Fort Knox...No, There's No Gold Here

Fort Knox, Prospect, Maine

A few weeks ago my family took a drive to Prospect, Maine, home of Fort Knox and the Penobscot Narrows Observatory.  This is not the Fort Knox with all the gold.  That one's in Kentucky.  This Fort Knox is Maine's largest historic fort standing watch over the Penobscot River and the town of Bucksport, and one of our favorite spots to experience a touch of Maine history.

Exploring the passages within the fort walls.

My 10-year-old son loves to explore the labyrinth of tunnels circumventing the fort's interior and exterior walls.  The walls of the fort were designed to allow soldiers to patrol the perimeter of the fort without having to go outside.  It's important to bring a flashlight, as the tunnels can get pretty dark.  During this outing, we opted for headlamps so as to keep our hands free.

Fort Knox overlooking the village of Bucksport.

If you're looking for a good workout, take the stairs from the fort down to Battery "B" on the river's edge.  These enclosed stairways stay cool in the summer, since they are mostly underground, and will beat your "Stairmaster" any day.  In this area you'll find a cannon ball furnace that heated up cannon balls that were to be fired at ships.  The cannon balls were heated at such a high temperature, they could start a fire if it hit the ship the right way.

The fort was built to protect Bangor from a British naval invasion.  Bangor was a strategic port in the mid-1800s because it was the Lumber Capital of the World with a huge exporting business.

Abutting Fort Knox is the Penobscot Narrows Observatory; the only bridge observatory in the United States.  Observatory admission is paid at the front gate of Fort Knox.

View of Fort Knox from the Penobscot Narrows Observatory.

A one-minute elevator ride rewards you with beautiful 360-degree views, including a birds-eye view of Fort Knox.  The observation deck is 420 feet above the river with some signage labeling what you're seeing out the window.

Penobscot Narrows Observatory, towering above the treeline.

Bethany and Ashton striking a pose between the old an new bridges.

Rangeley, Maine

Height of Land, Route 17 in Rangeley

Smalls Falls on the Sandy River

Rangeley, Maine is a town of about 1,200 near the New Hampshire border.  It's a four-season resort with seemingly unlimited outdoor recreational opportunities.  About 4 hours from Boston by car, the last leg of the drive is along the 52-mile-long Rangeley Lakes National Scenic Byway.

Just south of town, one of the easily accessible natural attractions along the byway is Smalls Falls, a 54-foot series of cascades tumbling down a rock face with two or three different pools that beckon swimmers to take a refreshing dip on a hot summer day.  A footbridge crosses the river below the falls and it makes a good vantage point from which to watch daring young men as they leap from the sheer rock faces into the churning pools below.  For the more reserved swimmer, there are crystal clear pools at the foot of the falls to keep you cool as well.  There is ample parking, and many picnic tables for those who wish to pack a lunch and spend a couple hours taking in this beautiful setting.

As you roll into town, the trees part ways and you are treated to a scenic vista of the lake and surrounding mountains, providing a taste of what has attracted outdoor enthusiasts for generations.

Scenic overlook on Route 4 as you head into Rangeley

The outdoor sporting heritage is evident throughout town, as the streets are lined with outdoor-related shops and float planes bob in the water along side the town dock.  Plus, don't miss the Rangeley Outdoor Sporting Heritage Museum in Oquossuc.  Built in 2010, this museum displays artifacts and memorabilia that represents the hunting and fishing culture that shaped this region.

Waterfront rental on Rangeley Lake

There are accommodations aplenty, so finding a comfortable place to stay is very easy.  One option is the  historic Rangeley Inn.  With its 35 inn rooms, restaurant and tavern, the Rangeley Inn has been serving up hospitality since the late 1800s.  You might also choose a beautiful waterfront cottage, or one of the many family-friendly motels.  No matter where you stay, you can always find a place to put your feet up and let stress take a holiday.  If you come, be sure to strap your canoe or kayak to the car, or perhaps rent a pontoon boat for a loon's-eye view of the area.  From most of the cottages, you are rewarded with views of Saddleback Mountain looming in the distance and reflecting in the shimmering waters. 

Saddleback Mountain is also a great ski resort in the winter.

If you're ambitious, you might take a day hike along the Appalachian Trail to the 4,116-foot summit of Saddleback Mountain.  But if you want a more family-friendly hike, I'd suggest Bald Mountain, a 2,400-foot mountain that sits smack dab between Rangeley Lake and Mooselookmeguntic Lake.  The views from the summit are absolutely stunning and the short, mile-long trail is just long enough so the kids can have a great  hike in the morning and get back to the lakeside lodge for a swim in the afternoon.


