Moving On...Changing My Focus

It was on July 18, 2010, 15 years ago today, that I first posted something on my blog site.  I have regularly published posts regarding historical, food, family, travel and restaurant experiences for most of the past many years.  At one point I was posting to the site 3 times every week.   Most recently, it's been twice a week.

I've decided to cease any regular publications/posts to the site.  Not gone...still will publish something from time to time as the spirit moves me, but my focus is moving elsewhere.  I want to spend more time researching our family histories and I've gotten much more involved with a local Knoxville collector's club.  I do enjoy the time spent in that endeavor...even with the work involved. 

What follows are a scattering of the many photos dating as far back as last October...a sampling of those taken near the conclusion of our long road trip through parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York and Virginia.  I'd never completed the Virginia portion of the trip...

This is the entrance to the Reeves Museum of Ceramics at Washington and Lee University in Lexington Virginia.  The Reeves collection showcases one of America's best collections of Chinese export porcelain as well as European and American ceramics made between 1500 and 1900.

FYI, Washington and Lee University is the 9th oldest college in the USA.  Originally known as Liberty Hall Academy, it was renamed Washington Academy in 1796 and Washington College in 1813.  A gift of stocks from George Washington had saved the school from financial ruin.  Robert E. Lee, who had led Confederate forces throughout the Civil War, had previously been the Superintendent of the West Point Military Academy.  A few months after the war, he became President of Washington College and he helped build the university for the future.

In today's highly charged political atmosphere, Lee's name being attached to this University has been controversial.  For the university's outlook on this subject, go to https://www.wlu.edu/about-w-l/university-history/university-namesakes.

During our visit, there was a exhibition of ceramics adjacent to artwork with blank spaces in the paintings that are related to the ceramics.  I still don't get it...but both Laurie and I do love ceramics and this plate was a stunner!

I just had to include this 'fowl' piece of porcelain in my post.  Love the brilliant colors involved!  

Then there was this gorgeous brown and yellow teapot with raised decorations.  This teapot from the Yixing Dynasty teapot dates somewhere between 1725 - 1775.

This stunning hard paste porcelain 'tea pot' from China didn't start its life as a tea pot, but rather as a wine pot.  The English later repurposed it as a teapot.  Note the 'bamboo bundle' shape that was created by a master ceramics maker sometime between 1700 and 1720.

Moving on down the road, it was time to find a place for dinner.  Research had revealed the possibility of a fine German dinner near Staunton Virginia.  The Edelweiss Restaurant is a log structure in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  The family that built it came from Karlsruhe Germany.  The menu is loaded with German specialties, something one doesn't see very often.

While Edelweiss is well rated on the Internet, Laurie and I weren't feeling it... The food was decent but not great and the service was rushed.  This restaurant is popular with long waits for customers so maybe our lack of enthusiasm isn't typical.  Check it out and give Edelweiss a try.  Let us know what you think... Website: https://edelweissvirginia.com/.

I love taking photos like this and imagining what might have been... Located at the eastern foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains on US Hwy. 60 in Amherst County Virginia, Forks of Buffalo refers to the place where the North and South Forks of the Buffalo River come together.

Since I like researching places, I came across this photo from the Forks of the Buffalo area, showing the Myers' Cash Store, United States Post Office and Esso Gas Station.  Perhaps the early to mid-1960s, the store opened in 1937.  Unfortunately, I also came across another photo from December of 2024, only 2 months after I took that first photo, now showing that the front of the old building had fallen down... Timing is everything.

This well preserved and restored railway depot is located at Amherst Virginia.  Amherst was founded in 1807 and it is the county seat for the county of the same name.  The town's population has never been much higher than its current level of about 2,200 residents.

Amherst was first known as Dearborn and the first depot here was completed in the late 1800s for the Orange and Alexandria Railroad.  It was replaced in the late fall of 1913 by the Southern Railway.  As was typical, the ticket booth extended outward from the center facing the tracks, with waiting rooms on each side...one for black folks and the other for white folks.  Three passenger trains stopped at the depot every day until the mid-1940s.  Passenger service was completely discontinued during the 1960s and finally freight service ceased in the mid-1970s.

So...just where is this old structure located?  Our next significant stop was at the Appomattox Courthouse National Historic Park at the village of Appomattox Courthouse...redundant I know.  This is not the original Appomattox Courthouse, but rather a reconstruction.

