.
l don't know whether their object is
economy or comfort. | shall conclude
by say ing the keen bracing air of the
mountains makes one feel as it they
never want to live where is is low again
A TOURIST