If you're not staying at a waterfront property, you can take advantage of the public swimming area at Rangeley Lake State Park on the south side of the lake.  Or, if you want a family camping outing, reserve one of the waterfront sites at the park.

Sunrise over Rangeley Lake

And as the sun begins to lower in the sky and night begins to fall, break out the marshmallows, chocolate bars and graham crackers for s'mores around the campfire.  Most places have fire pits which can become a great place to make new friends beneath the starry skies.  But as you make new acquaintances, keep an eye to the sky and watch for shooting stars, because on a clear night the sky above Rangeley Lake is your own personal planetarium (I saw three shooting stars last time I was there).

For a memorable family vacation, Rangeley can deliver.

Kennebec Valley from the Beach to the Mountains

There's no question that when you mention Maine, most people think of lobster, lighthouses and the rockbound coast, but some people forget about our beaches.  Most of the beaches are in York County, the southernmost county in the state, but there are some great beaches in other parts of the state as well.

Popham Beach State Park

One such place is Popham Beach.  Located in Phippsburg, about 15 miles south of Bath on Route 209, Popham Beach State Park is a white sand beach with an interesting little island you can walk to at low tide.

Fox Island off of Popham Beach is accessible during low tide.

Popham is an expansive beach that expands even more at low tide.  It's a great place for families because there is a large tidal pool near the entrance to the beach, just behind the one of the bath houses.  The sun warms up this water, so toddlers can wade and play without experiencing the colder ocean temperatures.  There are two bath houses at the park with showers, flush toilets and changing rooms.  There's also a little "river" running through the middle of he beach at low tide that is quite shallow and is a great place for little kids to sit and splash around.

Wave Jumping!

 We spent about 3 hours at the beach, jumping waves, building a sandcastle and enjoying a picnic lunch.  We were fortunate that the seagulls didn't abscond with our lunch.  Others weren't so lucky as their bags of chips where snatched from the beach blankets by hungry gulls.  You'd be surprised how bold a hungry seagull will get, and how much they can carry away, given the opportunity.

After a day of surf and sand, we headed home to rest up for our trip to the headwaters of the Kennebec River in The Forks, Maine the next day.  Today's activity was a tubing trip down the upper part of the Kennebec River that was booked through Bullfrog Adventures.  Steve and Tammy Toothaker got us all suited up with PFDs (personal floatation devices), tubes for our bodies and a tube for our cooler that held our lunch, drinks and snacks for our day on the river.

The 2-1/2 hour, 8-mile trip cost us $22 per adult, $17 for our son, and $10 for the cooler tube.  The trip starts at The Forks, which gets its name because the town is located at the convergence of the Kennebec and Dead Rivers.  The river water levels are controlled by a hydro dam several miles up stream.  Typically the water is released at about 4,500 cfm (cubic feet per minute), but on this day we were treated to a big release of 7,400 cfm due to the hot weather and higher demand for electricity, so our tubes move briskly along the river. 

Stopping for lunch along the Kennebec River

The trip is a good mix of small rapids and steadily moving water.  We stopped halfway down the river for lunch as the water continued to rise along its banks. Steve and Tammy told us that the river has many fossil rocks, so along the way, we made a stop at "Fossil Island".  This is the unofficial name dubbed by Steve because pretty much every time he stops here, he finds a fossil rock.  We made a stop on the island, but to my son's disappointment, the water was so high we didn't have much luck.

Fortunately for us, as Steve and Tammy were waiting for us at the take out spot, they found a fossil rock that they generously gave to Ashton.  The rock had impressions of shells from thousands of years ago, which he thought was pretty cool.

After loading up the van with our tubes, we headed back to Steve & Tammy's house to change and prepare for the ride home.  They also run a campground on their property, so they have modern showers and bathrooms for their campers, and tubers.

We changed out of our wet swimsuits and made a promise to ourselves to come back next year and bring some friends to enjoy this great family outing. 

York's Wild Kingdom - Oh, the Memories!

Entrance to York's Wild Kingdom from downtown York Beach

It's probably been about 40 years since I've been to York's Wild Kingdom and aside from a nice zoo, the rest of the park has not changed much in four decades.  Although many of the games in the arcade have been updated, with the exception of the ever present Skee Ball, most of the rides have been there for the duration.

