From Altoona, Pennsylvania focusing primarily on trains we dropped down to Hagerstown with a focus on Canals.
Various cities are enhancing their downtown with theamed sculptures and Hagerstown had beautiful butterflies.
Close to downtown is a very nice city park featuring this large pond, a hiking trail around the edge, and geese that expect to be fed and can be quite vocal if you don't get the point.
Just across the street on the north side of the park the local historical society has totally refurbished the Hager House built by Hagerstown founder Jonathan Hager about 1739 and turned it into a very nice little museum which is also quite active in promoting community activities.
One of the CSX rail lines runs right down the street between the park and Hager House passing through this old underpass for another north-south rail line. I am not sure how often it is actually used but I suspect with the wavy rails they would want to be extremely careful.
From the Hager House you have the choice of up the hill on Highland Way which is now called Museum Drive or down through the park to get to the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts by the back steps. Called one of the best small museums in the country either way is a good way to a real treat which is both wonderful to see and for budget travelers free. I can't find any photographs so they must not have turned out in the dim light but as I remember the restored ceiling frescoes in the one gallery were very nice if a little faded over the years. They also have a superb collection of both older works and local artists. It's even a hike here up to the picnic table.
City Park is also surrounded by fountains most of which had been shut down for the winter by the time we got here in October. The one still operating has this cute frog off to one side.
Back downtown close to the butterflies is another fountain in a small park. I did mention hills and we went up and down a lot like here trying to find a parking spots that were not too far from the restaurants.
The rail line I showed above actually curves around to the north before it gets to the Roundhouse Museum where some of the outside exhibits get a little mixed with the operating train yard.
While watching the excellent model train exhibit inside I did have a very interesting conversation with a real world victim of the economic times. Formerly a Maryland highway employee, he was out of work primarily because the sale tax revenues just did not produce enough money to pay his salary so he does not have the income to pay the sales tax that kept him employed. What a tangled web we weave.