Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania
Encyclopedia
Blue Ridge Summit is an unincorporated community
in Franklin County
, Pennsylvania
, United States
, southwest of Gettysburg
in the central part of the state, adjoining Pennsylvania's southern border with Maryland. It is less than 3 miles east of Pen Mar, Maryland. http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=39.717778,-77.506111&spn=0.1,0.1&t=m&q=39.717778,-77.506111
The community is known for being the birthplace of Wallis Simpson, the late wife of Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor (previously Edward VIII of the United Kingdom). It is also home to one of the 15 oldest golf courses in the United States. Built before 1885, the Monterey Country Club
has served as a summer retreat for many Washingtonians, and American Presidents Woodrow Wilson
, Calvin Coolidge
and Dwight D. Eisenhower
have all played the Monterey Country Club course.
- including Fountain Dale, and Monterey Pass
.
On June 22, the first skirmish occurred along the Monterey Mountain pass near Blue Ridge Summit. An armed civilian militia encountered a detachment of Confederates under General Albert G. Jenkins
. The militia was forced to retreat after a very brief skirmish. General Jenkins and his Confederate troops withdrew toward Hagerstown joining General Richard S. Ewell
, who was advancing with a larger force.http://www.emmitsburg.net/archive_list/articles/history/civil_war/short_history_of_civil_way.htm
Following the events at the Battle of Gettysburg
, the Confederate Army retreated via Emmitsburg. On July 5, General J.E.B. Stuart
's soldiers were engaged in some small skirmishes as he made his way back to General Robert E. Lee
's army. A mountain swamp at Monterey Pass bogged down Stuart and the Army of Northern Virginia
as they retreated.http://www.emmitsburg.net/archive_list/articles/history/civil_war/the_battle_of_monterey.htm The Monterey Country Club sits upon 37 acres (149,733.8 m²) that were once part of that swamp.
Dick Cheney
sometimes resided in an underground complex near Blue Ridge Summit on Raven Rock Mountain when he was said to be "at an undisclosed location" in case of an attack on the United States. The complex is most commonly called "Site R", but also Raven Rock Mountain Complex or the Alternate Joint Communications Center, created in 1951 as a command center in the event of attack on Washington, D.C.
.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Franklin County
Franklin County, Pennsylvania
As of the census of 2000, there were 129,313 people, 50,633 households, and 36,405 families residing in the county. The population density was 168 people per square mile . There were 53,803 housing units at an average density of 70 per square mile...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, southwest of Gettysburg
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Gettysburg is a borough that is the county seat, part of the Gettysburg Battlefield, and the eponym for the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg. The town hosts visitors to the Gettysburg National Military Park and has 3 institutions of higher learning: Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg College, and...
in the central part of the state, adjoining Pennsylvania's southern border with Maryland. It is less than 3 miles east of Pen Mar, Maryland. http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=39.717778,-77.506111&spn=0.1,0.1&t=m&q=39.717778,-77.506111
The community is known for being the birthplace of Wallis Simpson, the late wife of Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor (previously Edward VIII of the United Kingdom). It is also home to one of the 15 oldest golf courses in the United States. Built before 1885, the Monterey Country Club
Monterey Country Club
Built before 1885, the Monterey Country Club is home to one of the oldest golf courses in the United States. The club sits just below the peaks of 1,720 Mt...
has served as a summer retreat for many Washingtonians, and American Presidents Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
, Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
and Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
have all played the Monterey Country Club course.
History
John Howard McClellan writes about the history of the Blue Ridge Summit region in his book, Blue Ridge Summit, The Beginnings of a Resort Area:- The Blue Ridge Summit community lies at the top of the South Mountain at the Monterey PassMonterey passMonterey Pass is a mountain pass near Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania, and the Mason-Dixon Line. The saddle area lies near between Monterey Peak and . It was the site of the July 1863 Fight at Monterey Pass during the Retreat from Gettysburg.-Gettysburg Campaign:The first military engagement at...
. A community that stretches its environs into parts of four counties and two states, straddling the Mason-Dixon lineMason-Dixon lineThe Mason–Dixon Line was surveyed between 1763 and 1767 by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon in the resolution of a border dispute between British colonies in Colonial America. It forms a demarcation line among four U.S. states, forming part of the borders of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and...
