Trip Report

The Burial Ground at George Washington Birthplace National Monument /  by Todd Henson

The path to the Washington Family Burial Ground

In the past I shared views from the George Washington Birthplace National Monument, an historically significant area of land on the Northern Neck of Virginia. Recently my father and I returned to the location and spent some time at one of the features we’d not been to during previous visits, the Washington Family Burial Ground.

Entering the burial ground

Inside the burial ground

The first burials occurred in 1668 with the death of John Washington’s wife Anne and two children. John Washington was the first of the family to live in Virginia, and a great-grandfather to George Washington. Over the years three generations of the Washington family were buried here, including George Washington’s grandparents, with at least nine more burials after that of Anne.

The front view of the rebuilt Washington family vault

A side view of the rebuilt Washington family vault

An angled view of the other side of the rebuilt Washington family vault

As with much of the area, the burial ground as it stands today is not the same as it was in the time the Washington family resided in this area. Time wore away at the original vault and gravestones, with the vault actually sinking into the ground. So Washington descendants worked to clean up and restore the grounds in 1906.

A view from inside the grounds of the Washington Family Burial Ground

But as time went on the burial ground again fell into disrepair, so according to a sign outside the burial ground, “in 1930, the Wakefield National Memorial Association constructed the wall around the grounds, consolidated the graves into a single casket, and interred the remains in a rebuilt vault.” The NPS website says their primary goal was to “…rescue from decay and preserve the old family vault and burial ground which is in a most neglected condition.”

Looking into the Washington Family Burial Ground

Looking over the burial ground walls

The results of all this work are visible today as can be seen in these photos, though some of the text on the stonework was difficult to read when wet from recent rains.

Do you enjoy these posts?

Sign up to receive periodic emails with updates and thoughts. Don’t worry, I won’t spam you. And please consider purchasing artwork or products from my online store, and using my affiliate links in the sidebar to the right when shopping online.

I appreciate your support!

A Rainy Spring Drive Over the Blue Ridge Mountains /  by Todd Henson

The glare of headlights

After a dry spell we suddenly received a large amount of rain in a short time, and sitting at home listening to that rain patter on the roof inspired me to sort through and process a number of photographs from April of 2023 when my father and I drove over the Blue Ridge Mountains on Skyline Drive through Shenandoah National Park in the rain.

Springtime rains on the road

Photographing From the Car

The day hadn’t begun raining (in fact, I’d just photographed my first white trillium flowers about an hour before creating these photos), and it didn’t end that way, either. But for parts of the day we had the pleasure of winding down the Blue Ridge Mountains through anything from a light and misty rain to a heavy downpour with gusty winds. Being the passenger that day enabled me to create these photographs.

Lichen, branches, road and rain

I would often watch the windshield wipers and time my exposures for just after they wiped the water off the windshield. This gave me the clearest view. But in some of the photos you can see droplets of water on the windshield. They create a slight blur that, when there are enough droplets, almost gives the photo a slightly more painterly look that I enjoy.

A wet and winding road

Camera Settings

From a technical perspective, it was a bit dark because of the rain and we were in a moving car so I wanted a high enough shutter speed to avoid too much motion blur (except in those instances when I played around with purposefully slowing down the shutter speed). This meant I used a fairly high ISO, between 1250 and 2000. I also used a reasonably wide aperture of f/5.0, which did limit the depth of field but helped give me a shutter speed of anywhere from 1/125th to 1/400th of a second. I was using a 16-80 mm lens (thanks, Alex) in the 44-56 mm range, chosen based on the view from inside the car.

Fleeing the rain towards a hole through the mountain

Post-Processing

I did process these photos a fair bit in Adobe Lightroom, largely dodging and burning (old darkroom terms for brightening and darkening) to highlight some areas and lessen the impact of others. For example, I liked the light greens and browns of spring so I brightened those up enough that they stood out, and I darkened wet branches to help them stand out more. I added a little contrast in some areas that had been reduced by the rain.

Follow the leader through the rain

What do you think of the results? Did I go too far? Would you have gone a little further? Let me know in the comments below.

Do you enjoy these posts?

Sign up to receive periodic emails with updates and thoughts. Don’t worry, I won’t spam you. And please consider purchasing artwork or products from my online store, and using my affiliate links in the sidebar to the right when shopping online.

I appreciate your support!

Martinsburg Roundhouse and Bunker Hill Train Shows in West Virginia - 2023 /  by Todd Henson

Today I wanted to share some views of the Martinsburg Roundhouse in West Virginia, an historic railroad site and National Historic Landmark. The photos cover two days in 2023, both when the Bunker Hill Train Club held their model railroad train shows within the roundhouse. We visited the show on April 15 and September 30th.