Admission was around $50-60 for two adults and one child, but I was disappointed that this did not include some of the activities like the go-karts and mini golf.  Ashton was most interested in the fun houses.  There were three at the park and probably about 2/3rds of our time was spent going through them again and again, with the exception of one of them which was a haunted house.  Apparently that was a bit too spooky for more than one journey.

Other rides we enjoyed were the roller coaster, the big slide and the scrambler.  And for those of you who are fans of 80s music like yours truly, there was a place that Billy Joel would have appreciated.  It was the house of glass.

Ashton, please do not throw stones in this house.

Fun House at York's Wild Kingdom

As I went through the haunted house, I remember all those years ago when it was something else.  It was a fun house that had bars near the entrance.  Some of the bars were real and some were rubber.  The idea was to find the rubber bars, pull them apart and continue on your merry way.  But when I was little, I was small enough to fit through the real bars.  Unfortunately my brother wasn't and he got his head through but could not get it out.  Yes, he got his head stuck in the bars and they had to either cut the bars or remove one of them to get him unstuck.  Yes, this is one of those family stories for which we will all give my brother a good ribbing for the rest of his life.

Haunted house at York's Wild Kingdom

The bars are no longer in the fun house, maybe it was because of this incident, but walking through the place brought back memories that made the place feel somewhat familiar.  My family used to vacation in York or Wells pretty much annually in the late 60s and early 70s.  We mostly stayed at the Nubble Cove Cottages overlooking the iconic Cape Neddick "Nubble" Lighthouse.  The cottages are now condos and I'm not even sure if they can be rented by the week anymore, but they will always provide a lifetime of memories for me.

I have vivid memories of running around the rocks in front of the cottages, attempting to sneak up on seagulls, with very little success.  Occasionally I'd slip and scape a knee or elbow, which would necessitate a trip back to "nurse mom" for Bactine and a Band-Aid.

On foggy mornings, the powerful light would cut through the gray haze while the fog horn's ominous signal would drift through the fog at regular intervals.  There was something rather soothing and comforting about this sound, as if it was proof that perhaps there is civilization beyond the misty wall even if it cannot be seen.

Most days were spent at Long Sands Beach in York.  For five bucks, I (or actually my parents) could rent an inflatable "raft" with which to ride the waves in the 60-something degree water until my teeth were involuntarily chattering together.  Then it was back through the labyrinth of colorful beach umbrellas to the mini oasis among the sea of people where our beach blanket lay in waiting.  A few minutes in the warm sunshine and we were ready for another go at the waves.

When not combing the beach or exploring the tidal pools, we would get to spend a little time feeding quarters into pinball, skee ball and other electronic games at the arcade.  Skee ball was a favorite because if you got a good score, the machine would spit out tickets that could be redeemed for toys and souvenirs.  Of course, had you bought any of these things you won in the store, you probably would have paid significantly less, but what fun would that have been?

The ever popular Skee Ball

Arcade overlooking Short Sands Beach in York Village

Of course a trip to York Beach was not complete without two very important stops.  Brown's Ice Cream, just up the road from Nubble Light, and the Goldenrod in downtown York Beach.  Brown's is still serving up ice cream that receives regular raves on review sites like Yelp and Trip Advisor.

A stone's throw from Short Sands Beach is a white clapboard building with stainless steel mechanical arms perpetually spinning gooey taffy into the famous Goldenrod Kisses.  It was always a treat to watch fresh salt water taffy being made at The Goldenrod. They've been making taffy here since 1896, so they must be doing something right.  And when you taste it, I think you'll agree.

Home of Goldenrod Kisses, York's famous salt water taffy

 Across the street another candy store serves up a large variety of sweet treats.  What was once called "Penny Candy" is now sold by the pound, but it is reminiscent of the old candy stores with jars of candy in brightly colored wrappers tempting all who dares enter.  You can also get fudge, rock candy and ice cream.

My son pondering the sweet choices

At the end of the day, we ordered a pizza "to go" from the York House of Pizza and sat on the beach at Long Sands.  Most of the folks had packed up their beach umbrellas, beach blankets, shovels and pails and had headed back to their cottage or motel for the night, probably to do it all over again the next day.

After a bit of wave jumping in the surf and a quiet stroll along the beach, we headed home with a plan to return to the ocean again soon.

Arrowsic in the Springtime

Bath, Maine has been known as the city of ships for many, many years.  It was about 1743 when the first ship was reported to have been built and today Bath Iron Works continues to produce ships for the U.S. Navy.