In the 1800s the original courthouse gave its name to the village around it.  As many of us know, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his army here in 1865.  I always thought that Lee had surrendered to Grant at the courthouse but the courthouse was closed that day so the surrender took place in a nearby home.  In any case the village was already in a state of decline in the 1850s.  The original courthouse burned down in 1892 and the county seat was relocated.  This structure was rebuilt in 1964 and it now serves at the Visitor's Center for the more than 1,700 acre Appomattox Courthouse National Historical Park.

So this is the house...or an almost exact replica of the house...where Lee surrendered to Grant, virtually bringing America's long and painful Civil War to an end.  This is the McLean House at the Appomattox Courthouse National Historic Park and it was chosen for the surrender as it was the most substantial home or building in the Village.

The McLean House was originally built by Charles Raine in 1848.  It had served as a tavern/inn and it was sold to Wilmer McLean in 1863.  In an interesting historical quirk of fate, the First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas) took place on McLean's farm.  Seeking to avoid the war, and too old to serve in the Confederate Army, McLean moved here to 'avoid the war'.

This is a recreation of the setting where Lee formally surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant.  The original furniture is in the possession of the Smithsonian and the Chicago History Museum.

The terms of surrender were: "The officers to give their individual paroles not to take up arms against the government of the United States until properly exchanged, and each company or regimental commander to sign a like parole for the men of their commands,"... neither "side arms of the officers nor their private horses or baggage" to be surrendered; and, as many privates in the Confederate Army owned horses and mules, all horses and mules claimed by men in the Confederate Army to be left in their possession.

As for the McLean house, Wilmer McLean was broke as all his money was in Confederate dollars, which he'd accumulated by running sugar through the Union blockade during the war.  Ownership passed from one person to one scheme or another.  At one point it was disassembled and labeled for possible reconstruction as an attraction in Washington D.C.  That project never got off the ground and much of what was left of the house was pilfered over the years.  The re-built house was opened to the public on April 9, 1949.  Over 5,000 of the home's original bricks were used in the construction.

To learn more about the Appomattox Courthouse National Historical Park and to plan a visit, go to https://www.nps.gov/apco/index.htm. 

This is the Booker T. Washington National Monument near Hardy Virginia.  Booker T. Washington was born a slave on the 207-acre farm of James Burroughs in April of 1856.  Following the Civil War, he became the first principal of  the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial School.  Later, as an advisor and confidant of President Theodore Roosevelt, an author and orator, he became the most influential African American of his era.

Booker T. Washington (1856 - 1919)

To learn more about Booker T. Washington, you can go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booker_T._Washington.

This National Monument preserves portions of the tobacco farm where Booker T. Washington was born and where he lived for the first 9 years of his life.  The facility also provides interpretation of Washington's life and achievements as well as an interpretation of slavery and farming in the 1850s through the use of buildings, gardens, crafts and animals.

You can learn more about The Booker T. Washington National Monument at https://www.nps.gov/bowa/index.htm.  

The last stop on our long but interesting and relaxing road trip was of course, dinner on the last night of the trip.  We were tired and looking forward to getting home.  The decision was made that we should go casual for our final meal on the road so we picked JJ's Restaurant and Sports Bar in Abingdon Virginia from my list of dining options.  Laurie stuck to soup and cornbread and I went for fried catfish, beans, coleslaw and cornbread.  The food wasn't gourmet but it was tasty, reasonably priced and satisfying.

JJ's Restaurant and Sports Bar is located at 115 Charwood Drive in Abingdon Virginia.  Open daily for lunch and dinner.  Phone: 276-525-4999.  Website: https://www.eatatjjs.com/.

As I mentioned at the start of this post, I'll be back from time to time and I'll also check in on those who I've been following...

Just click on any of the photos you'd like to enlarge.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care...and, as the saying from the 50's (the era of 45 rpm records), "I'll see you on the flip side".

Big Daddy Dave

Along Back Roads - South through Virginia

I know that it's hard to believe, but I'm continuing to post photos from our long road trip this past October.  It was an active trip with lots of exploration and related camera work... We are now on the last leg of this little adventure...but we did encounter quite a few more sights and we enjoyed several more interesting stops along the way.

Heading south from Culpeper Virginia, we followed US Hwy 522 for a few miles before jumping on VA Hwy 615.  I chose this 'back roads' route over the more heavily traveled US Hwy 15.  It wasn't too long before we came across a couple of interesting places...

