Gettysburg-Monticello route named scenic byway

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The Journey Through Hallowed Ground, a historic driving route that meanders 180 miles through four states, has been named a National Scenic Byway.

The road runs from Gettysburg, Pa., site of the famous Civil War battle, through Maryland and Jefferson County, W.Va., to Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home in Virginia.

The route, which generally follows the Old Carolina Road, was created by the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership, a nonprofit group dedicated to promoting American history and culture.

On its Web site, the partnership claims its region contains more sites of historical value than any other in the nation, encompassing "11,000 years of dense history from ancient burial grounds and Native American history to 400 years of European, American and African American heritage."

Destinations relate not only to the Civil War, but also to colonial and presidential history, African-American heritage and the grand estates of some prominent Americans, including James Madison and Gen. George C. Marshall.

"This route not only carried this country's Founding Fathers, but also the not-so famous men and women whose ideals have shaped this great nation, making this road a destination unto itself," said John Fieseler, executive director for the Tourism Council of Frederick County, Md.

Along the route are thousands of National Historic Register sites, 49 national heritage districts, nine presidential homes and 13 national park units.

The Federal Highway Administration created the National Scenic Byways Program in 1991 to recognize roads with unique archaeological, cultural, historical, natural, recreational and scenic qualities. It has since designated 125 such roads, including five in West Virginia, two in Maryland and one each in Pennsylvania and Virginia.

The designation by the U.S. Department of Transportation should help the partnership market its sites and compete for federal funds.

Details at http://www.hallowedground.org/content/view/58/1/ and http://www.byways.org/.