Last Saturday we skipped over two ridges and two valleys amid central Pennsylvania’s corrugated countryside to purchase some perennials.
On our way, we enjoyed the scenery of both the Rothrock State Forest on the mountains and the productive farmlands in the valleys – taking special note of how neatly these farmsteads are maintained: no junk, no weeds, no untrimmed borders, no peeling paint, nor even any disorganized equipment of any kind.
We had entered Amish country. Our main destination was a particular greenhouse known for its abundance and variety of home-grown plants. Its parking area included places for non-motorized vehicles. It is owned and tended by polite, plainly-clothed Amish men and women, who, when they converse with each other, use their own dialect. They take cash or check, but no debit or credit cards. And they’re not open on Sunday.
On our way back north, we noticed a simple sign pointing to “Historic Hilltop Cemetery” and hung a right onto an S-curving dirt road leading up a conical hill with an enclosed split-rail fence at the summit. The grooved dirt eventually petered out to a grassy path between crop fields near the top. The view was spectacular and better than these pictures show. And like the rest of its well-tended surroundings, the cemetery was immaculate.
We discovered the gravestone of Captain William McAlevy, veteran of the Revolutionary War (b. 1728, d. 1822, aged 94.) In 1778, he had built a nearby fort, whose name lives on today in the unincorporated village of McAlevy’s Fort. We also noticed the headstones of a few soldiers of the Grand Army of the Republic, from Civil War days.
What a special spot for a peaceful place to spend an eternity! We respect those who had gone on before for their part in our nation’s history, and to those who today tend their graves, allowing folks like us to visit and appreciate.
