Day 163 - Braddock Heights, MD

(Click on any photo to enlarge it.)

Adelphia

Pillar

Today I had the pleasure of walking in Braddock Heights.  The weather was warm (about 55) and sunny, with a clear blue sky.  I drove out Alternate Rt. 40 to the top of Braddock Mountain (aka Catoctin Mountain), which is not nearly as high as one might assume for a mountain, and parked at the first church I found.

I walked past some of the homes on Maryland Avenue back to the intersection of Alt 40 and Maryland Avenue, to photograph the brick and stone pillars that identified the area as Braddock Heights.

Hays Cottage

The Catoctin

The first thing I noticed along Maryland Avenue was that all the homes looked substantial, each was unique, and most of them had names.  I found places like Valley View, Six Gables, Highland House, and Breezepoint.  I got the feeling that these were beautiful summer/resort like homes, built for the city folks to retreat to in the hottest months.  And my research proved that true.  Apparently, Braddock Heights (named for British General Edward Braddock) at the turn of the century was one of the first modern planned communities in the United States, known as a cottage park. 

Giant Bee Hive

Opinionated Truck

I walked Maryland Avenue to its end, turning right onto Jefferson.  Home after home on the right side of the road either had a name and/or the appearance of an old boarding house.  Today, some might be apartments, judging from the number of "for rent" signs I saw. All of these homes had beautiful views of the Middletown Valley out their rear porches.  Farther along Jefferson, the homes became more modern.

Note the dinner plates!

I came back along Jefferson to the intersection at Maryland and crossed over to the other side, Shley Avenue.  At the end of the road is the Braddock Inn and below it is a community pool, which has been operating for over 80 years.  Braddock Heights used to be quite the resort town, with numerous hotels, a skating rink, an amusement park, and a small ski resort.  I remember coming to Braddock Heights in the 1960's with a church youth group, but most of the evidence of its former resort amenities has disappeared.  The ski resort closed in the 1980's.

Braddock Heights looks like a beautiful place to live, positioned at the top of the mountain with views of the valleys below. I enjoyed my walk through a different kind of history today.

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Visit my photography show, "My Maryland," at the public library in Urbana, Maryland, on the lower level of the building.  It is there until the end of April.

Hurricane Sandy Relief: Donate to the Red Cross, and I will mail you a 5 x 7 print from any of the photos I have posted on my blog OR any photo on my website.

Forward to me via email a receipt for donating to the Red Cross. Tell me whether the photo is from the blog or the website, and Include its title along with a mailing address. The name on the receipt to the Red Cross must match the name of the mailing recipient. Send the receipt and the photo request to camscamerashots@gmail.com.

Click on any photo to enlarge it.

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Visit my web site: camscamerashots.zenfolio.com
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Email:  cam.miller@comcast.net

Cam's rules for the Daily Photo Walk:

1. walk every day
2. the walk must be in addition to any other planned activity for the day
3. post a photo every day
4. use my Nikon P7100 (it is a very convenient size and weight)
5. no weather excuses
6. walk only where it is safe to do so