My goal, of course, was to create some photographs of the site and event that some of you might find interesting. And I did create quite a few, so this is a photo-heavy post. On the first trip in April I had no idea what to expect so I brought my 16-80mm lens, a fairly general purpose lens. It was a very good choice for that location. But even at 16mm I found myself very cramped when inside, so when we returned in September I opted for my 6.5mm fisheye, knowing it would add some distortion but hoping I could capture more of the scene.

Outside Views of the Martinsburg Roundhouse

Below are a number of views of the outside of the roundhouse complex. Towards the end you can see there were two roundhouses at the site but in the early 1990s an arsonist destroyed the second of the two and all that remains of it are parts of the walls and the tracks on the ground.

Arriving at the Bunker Hill Trail Show on April 15, 2023, held at the Martinsburg Roundhouse in West Virginia.

Walking towards the buildings of the Martinsburg Roundhouse. (April 15, 2023)

One of the buildings at the Martinsburg Roundhouse. Nonni's was serving lunch that day. (April 15, 2023)

A view of the Martinsburg Roundhouse. Inside is the Bunker Hill Train Show. (April 15, 2023)

Walking around the Martinsburg Roundhouse. (April 15, 2023)

A view of one of the side rooms/buildings at the Martinsburg Roundhouse in West Virginia. (April 15, 2023)

Outside details of the Martinsburg Roundhouse. (April 15, 2023)

The remains of the second roundhouse at Martinsburg. (April 15, 2023)

Only part of the walls and the ground remain of the second roundhouse in Martinsburg. (April 15, 2023)

Inside Views of the Martinsburg Roundhouse

Inside the roundhouse we get to see views of the Bunker Hill Train Shows and some of the various vendors and visitors. We also get to see some of the core structures of the roundhouse and the adjoining buildings and shops.

A wide view inside the Martinsburg Roundhouse at the Bunker Hill Train Show. This is a wide angle multi-image stitched panorama. Click any photo for a larger view. (April 15, 2023)

A fisheye view of the interior of the Martinsburg Roundhouse while hosting the Bunker Hill Train Show. (September 30, 2023)

A fisheye view of the interior of the Martinsburg Roundhouse showing the actual rotating center. (September 30, 2023)

Another fisheye view inside the roundhouse. (September 30, 2023)

Looking across the rotating center inside the Martinsburg Roundhouse in West Virginia. (September 30, 2023)

Another view of the rotating center inside the roundhouse. To get this view I held the camera above my head and angled it down, experimenting until I found the right angle. (September 30, 2023)

Even with the fisheye lens I wasn’t able to capture the entirety of the ceiling inside the Martinsburg Roundhouse. (September 30, 2023)

The domed ceiling was interesting enough to me I photographed it both days, this time with a 16mm (non-fisheye) lens. (April 15, 2023)

The interior of one of the rooms/buildings attached to the roundhouse. It was empty on April 14, 2023, but on September 30, 2023 it had some local vendors inside. (April 15, 2023)

At the very end of the previous photo is a door leading to this very dark workroom. This was a fisheye view with attempted perspective corrections in Adobe Lightroom. (September 30, 2023)

Details inside one of the shops at the Martinsburg Roundhouse. This was a fisheye view with attempted perspective corrections in Adobe Lightroom. (September 30, 2023)

Another detail view inside one of the shops at the Martinsburg Roundhouse. This was a fisheye view with attempted perspective corrections in Adobe Lightroom. (September 30, 2023)

Parting View of the Martinsburg Roundhouse

And finally, we part with a wider view taken from outside the fence, though I was reaching my arms over it to hold the camera just inside. It shows the back portion of the area. Across the tracks you can see some of the town of Martinsburg, along with the active railroad station.

A parting view of the back side of the Martinsburg Roundhouse complex. (April 15, 2023)

I hope you’ve enjoyed these views of the Martinsburg Roundhouse in West Virginia and two of the Bunker Hill Train Club’s Train Shows in 2023.

Click here to learn more about the Bunker Hill Train Club.

And click here to learn more about the Martinsburg Roundhouse in the City of Martinsburg, West Virginia.

Do you enjoy these posts?

Sign up to receive periodic emails with updates and thoughts. Don’t worry, I won’t spam you. And please consider purchasing artwork or products from my online store, and using my affiliate links in the sidebar to the right when shopping online.

I appreciate your support!