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Today we visited James A Garfield National Historic Site—famous for the Front Porch campaign, as well as serving as the first “presidential library.” Garfield had one of the oddest Presidencies; unexpectedly nominated, then assassinated by a patronage seeker just months into his term.

A large Victorian-style house with a wraparound porch and red gabled roofs is surrounded by greenery.

A luxurious, vintage-style room features elegant wooden furniture, intricate rugs, and an impressive ceiling design, with classic decor and roped-off sections.

A cozy study room features wooden bookshelves filled with books and decorative items, framed artwork on the walls, and a wooden floor.

A historical library or study room features wooden furniture, bookshelves filled with old books, and desks with vintage lamps and paper documents.

A stained glass piece featuring a portrait is displayed on a stand in a room with decorative ceramic items on a cabinet.

A covered porch features red chairs and doors, wooden siding, and overlooks a grassy area with trees.

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With yesterday’s park visits, Jen now has less than 10% remaining on her national parks quest (391/433), with three more park visits likely before we fly home on Sunday night.

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I had some questions during the baseball game, so I texted my buddy Jeff.

A text conversation discusses the best inning to streak on the field, with a humorous reply and an image of a person being escorted off a baseball field.
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Had an unexpectedly good time at Pittsburgh’s PNC Park for Jen’s MLB Ballparks quest. Such an intimate stadium! So far, I’ve only seen home wins.

A baseball game is taking place in a large stadium with spectators filling the stands and a cityscape visible in the background.A nighttime baseball game is taking place at PNC Park with the city skyline visible in the background.A baseball field is set for a game under a clear sky with a large American flag displayed in the outfield and a city skyline in the background.A statue of a cartoonish baseball player in a Pittsburgh Pirates uniform is set against a nighttime cityscape with a yellow bridge in the background.A brightly lit yellow bridge spans over a river, with a grassy park and decorative structures in the foreground.A can of Full Squish Hazy IPA is held up in front of a baseball stadium during a game.

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Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site was our second stop today. The portage essentially functioned as a “canal lock” for raising the railroad up various steep grades in crossing the Appalachian Mountains—an important advancement in moving goods westward.

A sign for the Allegheny Portage Railroad National Historic Site is displayed outdoors, surrounded by greenery.A historical information sign describes Inclined Plane No. 6 of the Allegheny Portage Railroad, with rail tracks and trees visible in the background.A railway track leads into a lush forest setting under a clear blue sky.A white building with large doors sits behind a historical information plaque about Engine House No.6, surrounded by grassy lawns and a short railway track.A large stone building with multiple windows sits behind a historical information sign on a grassy area under a blue sky with clouds.

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Our first stop today was Johnstown Flood National Memorial, the location of a major dam disaster that killed more than 2200 local residents due to the carelessness of a Guilded Age sportsman club.

A historical information sign overlooks a scenic landscape with a house and rolling hills in the background.A historical plaque narrates the 1889 danger of a dam becoming unstable, with accompanying text and images depicting the event and individuals involved.A historical information sign overlooks a scenic landscape with a house and rolling hills in the background.A scenic landscape featuring a lush green hillside, a winding road, and a clear blue sky.

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Tucked away near the railroad tracks on the edge of the small Pennsylvania town of Lilly lies a memorial to the time local residents kicked the KKK out of town.

A brick monument features a relief of hooded figures with a plaque describing the Ku Klux Klan riot of April 1, 1934, surrounded by colorful flowers.A colorful illustration accompanies a text discussing the Ku Klux Klan's attack on Lilly, Pennsylvania, under the heading "The Brave Chaos."

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An adequately funded National Park Service sure would have made our visits better today. Both visitor centers are now closed for multiple days each week. These places protect and interpret our national heritage—you’d think that national pride alone would fund them to be open every day of the week.

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We’re roughly halfway thru the trip, with our general route in red. My county map is rather convoluted, given how this trip overlaps with where I went in May; dark green counties are new ones I’ve passed thru in 2035, light green areas are this year’s “repeats.”

A map of OH and PA highlights regions in different colors, with a red line demarcating a specific path.
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Stopped at a beer bar next to our hotel tonight to plot out the next few days. We’re one full day ahead now, which means we can hopefully tackle two additional national park units (and one affiliated site) and thereby eliminate the need for a future trip. Cautiously optimistic! 🤞

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Our next stop was Fort Necessity National Battlefield, where George Washington (then fighting for the British) got his ass handed to him by the French and Indians. The site also serves as the interpretative center for the National Road, the first federal roadway.

