Valley Forge National Historical Park - Valley Forge, PA
N 40° 06.091 W 075° 25.351
18T E 463987 N 4439110
At least 2,500 died of disease at Valley Forge, so yeah, it's kind of haunted.
Waymark Code: WMD45H
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 11/15/2011
Views: 17
Our local research ghosters, the South Jersey Ghost Research group, investigated this one retched site on September 15, 2000 from 8:30 PM to 10:30 PM. 272 photos were taken with 25 of them positive for spooky stuff. The photos consisted of some free floating orbs. Not as eerie as some other evidence I have seen from this site.
Justification
Of all the places associated with America's War for Independence, none conveys more of the impression of suffering, sacrifice, and ultimate triumph than Valley Forge. No battles were fought here, no bayonet charges or artillery bombardments took place, but during the winter of 1777-78 thousands of American soldiers died here nonetheless. Valley Forge is the story of an army's epic struggle to survive against terrible odds, against hunger, disease, and the unrelenting forces of nature. There are no graves at Valley Forge, but the memories of the men live on, and legends tell of sentries seen late at night on lonely hillsides. You can sense the spirits of the men who fought here as you walk among the cannon at Artillery Park or step into the quiet hallway at Washington's Headquarters, where the rooms are set up, waiting for another dispatch to be sent, another messenger to arrive. SOURCE
The area around Washington's Headquarters was chosen as the park site. In 1923, the VFPC was brought under the Department of Forests and Waters and later incorporated into the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission in 1971. Valley Forge was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1961 and was listed in the initial National Register of Historic Places in 1966. In 1976, Pennsylvania gave the park as a gift to the nation for the Bicentennial. The U.S. Congress passed a law, signed by President Gerald Ford on July 4, 1976, authorizing the addition of Valley Forge National Historical Park to the National Park System.
Valley Forge was the site of the 1777-78 winter encampment of the Continental Army. The park commemorates the sacrifices and perseverance of the Revolutionary War generation and honors the ability of citizens to pull together and overcome adversity during extraordinary times.
I found the perfect site which tells the story of this first. Here is a smattering of what is there: Pennsylvanians had been trying for years to preserve Valley Forge, where George Washington encamped the army during the American Revolution. Private citizens formed the Centennial and Memorial Association of Valley Forge in 1878. Within a year the organization took possession of Washington's Headquarters and eventually acquired full ownership. The state legislature appropriated 5,000 dollars to maintain the headquarters.
Failing to get federal money, on May 30, 1893, Governor Robert E. Pattison signed Act 130 "for the acquisition of ground at Valley Forge for a public park." This act also created a ten-person commission that worked to acquire more land and get facilities constructed. SOURCE
The posted coordinates are for the welcome center. Stop there and get a map before venturing out into the park. This was how I discovered this was a first. I spoke with one of the volunteers at the desk who informed me of this first status of this former state park, now a national park.