We found two pretty easily. For the third, since we were on bikes, we had trouble getting to the park where it was supposedly located before we ran out of time (I had to get somewhere by 11:30). Still, it was a fun ride and fun to be with my friend.
What? You've never heard of Herndon?
Well, if you saw the photo of the Naval Cadets climbing the greased monument the other day, it is the monument for the same person this town is named for. From wikipedia:
Herndon was named for Commander William Lewis Herndon, American naval explorer and author of Exploration of the Valley of the Amazon. Commander Herndon captained the ill-fated steamer SS Central America, going down with his ship while helping to save over 150 of its passengers and crew. The settlement was named Herndon in 1858. In the 1870s, many Northern soldiers and their families came to settle in the area, taking advantage of moderate climate and low land prices. Herndon also offered a group of friendly and local native Americans who helped the town to prosper via trade and instruction.[4]
Originally part of the rural surroundings of the Washington, D.C. area, the town of Herndon developed into a hub of dairy farming and vacationing for area residents, aided by its presence along the Alexandria, Loudoun and Hampshire Railroad (later to become the Washington and Old Dominion (W&OD) Railroad).[4] When the railroad was converted into a hike-and-bike trail, Herndon capitalized on history and small-town feel (in a major metropolitan region) by converting its train station into a museum and visitors center by relocating a Norfolk Southern Railway caboose to a nearby site and repainting it in W&OD livery.[5]
Although the caboose does not resemble anything that ever traveled through Herndon, it remains an iconic part of the downtown area that both locals and tourists visit daily.[5] The caboose and station offer a taste of the original town that has since faded into the suburban countryside.[5]
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| This is from a google image site. They had it blocked off yesterday preparing for a festival, so I didn't take a photo. |
1 comment:
I'm glad you had fun. I would say more, but I'm still kind of dazed by the cadet photo :)
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