En route to Bath along Route 1 North, the towering cranes of Bath Iron Works loom on the horizon before the city of Bath comes into view.  As you approach the city there is a striking contrast between the modern shipyard to the south of Route 1 and the historic city streets of Bath to the north of the highway.

Bath Iron Works, building Navy Ships in Bath, Maine.

Our visit to Bath started out with a half hour trolley tour that was part of their spring celebration.  It was a warm spring day and the streets bustled with people perusing the sales and shops downtown.  We caught the second to last trolley and enjoyed the ride up Front Street and back down Washington Street.  For those interested in architecture, Washington Street is an neat place lined with Federal, Greek Revival and Italianate styles.  A few of them are inns/bed and breakfasts, so if you want to know what it feels like to live in one of these lovely mansions, you might consider booking a weekend.  And don't miss the Maine Maritime Museum during your stay.  They've been preserving Maine maritime history for 50 years.

After Bath we took a little drive down one of the many peninsulas found along Maine's mid-coast.  Many of these fingers of land that jut out into the Atlantic serve up a taste of history and escape from the hustle and bustle of Route 1.  We chose to take Route 127 to Arrowsic.

Doubling Point Light

Arrowsic, Maine is one of those communities that most people pass through on their way to someplace else, namely Reid State Park, a popular beach destination in the summertime. Our objective was to visit a couple of lighthouses and see what we see along the way.

Doubling Point was the first lighthouse we sought out.  It is down a side road off Route 127.  The dirt road meandered through the woods to a number of residences along the water.  Just about when we were thinking we might have taken a wrong turn, we saw a small white sign with an arrow to the lighthouse.  We drove down to the parking area that was big enough for about 4 vehicles and started to explore.

My son peeking in the window of the tower.

Doubling Point was one of four lighthouses that were built in 1898 to help ships navigate up the Kennebec River to Bath.  If you look north from the base of the lighthouse tower, you get an unobstructed view of Bath Iron Works (See above photo).

The setting is quite peaceful among the trees along the Kennebec.   On the grounds are a couple of short footpaths that follow the shoreline of the river and give you a different perspective on the lighthouse.

Our next stop was Squirrel Point Light.  The lighthouse is a two-thirds-mile trek through the woods.  The trail head begins in a dirt parking lot where Bald Head Road dead-ended.  From there, the path meanders down through the woods to the river's edge.

Meandering path through the woods to Squirrel Point Light.

Along the way there are a couple of scenic overlooks.  One looks across the river to a church in Phippsburg, and from another vantage point you can see the lighthouse down river.

One of the overlooks with views of Squirrel Point Light.

The 640-acres around Squirrel Point are owned by the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and the Nature Conservancy.  The trails are well marked and the woods and rock ledges along the trail were beautiful. Going out to the light we took our time, stopping at the various overlooks and enjoying the views.   As we approached the lighthouse, we came across a lonely porcupine waddling down the trail in search of food.  After visiting the lighthouse grounds for a bit and watching our new porcupine friend, we headed back to the car.  Walking directly back from the lighthouse took us about 15 minutes.

Squirrel Point Light with Phippsburg church across the river.

The lighthouse tower, boathouse and keeper's house were a bit worn, with peeling paint, overgrown grass and other debris, but we enjoyed the walk and the setting.  If I didn't live an hour away, I'd probably become a volunteer since this is such a picturesque setting that is worthy of preserving.  If you'd like to help, please contact the Citizens for Squirrel Point.  I'm sure they would appreciate your support as they work tirelessly raise money to maintain this piece of Maine history.

One final note.  If you go, be sure to bring some good insect repellent as the deer ticks were quite plentiful.  We had quite a few of these unwanted hitchhikers clinging to our clothes along the way.

Yale and Mystic

 On the third day of our Connecticut vacation we continued our cultural exploration of the CT coast with a stop at the Peabody Museum of Natural History on the storied campus of Yale University.  It was a beautiful sunny day as the coeds biked and walked along the walkways that have been used by students for more than 300 years, which is pretty incredible when you think about it.

The description of the museum was pretty impressive and the real thing did not disappoint.   We got there just as the doors opened, paid our $9.00 for adults and $5.00 for our son.  We immediately headed for the third floor since most of the people coming in went directly to the exhibits on the first floor.

The Hall of Minerals and its rainbow of colors.

