Category: USA

Swallow Falls State Park

Oakland MD

Muddy Creek Falls
Muddy Creek Falls
Muddy Creek Falls
Youghiogheny River
Upper Swallow Falls
Youghiogheny Grove – 37 acres of Virgin Hemlock and White Pine has trees estimated to be 300+ years old. This is the last of its kind in Maryland.

Bacon’s Castle

Smithfield VA

Bacon’s Castle, considered the oldest brick residence in the United States, built in 1665.
Rear of the house.
Cross section of a joist.
Original 350+ year old wood floor.
Some previous residents etched in a window pane.
Depiction of Bacon’s Rebellion.
Out buildings
Slave quarters.

St Luke’s Church

Smithfield VA

St. Luke’s Church, aka Historic St. Luke’s Church, aka the Old Brick Church. It was built in either 1632 or 1685-1687. It is the oldest church building in Virginia. The exterior of the building is mainly original brick, and the interior is not original. There have been several restorations over the years. The largest restoration effort was completed in the 1950s.

Architecturally, this is a very rare example of Artisan Mannerism Architecture from 17th-century Virginia. There are Romanesque, Gothic, and Jacobean influences in the design. No known architect or original architectural renderings are associated with its design. Instead, construction is believed to have been undertaken by skilled artisans reflecting on examples from England.
Porthole view of the church cemetery.
Looking to the front of the church.
These stained glass panels honor several of the pastors of the church, as well as George Washington and Robert E. Lee.
Rear of the sanctuary.
Grave of Joseph Bridger, who was a military and political figure in colonial Virginia. He was a supporter of Governor William Berkeley during Bacon’s Rebellion. He died in 1686.

Also, the grave of Anne Randall, who died in 1696.
English Chamber Organ from the 1630s.

Isle of Wight Courthouse

Smithfield VA

Isle of Wight Courthouse, originally built in 1752, restored in 1938. It is one of Virginia’s few surviving colonial court structures and is noted for having a semicircular apse with a conical roof, reflective of the Colonial Capitol in Williamsburg.
Rear of the courthouse.
Interior of the courtroom.
Pillory
George Washington
Benjamin Franklin