Day 101 - Hagerstown City Park

The park is next to a street lined with Victorian Homes.

Hagerstown City Park was where I walked today.  What a great place!  Lakes, streams, rocks, hills, museums, playgrounds, trains, ducks, geese, squirrels, and today, hardly any people.  Of course, it is a workday in December, so I pretty much had the park to myself.

Washington County Museum of Fine Art

I went to Hagerstown to deliver some photography entries into a juried photo competition at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, which is a beautiful building situated at the top of the big lake in the park.  If you ever get to Hagerstown, the museum alone is worth a visit. 

Dinosaur Tooth Walls

Hagerstown is one of those Western Maryland towns that has these unusual stone walls built around parks, private homes, and public buildings.  They have jagged "dinosaur tooth" rocks pointing upward along the top of the wall, probably to keep people from sitting or walking on the walls.  I have only seen this style of stone wall in some of the old Maryland towns, like Sharpsburg and Hagerstown.  They were probably popular in the Victorian era.  The Hagerstown City Park is nearly surrounded by them.

Wood Duck and Wife

I saw (and heard) ducks in the lake, so I walked down closer, and to my excitement, I saw my first ever, real live wood duck!  I have always wanted to see one up close, and the little duck was super busy grooming himself.  It was hard to take a shot when he did not have his head bent backwards.

Swan giving me the eye.

I walked all around the lake, and at the other end, where it becomes more like a creek, there were more ducks and even a pair of swans.  My opportunity to get good shots of the swans ended quickly when a couple came up to feed them (despite the signs posted), and from then on, the swans had their heads buried in the water.

Hager House

At another end of the park is the Hager House, built by Jonathan Hager back in 1740, and the city is named for him.  Next to the house is a railroad bridge, and I was lucky that a train came just as I was returning to my car.

The Santa Train?

I look forward to a return visit to Hagerstown.  There's so much more to see!










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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.

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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