Our first stop was the Hall of Minerals with a colorful array of minerals rivaling the colors of the rainbow.  I believe the museum claims to have one of the largest private mineral collection in the world, and I don't doubt it given the sampling we viewed.  It included a reproduction of the largest gold nugget ever discovered, weighing in at 150 pounds.  At today's prices, that would net you close to $4,000,000 if you found that today.  Other exhibits on the third floor included geology, solar system, atmospheres, oceans and climates, ancient Egypt and a labyrinth of dioramas of North America.

Apparently this is an Apatosaurus, not a Brontosaurus.  Who knew?

On the second floor was the Discovery Room with various snakes, lizards, and insects in glass encased homes. From the windows of this room, you could see the full scale models of an Apatosaurus, which to me looked like a Brontosaurus, so we didn't linger long before heading downstairs for an up close a personal look at the big dinosaurs.  Apparently what distinguishes one from the other is the number of vertebrae on the hips.  Apato has three vertebrae and Bronto has five.

The last exhibit on the first floor was a temporary exhibit about "Big Food".  If you ever wanted to see a visual representation of what the average American eats in a year, you could see that here.  It included a little test that showed you some ingredients and you had to guess what the food was and whether or not it was good for you.  The more ingredients, particularly the ones you couldn't pronounce, the worse it was for you.  Another display showed how much sugar is in some everyday beverages.

Sugar content of everyday beverages.

We departed the hallowed halls of Yale en route to Mystic and the Mystic Aquarium.  Since it is the 100th Anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, there was a Titanic Exhibit that drew equally titanic crowds.  We paid the general admission of $29 each for my wife and I and $21 for our 9-year-old son.  It had been a few years since we last visited and the place had expanded, but given the crowds during April vacation it was a bit of a challenge to get close to many of the exhibits.  We watched the Beluga whales for a bit, then moseyed over to the penguin tank.

Penguin exhibit at Mystic Aquarium.

Inside, the Titanic exhibit was a sea of bodies.  It would have been far more enjoyable if we weren't dodging people, but we wandered through anyway.  There were many exhibits and photos including a big replica of an iceberg.

That's a healthy chunk of ice!

 There were tanks all around with colorful fish, ugly fish, pretty fish, eels, sharks, stingrays and many other underwater species.  Again, we would have lingered longer had it not been for all the people, so we took a few photos and headed for the door.  I imagine it would be a completely different experience if we went any time other than spring break.

 
Our last stop before heading out was the gift shop.  The place was absolutely packed.  We stood in line for probably 15-20 minutes to buy rock candy, which is one of Ashton's favorite treats.  In retrospect we should have just hit the road, but it was vacation and all we were going to do at this point was head to our hotel, so we stuck it out.

Our hotel was the Comfort Suites in Norwich, CT.  The building was a bit "tired" and it sat right next to an industrial park, so "scenic" and "convenient" were not two words I'd use to describe it.  Many of the rooms were booked by shipbuilders who worked in the shipyards, so I think we were the only family there.  The indoor pool was quite nice, heated to a comfortable temperature and we had it to ourselves.  The hot tub, on the other hand, was more like a warm tub, making it difficult to distinguish between the pool temperature and the hot tub temperature.

For dinner we went to a take out place called Buddy's Dugout where we enjoyed burgers, fries and shakes while sitting outside at their picnic tables.

Certainly Coastal Connecticut had some interesting places to visit, but the parts we saw were too congested four our taste and lacked the scenic qualities we're fortunate enough to experience everyday in Maine, so we were happy to get home.

The Connecticut Coast

When you have children, you must inevitably travel during the school vacation weeks thereby sharing the hotels and attractions with large numbers of people.  During April vacation we were fortunate that the places we visited weren't overly busy, with the exception of the Mystic Aquarium, which I will get to in another post.

After leaving Jaffrey, NH, the former home of Amos Fortune (See Previous Post:  On the Trail of Amos Fortune) we headed south to Ludlow, MA for and overnight at the Comfort Inn.  The room was okay, but the indoor pool was quite small.  There was a mother, father and three kids splashing and screaming and jumping into the pool, creating a mini tsunami and leaving little room for Ashton and I to enjoy the water at a more leisurely pace.   Bethany would not even go in the water because it was so wild.  On top of that, another couple with two small children were also in the pool area.  One child was swimming while the other younger one had his parents chasing him around the entire time they were there.  He was flipping over furniture and running around the pool.  He was being so bad, we were sure he was going to jump right in the pool, clothes and all, but he didn't.

