The Mid Atlantic region stretches down the seacoast from New York to Virginia, inland to Pennsylvania and West Virginia; encompassing the Chesapeake Bay, several mountain ridges, and along some major rivers. To say the landscape and culture is varied is an understatement.
For several purposes, though, including dividing our folklife community into sections of the U.S., it is a useful concept. This region used to gather folklorists for regional meetings and retreats under the auspices of the Middle Atlantic Folklife Association, once its own 501(C)(3) organization, but through a process that is best left unexplained here (because it is way too convoluted and not that interesting anyhow), we have now come together as the Mid Atlantic Folklife Section of the American Folklore Society.
I live in the middle of the Mid(dle) Atlantic, just a relatively short drive from most portions of the region, which is quite nice! We frequently travel up to the Pennsylvania mountains and valleys, and not so frequently but a few times a year, head to the Chesapeake or Delaware Bays or the Atlantic Coast. In the past month, I’ve been on some explorations in both directions, which I shall endeavor to summarize in this blog. It may seem like apples and oranges, but it is just two views of the Mid Atlantic.
The first, and most brief, took place in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. The small city or big town of Chambersburg lies along the busy Interstate 81 corridor, and we often go there from our cabin near McConnellsburg to go shopping. Strung along State Route 30 (aka Lincoln Highway), it is the country seat of Franklin County, and the home of Wilson College, and a number of historic markers note it’s connections to the Civil War.
One day a few weeks ago, we were in Chambersburg and decided to look for a place to go walking. My husband found a nearby park which we had never heard of before, called the Franklin County Eco Park Tree Trail. (I would link to a website that would actually send you there, but it is pretty illusive.) After much confusion of our GPS, we found a parking lot with the sign indicating the park was in a certain direction, but when we followed it, we found instead the Partick K. Gass House. But, that wrong turn was very educational… who knew that this handsome stone house was the boyhood home of a hero of the War of 1812 who distinguished himself as a young man on the Lewis and Clarke Expedition?
After some more roaming around the grounds, we finally located the entrance to the Eco Park and had a pleasant walk along a wooded stream, reading about the various trees along the way. There also seems to be a sort of fish breeding area nearby, which is totally uninterpreted. And, an agricultural museum maintained by the Franklin County Extension Service, which might merit a visit when it is actually open. All in all, worth part of an afternoon and illustrative of the combination of history and nature one can enjoy in the Mid Atlantic region (some sleuthing required).
My second Mid Atlantic adventure took me in a totally different direction. My folklore colleague and friend Lora lives in Rehoboth, Delaware, not far from Lewes. This is about two and a half hours away from my home in Arlington. (Lewes is a charming town with Dutch roots, beaches and a historic canal, well desrving of its own blog one day.) We had vowed to take a journey on the ferry that travels between Lewes, DE to Cape May, New Jersey to scout out some ideas for a future retreat of the Mid Atlantic Folklife Section, and here we were.
Despite threatening weather which caused some rough seas, we braved the crossing (which only made me mildly nauseous). We were rewarded with dolphin and pelican sitings, fresh sea breezes and dramatic skies. We met our friend and colleague Marion, our chauffeur for the afternoon, on the NJ side.
First stop, lunch at the iconic Lobster House. Which, really might more accurately be called the Clam House since lobsters really seem more a New England thing, but… well, who are we to suggest that? The Lobster House is located adjacent to the fishing docks, and has a fish market as well as a restaurant, and a bar area on an old fishing schooner, the American, which is docked alongside the restaurant.
The decor is dark wood and nautical antiques, with historic photos lining the wall on the way to the bathrooms. The menu, which probably has not changed significantly in thirty years, features chowder, mollusks and byvalves dressed up in various ways, and other delicious fresh seafood.
After lunch, Lora purchased four dozen little neck clams for a dinner of linguini and clams, then we set off to take a walk around downtown Cape May to work off some of that seafood. Mother nature had other plans, though, as the sky opened up to a deluge just as we were searching for a parking space, and didn’t let up.
Since we were short on time, we drove around admiring the colorful Victorian gingerbread-bedecked houses, and eventually found an ice cream shop. Lora and I had water ices, which is not a NJ thing at all but brings us back over the boarder, refreshingly and aptly, to Pennsylvania with its Philly Italian roots.
Soon it was time to head back to the ferry dock and board our return ride, so we had enough time to get those clams going for dinner. Watch this space sometime next year for a follow up if we actually get our retreat together. But, meanwhile, enjoy some snaps of the Mid Atlantic “scouting” trips!