Needless to say, this combination of church structures in Rapidan Virginia definitely captured our attention.  The church with the red door is the Emmanuel Episcopal Church.  After a series of floods, the worst one being in January of 1998, the church was moved from its original location on the banks of the Rapidan River to this much safer location on higher ground 110 feet from the river.  The structure was almost destroyed by the flood but the small congregation managed to fund it's relocation and repair.  

Mystery unsolved... I couldn't find any information about the small church building at the right of the Emmanuel Episcopal Church.  Is it old or just built to look old?  What is it's function?  Certainly the juxtaposition of the 2 structures is unusual and draws the eye of any passerby's.

I borrowed this photo from an article on the Internet.  It shows the attractive and eye-catching interior of the Emmanuel Episcopal Church as it appears after the restoration.  How old is this church?  It already was 134 years old when the flood almost destroyed it...and this year it will celebrate its 161st year of worship.

Research had assured me that at one time in relatively recent history, there was a depot or depots in Rapidan Virginia.  Rapidan is bisected by the Rapidan River.  It began as a small milling community named Waugh's Mill in the late 1700s.  When the Orange and Alexandria Railroad came to town in 1854, the town was renamed "Rapid Ann Station". (Named after a fast moving stream for Princess Ann) During the American Civil War, several raids resulted in the destruction of most of the town's buildings.  

Apparently, if the sign is accurate, this old freight depot was originally built in 1853.  As you can see, it has been massively refurbished, (note the skylights), and it now provides what appears to be home for a family or two.

This is the former Southern Railway Passenger Depot in Rapidan.  The original Orange and Alexandria Railway station was established here in 1854 but was destroyed during the Civil War.  This 'new station' was built in 1876 by the Charlottesville and Rapidan Railroad to serve the rail line between Orange and Charlottesville Virginia.  That line was was eventually merged into the Southern Railway and it now serves the Norfolk Southern mainline through the area.  As can be seen in the photo, this 149 year old depot has been 'saved' and converted into a family home.

Moving on in a southerly direction, our next stop was in Orange Virginia and, of course yet another old railway depot.  The Colonial Revival style Orange Railway Station served the Southern Railway and it was completed in 1910.  Passenger service to Orange was discontinued in the early 1970s.  This old depot was renovated in 1997 and it now serves as the home of the Orange County Department of Tourism and the Visitors Bureau.

I much prefer photos of these old depots with trains passing by, especially if they're passenger trains.  As you can see in the first photo, Amtrak regularly passes the depot...but although it looks good, Orange Virginia is not an Amtrak stop.  

The second photo shows the Texas and Pacific Railway's Locomotive 610 (AKA the "Will Rogers") steaming past the Orange depot in July of 1978.  At the time this rare 2-10-4 heavy locomotive was on loan to the Southern Railway to pull excursion trains for the company's steam program.  FYI, this locomotive was built by the Lima Locomotive Works in June of 1927.  This type of locomotive was designed to pull fast and heavy freight trains.

From Orange, I diverted toward the southwest along VA Hwy 20, with even less traffic along the way.  

Yes...one more old railway depot!  This is the old depot at Montpelier Station Virginia.  This depot is a bit special and also unusual.  As of 2010, it became an exhibit as part of the President James Madison's Montpelier Estate on the National Register of Historic Places. (We'd visited that estate many years earlier).  As of 1983, the estate was passed on to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.   

Montpelier was purchased by William du Pont in 1901.  He wanted convenience and he certainly had the money so he paid to have this depot built in order to bring in supplies...and for his weekly travel to Wilmington Delaware for business.  The depot served as a passenger 'whistle stop' from 1912 through 1929.  FYI, a railway 'whistle stop' is a place where trains only stop on request.  Freight service was handled by this depot beginning in 1911 and it ceased in 1962.

The station was designed by the Southern Railway Company using one of its standard floor plans...which called for segregated waiting rooms.  You can see the "Colored" sign over the door at the right while the "White" door is at the left.  The ticket office had separate windows allowing service for both rooms.

In 2008, the Montpelier Foundation began renovating the Depot.  The goal was to restore it to its original appearance in order to document this period of legalized segregation in Virginia and to educate the public about the Jim Crow era.  The exhibit is entitled "The Montpelier Train Depot: In the Time of Segregation".  To learn more about historic Montpelier as an attraction and as President James Madison's home, go to https://www.montpelier.org/. 