The next morning we hit the road to our first destination, the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, CT.  While researching places to visit for this trip, Bethany learned that they were having a Walter Wick exhibit.  Now in our household, Walter Wick is a pretty common name.  He's the guy that writes and photographs the I Spy books, you know, the ones that you have to find stuff in all the models he's built.  The exhibits displayed some of his models and many of his I Spy photographic illustrations.

Directly across the street from the museum is a fancy public playground with many kids decked out in designer clothing.  We arrived at the museum right around lunchtime, had a picnic on the grounds and played on the playground for a bit before the museum opened.  As we were eating, there was a Good Humor truck parked there waiting to serve kids sweet ice cream treats; but what I found rather humorous, was the mobile cafe that pulled in behind it.  Yes, this truck served lattes, espressos and other specialty coffees, along with Paninis and other cafe food.  It appeared to do a brisk business from the parents watching their kids, and I thought to myself - only in Greenwich...

The big Pez sign outside the visitor center.

Wall of Pez dispensers.

After the Bruce Museum, we checked into our hotel and stumbled across information about the Pez factory in Orange, CT, so we went to check it out since Ashton had started collecting Pez dispensers.  When we first walked in there was a full wall, about 20 x 20 feet, filled with Pez dispensers.  Inside were many other candies and collectibles, as well as the largest Pez dispenser in the world.

The history of Pez was outlined on the wall.

It was a pretty neat place.  They had an illustrated wall that explained the history of Pez and all kinds of Pez dispensers, including an Asterix collection, which I'm sure my brother would have found intriguing.  In the back of the visitor center was a place where kids could make a video with their new Pez paraphernalia and email it home.  You can see Ashton's Pez video here.  Please ignore the screaming kids in the background.

The admission was $5 per adult and $4 for kids, but they give you a $2 store credit with each admission.  So, as you would expect, we ended up buying more than two dollars worth of merchandise.  The production lines weren't running when we were there, but they have windows looking out over the factory that would enable you to watch Pez being made if you so desired.

Largest Pez dispenser ever.

Historic Pez items.

Stay tuned for other postings from our CT trip.

On the trail of Amos Fortune

Most Americans have heard of the Underground Railroad, the secretive coalition of individuals who helped escaped slaves make their way to freedom in the north.  After reading a book in his third grade class called, Amos Fortune, Free Man by Elizabeth Yates, my 9-year-old son became curious about the slavery and the lives of these people who were treated differently simply because of the color of their skin.

Thanks to the Internet, we learned that Amos Fortune was a slave who bought his own freedom at age 60, then moved to Jaffrey, NH where he started a tanning business.  Since my wife was an alumnus of Franklin Pierce College (Now Franklin Pierce University) in nearby Rindge, NH, we decided to bring the book to life and visit some of the sights we'd read about - and combine it with a side tour of the campus to see how things have changed since she graduated.

Our first stop was the Old Meeting House, behind which Amos was buried.  The meeting house structure was originally built in 1775 by Captain Samuel Adams, who is also buried here.  This building with its white clapboards, bell tower and spire, and lush green lawn is quintessential New England.

Meeting House, Jaffrey, NH

An old stonewall encompasses well-preserved grave stones dating back to the late 1700s.  Next the the meeting house is a horse barn with several stalls.  On the side of the horse barn is a sign that shows the location of some the the cemetery's more notable citizens, including Amos Fortune, his wife Violate, the Reverend Laban Ainsworth, who helped Amos get settled in town, and Willa Cather, who won a Pulitzer Prize in 1923 and wrote a number of books about frontier life on the Great Plains.

Gravestones of Amos Fortune and his wife Violate behind the Meeting House in Jaffrey, N H

On this beautiful, sunny spring day we took our time meandering around the cemetery, looking at the old headstones and the views of Mt. Monadnock that Amos Fortune frequently mentioned in the book.

After visiting the meeting house, we ventured across town to find Amos' house.  It was no surprise to us that his house was located on what is now called Amos Fortune Road. 

About a half mile up the road we came to the house which unfortunately was not what we pictured.  It was a dilapidated old Cape with some boarded up windows and an unkempt lawn.  Behind the house, the barn was also in need of attention.

On the bright side, however, it looked like someone was trying to renovate the building.  Since it is a private residence, we did not stop except to take a couple photos.

Jaffrey is a charming town with beautiful historic homes.  It was a pleasure to see for real, what we had read about in the book, and we were happy that we could bring the book to life for our son and ourselves.