Fort Necessity National Battlefield's interpretive and education center is displayed with its logos on a brick building facade.An informative display describes the historical context and construction of Fort Necessity, set against a backdrop of lush greenery and a partly cloudy sky.A circular wooden structure is set in a grassy field with trees and a cloudy sky in the background.An informational display about the history and significance of the National Road, detailing its impact on American settlement and trade.A curved pathway leads to a circular wooden structure in a grassy open area surrounded by trees and clouds.

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Our second destination today was Friendship Hill, the home of Albert Gallatin, often regarded as “America’s Swiss Founding Father.” He was the longest serving Sec of Treasury, during which he reduced the national debt, purchased the Louisiana Territory, and funded the Lewis & Clark exploration.

A historic stone and stucco house with a large porch is set against a backdrop of trees and a partly cloudy sky, surrounded by a well-kept lawn.A bronze statue depicts a man in period clothing looking through a surveying instrument on a tripod, holding a hat in his hand.A marble fireplace is beneath a framed portrait of a man with dark hair, alongside a standing flag on the left.

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En route to our morning destination, we passed through Moundsville, WV. “There’s got to be a mound here, let’s go find it,” I said. And a few mins later, we found ourselves in front of Grave Creek Mound, complete with visitor center. We hiked to the top, which peers out over the WV Penitentiary.

A historical marker provides information about the Adena burial mound in Moundsville, with the mound visible in the background.A grassy mound with a flight of stone steps leading up to it is set against a clear blue sky, with a small sign in the foreground.A large, grassy mound is surrounded by a black fence, with trees and a clear blue sky in the background.A large mastodon skeleton is displayed in a museum setting with informational panels and additional fossil exhibits nearby.A historic castle-like building stands behind a row of parked cars, with a backdrop of lush, wooded hills.A stone obelisk stands on a dry, grassy area overlooking a distant building and tree-covered hills under a clear blue sky.

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Welp, I’m falling further and further behind on trip photos. No surprise, as we’re planning as we go and packing in a lot, and I’d like to write a bit more than a quick blurb about some of our stops.

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We visited the Hopewell Culture NHP yesterday, which was one of the two remaining UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the US that Jen hadn’t yet visited. We’ll hit some of the other Hopewell mound sites on a subsequent trip.

A sign titled "A Sacred Purpose" is displayed in a grassy field with mounds, under a blue sky with clouds.A grassy landscape with rolling hills under a bright blue sky filled with fluffy clouds.A grassy field with a tree on the left and a line of trees in the background under a blue sky with scattered clouds.A grassy field with a tree on the left and a line of trees in the background under a blue sky with scattered clouds.

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The hometown of General Sheridan.

A statue of a rider on horseback stands atop a large stone pedestal next to a flagpole with an American flag.
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Bank burglars beware.

A classical-style building with large columns and a "BURGLAR ALARM" sign near the entrance is set against a backdrop of a blue sky with scattered clouds and a leafy tree.
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Just a boy and his dog… BOTH DEAD 😵😂

A statue of a child and a dog sits atop a grave marked Johnny Morehouse in a cemetery surrounded by various tombstones.
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One of my fav pastimes while traveling is figuring out “how many stickers I’ve been to” at breweries we visit. I played against the brewer’s mom tonight, closely edging her out, 17 to 15. Also fun to see our local place, Wren House, on the wall. They gave me a sticker to deposit somewhere during our trip.

A door with a restroom sign is surrounded by walls covered in a diverse collection of stickers.A wall displays stickers featuring logos for Wren House Brewing Co. from Phoenix, Arizona, and Riggs Beer Company from Urbana, Illinois.A brick building with a sign for Branch & Bone Artisan Ales and an outdoor area with iron fencing is lit up at night.

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Peace out, Cincy! We’re back to Dayton, stopping in at Branch & Bone Artisan Ales, plotting tomorrow’s agenda.

A colorful mural on a building features the phrase "Greetings from Cincinnati, Ohio" with local landmarks illustrated within the letters.A glass of beer sits on a coaster next to a vase of colorful flowers on a bar counter with a brick wall and various taps in the background.