From the beginning, as shown above, a United States Post Office was located at the far end of the Montpelier Depot.  But in June of 2022, some Federal government body or official decided that the racial aspects of the depot's exhibits reflected poorly on the Postal Service/Federal Government and the post office was closed.  The closure didn't last long as protests and complaints...plus political pressure...brought about the Post Office's reopening in October of 2022.  This facility serves over 100 local families.

Next stop, Staunton Virginia!

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Spring Photos Plus a Look around Culpeper Virginia

Who doesn't love spring...that is if you weren't hammered with the horrid storms that have sadly impacted much of the middle of the USA!  While much of central and western Tennessee suffered from flooding, high winds and tornados, here in East Tennessee all we received was needed spring rains...with some wind mixed in.  We live in the Tennessee River valley, that lies running northeast to the southwest, and we are usually but not always protected  from the worst weather by the Cumberland Plateau at the west and the Smokey Mountains at the east.

This bush always grabs our attention when it blooms!  The flowers look like delicate little bottle brushes.  It is one of the several 'bottle brush' bushes that are popular with landscapers.  This particular bush is called a Mount Airy Fothergilla. 

We love our little Japanese Maple Tree.  It cozies up in a niche in front of Laurie's 'plant room' between our laundry room and the garage.  Love those feathery red leaves when the tree first comes 'back to life' every spring!

My personal spring favorite are the Redbud Trees.  Rarely shaped in an orderly fashion, these pretty little violet colored blooms just adorn the limbs of the trees in early spring.  They are one of the very first trees to bloom every year.  Sadly, we had a white dogwood tree nearby that provided a terrific contrast with the dogwood blossoms...but no longer.

FYI... One of the biggest and best known events in the Greater Knoxville Tennessee area is the Dogwood Festival...with dogwood trails through neighborhoods and plenty of related events.  Learn more at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogwood_Arts_Festival and https://www.dogwoodarts.com/dogwoodartsfestival.  

No...I'm not done posting photos and talking about things we did during our fall 2024 road trip.  Continuing with the last leg of that trip from Virginia...

One of the first posts from this road trip saga was about a terrific restaurant that Laurie and I dined at in Culpeper Virginia.  I posted our experience at it out of sequence with the trip because we liked it so much.  If you missed that post, just go to https://bigdaddydavesbitsandpieces.blogspot.com/2024/11/its-about-thyme-fine-dining.html.

Now back to Culpeper and a brief look around this bustling small town.  Believe it or not, the original section of the large building shown above was built in 1820 by Revolutionary War General Edward Stevens.  The family of future Confederate States of America General A.P. Hill bought the home in 1832, enlarging it to its current size just prior to the American Civil War.  Timing is everything and the Hill family sold the property in 1962.  The building is referred to today as the A.P. Hill building.  Occupants include a wellness spa and a fashion boutique as well as at least one apartment.

Yes, Laurie did do a bit of shopping in Culpeper... I was more interested in this cat in a basket, even if she wasn't interested in me.  We both love cats, but between Laurie's allergies and the probability that over half of our family, (who have allergies or don't like cats), would never come to visit, deters us from any new feline member for our household.

The two photos above are general views of downtown Culpeper.  It is an attractive and active small town at one corner of 'horse country' in Virginia.  The building at the right side of the photo immediately above, is the Fairfax Masonic Building.  It was completed in 1902 and it currently is home to a real estate company and a gift boutique.

I borrowed this photo from the Internet.  The first Culpeper County Courthouse was built in 1750.  A replacement was built on the same site in 1808.  The second courthouse was torn down in 1871 and it was replace by this Classic Revival structure in 1873.  

There is a reason for all the good restaurants and shopping opportunities.  About 70% of the fast growing population of the county commute out of the county for work.  The town is 55 minutes from Manassas Virginia and just a little over an hour to Dulles International Airport.  How fast is this county growing?  In 1980, the county recorded 22,620 residents.  By 2000 there were over 34,000 and the 2020 census recorded 52,552 residents.

Factoids:  

• By the middle of the 1970s, Culpeper County was the last county in the Commonwealth of Virginia to desegregate its schools.

• Commonwealth Park in the county is the site for many world-class equestrian events.  This is where actor Christopher Reeve suffered the equestrian accident that paralyzed him in 1995.

This is a photo of the cookie display case at Knakal's Bakery at 146 East Davis Street.  This bakery has been a fixture in Culpeper since the 1930s and they offer a wide selection of donuts, cookies, pastries and cakes.  We did buy a couple of very nice cookies to take with us as a treat for later in the day.  This is my kind of shopping experience!

