Monocacy National Battlefield Visitor’s Center

Fellow blogger and historical marker hunter Craig Swain chastised me for having no photos of Monocacy National Battlefield in this post about some of the sites I visited in Frederick, Md, in June.  I shot plenty, and decided to present them here in this separate post.

The new visitor’s center at the park is very airy and modern, but I gotta tell ya, the old VC had a lot more charm.  I find the new one a little, umm…, sterile?  Austere?  The first floor houses what you might call a book store, but really it’s all one big room featuring the ranger desk.  The second floor has artifacts and placards arranged in a circular pattern, with an observation deck at the end opposite the entrance.  I don’t know, it just didn’t appeal to me.  I may have been expecting too much after having seen the new Corinth Interpretive Center.  Anyway, here are some photos I took that hot, hot Saturday morning.  Click the thumbs for larger images, click those images for even larger ones.

  

The entrance sign and the new, barnlike VC – the old VC was in a real barn

   

The second floor displays, including a room encircling time-line and the frock coat of a New Jersey officer (I think)

 

A tactile display and Jubal Early’s campaign desk

 

A cavalry display and an appropriately larger artillery display

  

Time-line detail and battle map with bells and whistles

 

General Lew Wallace’s uniform coat and vest and the observation deck

  

A small closet which the visitor opens to reveal the battleflag of Co F, 17th VA Cavalry, Nighthawk Rangers