'Bike Through History'
on the
Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail
2018 Activities:
MAY 23 - Sparks.. 'Get Reacquainted' ride heading north. Stops made at bridge south of Corbett, Monkton station, bridge south of Blue Mount, ending at Hicks-Wilson road north of Blue Mount. There was no planned agenda; simply a bike ride for fun. Nineteen (19) participants.
MAY 30 - Paper Mill Road.. A cloudy evening with a threat of rain. Headed north with stop at the Gunpowder bridge at MP-1 for introductions and being treated to the appearance of a beaver, and at the Sparks Bank Nature Center for a creature-feature by Richard Anderson on the horseshoe crab. We turned back at Glencoe, near MP-5, and biked south to MP-0, Ashland. Twenty-two (22) participants.
JUNE 6 - Bentley Springs.. A cool evening with considerable cloud cover. Headed south to MP-15 for introductions, then back to Bentley Springs for a Civil War artillery demo by Richard Anderson. Heading further north we stopped at Freeland, then to the state line for a traditional reading of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address at the very spot that Mr. Lincoln passed by train en route from South to North to deliver his address in 1863. Twenty-six (26) particants.
JUNE 13 - Monkton.. A pleasant evening. Headed south to Glencoe for introductions, then back to Monkton where we were treated to a feature on bluebirds in the gardens presented by Andred Barnett of the Gunpowder Garden Club. Next we headed further north with a stop at the bridge south of Blue Mount, and finally to Hicks-Wilson road. Thirty-one (31) participants.
JUNE 20 - White Hall.. A cloudy evening with a threat of rain. Headed south to the bridge just south of Hicks-Wilson road for a show-and-tell on railroad bridge construction prepared by Art Wannlund and presented by Larry Reese. We then headed back north to White Hall (a creature-feature was planned at this point, but it was decided to skip the feature as rain was getting close) and we continued further north with a stop at the 'Snake Pit' (a.k.a. 'the Falls') for a discussion of two bridges that once existed here before the stream changed course, a stop at Parkton for a visit to the oldest bridge in Maryland (c-1809) still in public use (on the old York turnpike), and finally to MP-14 where it began to rain and we turned back. Twenty-four (24) participants.
JUNE 27 - Phoenix.. A cloudy evening with a substantial threat of rain. Headed north to Sparks for a creature-feature by Richard Anderson on beaver, muskrat, nutria and otter, then to Glencoe for a show-and-tell on wayside signals (a replica of which is on display). Next we biked further north to Corbett with a brief side trip to look at 'Shadowlawn,' a stately Victorian house which is a local landmark. Ten (10) participants.
JULY 11 - Parkton.. A pleasant evening. We began with a creature-feature by Richard Anderson on the squirrel family. Heading north we made two stops in Parkton to discuss the commuter train known as the Parkton Local, which ended service in 1959, and the staging yard and wye track which served the local at its northern end point. Next we stopped north of Parkton within view of sycamore trees and a traditional demostration of the girth of a large-size sycamore by forming an arm-stretched circle of eight people. We then biked north to the site of a bridge spanning a former millrace in Walker, to Bentley Springs (site of a one-time hotel next to the railroad) and finally to Bee Tree Preserve (site of a Union encampment for protection of the railroad). Thirty-one (31) participants.
JULY 18 - Sparks.. Another delightful evening. The Sparks Bank Nature Center was opened for us, and we also assembled on the lawn for a Richard Anderson creature-feature on the weasel family. Then we biked south to Phoenix for a discussion on the community by Larry Reese, then to the bridge at MP-1 for introductions, and finally to Ashland where a brief tour of the village was made. Thirty-three (33) participants.
JULY 25 - Freeland.. Ride canceled due to a storm.
JULY 28 - Monkton (Moonlight Bike Ride).. An annual event tailored to the Bike Through History participants to explore the trail after dark and to bike to the light of the Moon. (This ride was originally scheduled for the prior evening, but it was postponed to this date due to the weather.) We began with introductions, trivial questions, and safety remarks. The trail is officially closed at dark; the Department of Natural Resources had granted us special permission for the event, and a ranger was assigned to follow our group in a truck. We left just after 9 P.M. and headed north, stopping at the bridge south of Blue Mount, and then to the 'Snake Pit' where we turned back. Stopping next at White Hall, facing the Moon, the group sang moon songs. Returning back to Monkton, we arrived at 11 P.M. where we had refreshments in the station. Ten (10) participants.
AUGUST 1 - Monkton (Picnic). Twenty-five (25) people attended our annual picnic. It was held inside the station, which is air-conditioned. There were numerous deli items, a hot appetizer, salad items, chips, snacks, soft beverages and desserts. We were also treated to a creature-feature by Richard Anderson on owls, a raffle with four prizes, and a sing-a-long.
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('Bike Through History' is conducted by volunteer members of the NCR/Hereford Volunteers Association.. The Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail - formerly the Northern Central Railroad Trail - is located in northern Baltimore County, Maryland, and extends for nearly 20 miles from Ashland to the Pennsylvania state line.. Its route is the former right-of-way of the Northern Central branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad.. Passenger train station stops along the route included Ashland, Phoenix, Sparks, Glencoe, Corbett, Monkton, Pleasant Valley, Blue Mount, White Hall, Graystone, Parkton, Walker, Bentley Springs and Freeland.. The trail is maintained as a portion of the Gunpowder Falls State Park.. Northward into Pennsylvania, the trail is known as the York County Heritage Rail Trail, maintained by York County.)
Allen Brougham, chairman Bike Ride Committee
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