This is the oldest commercial building in Culpeper.  George Washington surveyed and plotted the town back in 1749.  The first indication of any structure being built on this plot of land was a deed of sale in 1790 to Thomas Reade Rootes...a lawyer and a member of Virginia's House of Delegates.  In the 1890s it was known as the Martin Furniture Company but it was originally built (ca ?) to house the post office, the Farmer's and Merchants Bank as well as Clark and Company Grocers.  

This structure has been used by a number of other businesses including a tobacco warehouse, stables, a tin shop, a Civil War jail for soldiers from both sides of the conflict and for much of the 1900s, as the Yarnell Hardware Store.  The structure survived the Civil War, two major fires and an earthquake.  Today it is the home of The Grass Rootes Restaurant, an upscale dining venue.  To learn about this restaurant, go to https://www.grassrootescu.com.

This is the oldest church in Culpeper.  St. Stephen's Episcopal Church was built in 1821 on land donated to the parish by Brigadier General Edward Stevens, a hero who led his militia in several key battles during the Revolutionary War.  Originally, this church was a relatively plain rectangular structure.  The slender steeple and the entrance vestibule were added in 1861.  Other renovations and additions took place ca. 1870 and it 1884.  This was one of the few churches in the area that remained unscathed during the Civil War.

Part of Culpeper's Central Historic District, the old Southern Railway Depot at 109 South Commerce Street was built in 1904.  It replaced another that had been built in 1874, which itself had replaced 2 depots that had been originally built by the Orange and Alexander Railroad.  Threatened with demolition in 1985, the community rallied to save it and then to renovate it.  Part of the structure at 111 South Commerce Street now serves as the Culpeper Visitor's Center.  Located at 113 Commerce Street, the Museum of Culpeper History occupies a larger portion of the structure.  To learn more about the museum, go to https://culpepermuseum.com/.

The best part about this old depot is that it is still served by passenger trains.  Options include: Amtrak's 3 time a week round trip service (the Cardinal line) from New York City to Chicago; the daily round trip service (the Crescent City line) from New York to New Orleans and; the twice daily Amtrak Northeast Service from Washington D.C. to Roanoke Virginia.  The Commonwealth of Virginia provides financial support for the Northeast Service.  In 2023, the Culpeper station served 17,386 passengers.

That's all for now.  Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by for a visit! 

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Off the Interstate - Headed South in Pennsylvania

...continuing with our fall 2024 road trip through several states.  Leaving Mansfield Pennsylvania after our spending our second night in the town, Laurie and I headed south on US Hwy 15.  The highway follows the Susquehanna River for many miles on its way to Chesapeake Bay.  At Harrisburg Pennsylvania, we merged onto Interstate Highway I-81 south.  Tired of traffic and the boredom of most Interstate Highways, we exited at Shippensburg Pennsylvania.  Our alternative route was US Hwy 11 south, (known in the South as Lee Highway).  It runs parallel to I-81 for many miles.  

This is the Redott-Stewart House at 52 King Street/US Hwy 11 in Shippensburg.  This large stone home, also known as the Shippen House, was built ca. 1784 by the Redott family...or was it?  Other sources state that the oldest section of the house was built ca. 1750 by Edward Shippen III. In the early 1800s, it was purchased by Dr. Alexander Stewart.  Today, it is the home of the Shippensburg Historical Society and Museum.  

In addition to the early history of Shippensburg and the surrounding area, the Society possesses one of the largest collections of memorabilia from the Depression Era's Works Progress Administration.  The collection dates from 1935 to 1941.  To learn more about the Historical Society, go to https://www.shippensburghistoricalsociety.org/about.

In July of 1730, twelve Scotch-Irish families arrived in the area and built cabins along nearby Burd Run (creek).  The settlement received its name from from Edward Shippen, who had obtained the patent to the land from William Penn's heirs.  In 1750, Shippensburg was named as the first county seat for Cumberland County.  Of interest is the fact that one of Shippen's daughters married Benedict Arnold...a traitor to the American Revolution.

                            

Our next stop along the way was at the campus of Wilson College in Chambersburg Pennsylvania.  The small and attractive building at the right of this photo is called "Harmony Cottage".  It was built in 1897 to serve as a professor's home.  The college's organist lived here during that time period and into the early 1900s.  It was briefly converted into a dormitory in 1926.  In 1929, the cottage was 'pivoted' to face the road in order to make room for that larger structure.  It's Warfield Hall and it was completed in 1930.  As regards the cottage, it now serves as the college's Office of Marketing and Communications.

