Bad Weather and Markers Don’t Mix

A series of posts on Mannie Gentile’s blog discusses and illustrates the damage done to Antietam during last week’s storm. He reports one of the war department tablets, for Walker’s Division, at the very end of Branch Avenue, was damaged. I do find it remarkable, looking at Mannie’s photos from the National Cemetery, that none of the tombstones were damaged. Perhaps there is material for “Haunted History” outside of the normal episodes on Gettysburg?  Personally, I’d rather see a “History” documentary following the crew that cleaned up Antietam after the storm.  Do we really need another season of “Ice Road Truckers” or “Axmen?”

The Mid-Atlantic states have seen several strong storms throughout this spring. Recently while visiting Fredericksburg, I ran across this unfortunate victim of the spring storms:

The marker stands, or more accurately used to stand, at the end of the walking trail to Hamilton’s Crossing, on the far eastern end of the park. The marker was an example of the older wood post metal plate types, which I’ve taken to calling “Department of the Interior” type (based on the attribution line at the bottom of each face). Based on some personal photographs dating back to my teen-age years, these markers date to the 1970s or so. I’m told that these markers are being phased out for the more modern “tilted table” wayside types which allow for maps, illustrations, and more than one font setting. At a couple of other places around Chancellorsville, several of these markers have already been replaced. Perhaps the victim pictured here will also be scrapped for a new wayside.