. On the Pennsylvania side, it lies in parts of FranklinFranklin County, PennsylvaniaAs of the census of 2000, there were 129,313 people, 50,633 households, and 36,405 families residing in the county. The population density was 168 people per square mile . There were 53,803 housing units at an average density of 70 per square mile...
and AdamsAdams County, PennsylvaniaAdams County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 101,407. It was created on January 22, 1800, from part of York County and named in honor of the second President of the United States, John Adams...
counties. On the Maryland side of the line, it extends into both FrederickFrederick County, MarylandFrederick County is a county located in the western part of the U.S. state of Maryland, bordering the southern border of Pennsylvania and the northeastern border of Virginia. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 233,385....
and WashingtonWashington County, MarylandWashington County is a county located in the western part of the U.S. state of Maryland, bordering southern Pennsylvania to the north, northern Virginia to the south, and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia to the south and west. As of the 2010 Census, its population is 147,430...
counties.
- After the introduction of the railroad in 1872, this area grew to become a lively and fashionable vacation community. The region was in its hey-day at the beginning of the twentieth century. It remained a resort area until its decline during the Depression of 1929Great DepressionThe Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and the following years of limited travel during World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
(1939-1945).
Local history during the Gettysburg Campaign
At the time of the Gettysburg Campaign of 1863, there were several cavalry skirmishes in and around Emmitsburg, MarylandEmmitsburg, Maryland
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 2,290 people, 811 households, and 553 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,992.9 people per square mile . There were 862 housing units at an average density of 750.2 per square mile...
- including Fountain Dale, and Monterey Pass
Monterey pass
Monterey Pass is a mountain pass near Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania, and the Mason-Dixon Line. The saddle area lies near between Monterey Peak and . It was the site of the July 1863 Fight at Monterey Pass during the Retreat from Gettysburg.-Gettysburg Campaign:The first military engagement at...
.
On June 22, the first skirmish occurred along the Monterey Mountain pass near Blue Ridge Summit. An armed civilian militia encountered a detachment of Confederates under General Albert G. Jenkins
Albert G. Jenkins
Albert Gallatin Jenkins was an attorney, planter, representative to the United States Congress and First Confederate Congress, and a Confederate brigadier general during the American Civil War...
. The militia was forced to retreat after a very brief skirmish. General Jenkins and his Confederate troops withdrew toward Hagerstown joining General Richard S. Ewell
Richard S. Ewell
Richard Stoddert Ewell was a career United States Army officer and a Confederate general during the American Civil War. He achieved fame as a senior commander under Stonewall Jackson and Robert E...
, who was advancing with a larger force.http://www.emmitsburg.net/archive_list/articles/history/civil_war/short_history_of_civil_way.htm
Following the events at the Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
, the Confederate Army retreated via Emmitsburg. On July 5, General J.E.B. Stuart
J.E.B. Stuart
James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart was a U.S. Army officer from Virginia and a Confederate States Army general during the American Civil War. He was known to his friends as "Jeb", from the initials of his given names. Stuart was a cavalry commander known for his mastery of reconnaissance and the use...
's soldiers were engaged in some small skirmishes as he made his way back to General Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
's army. A mountain swamp at Monterey Pass bogged down Stuart and the Army of Northern Virginia
Army of Northern Virginia
The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, as well as the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed against the Union Army of the Potomac...
as they retreated.http://www.emmitsburg.net/archive_list/articles/history/civil_war/the_battle_of_monterey.htm The Monterey Country Club sits upon 37 acres (149,733.8 m²) that were once part of that swamp.
Other local interest
Former Vice President of the United StatesVice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
Dick Cheney
Dick Cheney
Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush....
sometimes resided in an underground complex near Blue Ridge Summit on Raven Rock Mountain when he was said to be "at an undisclosed location" in case of an attack on the United States. The complex is most commonly called "Site R", but also Raven Rock Mountain Complex or the Alternate Joint Communications Center, created in 1951 as a command center in the event of attack on Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
.