Wilson College itself, with it's 300-acre campus, is a Historic District that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  Wilson College was established by the Presbyterian Church back in 1869.  It was a women's college, one of the first to accept only female students, until it became fully coeducational in 2014.  It was originally named Wilson Female College.  In 1870, the college's promotional material stated that it was a place for women "to be leaders, not followers, in society".

This is the Joshua W. Sharpe House.  This handsome Queen Anne style home was built in 1887 and it was purchased by Wilson College in 1942.  As part of the College, is has served as faculty and student apartments, a faculty club, classroom, meeting space as well as for WWII relief work and related studies.  From 1998 - 2000 it served the Wilson College's Women with Children Program.  Subsequently, it was remodeled and it now serves as the home of the college's President.

In 1982, Wilson began offering a continuing studies program (now known as the Adult Degree Program) to meet the needs of adults seeking post-secondary education. In 1996, the college was one of the first in the nation to offer on-campus residential housing for single mothers living with children.  Co-educational - men as of 2014.  Wilson College currently has about 1,620 students.  You can learn more at https//:www.wilson.edu/.

This large home with the covered auto/carriage portico and that amazing porch is located close to the Sharpe House as described above.  I suspect that this home is used by the College, faculty or alumnus but I wasn't able to find anything about it.  I just liked it!

Moving further south on US Hwy 11, as we neared the Maryland State Line, we stopped at Greencastle Pennsylvania.  The "Greencastle High Line" railway depot was built by the Cumberland Valley Railroad in 1909.  It served passenger trains running between Hagerstown Maryland and Harrisburg Pennsylvania, but declining usage with advent of increased travel via automobiles after WWII, passenger service was halted.  The postcard shown above is from 1952.  To learn more about the Cumberland Valley Railroad, go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumberland_Valley_Railroad.

The High Line Train Station was named for it's elevated rails.  Many decades after the end of passenger service, the old depot still serves the community by promoting youth leadership.  As a matter of fact, the depot is now managed by the Greencastle Area Youth Foundation.  The Youth Foundation is a non-profit whose goals are to maintain the historical integrity of the Station, preserving its and the railroad's heritage, while providing a meeting place for area youth organizations...and at the same time, promoting local arts.  

The Greencastle Area Youth Foundation has made significant repairs to the building while establishing several displays designed to preserve the area's railroad history.  Web cams have been installed over the tracks so railfans can watch passing trains online and displays have been mounted for visiting railfans to safely monitor ongoing rail traffic.  Learn more at https://www.mightycause.com/organization/Greencastle-Area-Youth-Foundation.

One last stop in Pennsylvania before lunch... The B-Street Restaurant and Pub is located in the old McLaughlin Hotel in downtown Greencastle Pennsylvania.  The hotel was completed and opened for business in 1905.  The site has had a continuously operating restaurant since the late 1700s.  I was unable to determine what the upper floors of the old hotel are being used for now.  To learn more about the B-Street Restaurant and Pub, you can go to https//:bstreet104.com/.

No...we didn't have lunch at the B-Street Restaurant and Pub.  We'd determined that a local 'diner-style' restaurant was close by so we stopped for our lunch time repast at Home Style Family Restaurant which is located at 26 North Antrim Way in Greencastle Pennsylvania.  it was after the lunch hour so it wasn't busy when we arrived.  

We kept lunch simple... Laurie ordered a Patty Melt (burger, cheese and sauteed onion on grilled rye bread), accompanied by some potato chips.  She was happy with her choice.

I wasn't very adventuresome either but my sandwich was a little different than I expected.  I ordered the pork tenderloin sandwich...and where we come from that means a hunk of pork, breaded and fried on a bun.  My sandwich was indeed pork tenderloin but it was either grilled or fried...no breading.  Despite the surprise version of a pork tenderloin sandwich, it was very nice, not overcooked and still juicy.  Without those potato chips, it might have been a healthy meal.

The Home Style Family Restaurant in Greencastle Pennsylvania is open from 6 AM until 8 PM 6 days a week and from 7 AM until 2 PM on Sunday.  Note: 787 Google reviews give this restaurant a rating of 4.6 out of 5.0 possible points.  Check it out at https://www.facebook.com/homestylefamilyrestaurant/.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them... Next, non-stop through a bit of  Maryland and on into Virginia!

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave