Valley Forge National Historical Park

Of all the places associated with America's War for Independence, none convey the suffering, sacrifice and ultimate triumph of our nation more than Valley Forge. No battles were fought here and no bayonet charges or artillery bombardments took place, yet some 2,000 soldiers died, more Americans than were killed at the battles of Brandywine and Germantown combined.

Valley Forge is the story of an army's epic struggle to survive against terrible odds, hunger, disease and the unrelenting forces of nature.

Silent reminders of the past include Artillery Park's rows of canyons, the soldiers' log huts, and earthen fortifications around the park's rim.

With the British army occupying Philadelphia, Continental commander-in-chief George Washington needed a place to encamp for the winter. He chose what seemed to be a strategic high-ridged area to the West. The fierce winter claimed the lives of 2,000 men, yet they emerged in mid-1778 to win significant battles.

Though no military battle was fought here, the six months in Valley Forge, with its heavily-rationed supplies and awful winter, were among the roughest for the Continental Army during the entire war.

The refurbished Welcome Center now displays a new exhibit, "Determined to Persevere," utilizing Revolutionary War artifacts to tell the story of the winter encampment. You can touch muskets and see how everyone, even General Washington, lived under tough conditions.

Bringing that pivotal winter to life are some authentic outbuildings, like Washington¹s Headquarters, and some replications, including the Muhlenberg Brigade huts. Like no other Revolutionary War site, Valley Forge suggests the arduous spiritual and physical experience the Continental army went through on its way to eventual victory.

Today, Valley Forge is a lush, 3,600-acre expanse of rolling hillsides dotted with flowering dogwood trees. Washington's original stone headquarters has been restored and furnished, and statues and monuments throughout the park remind visitors of our national heritage.

Among them are the Memorial Arch; statues of General "Mad Anthony" Wayne and Baron Friedrich von Steuben; and the Monument to Patriots of African Descent. Costumed interpreters are posted at the Muhlenberg Brigade huts on summer weekends and at Washington's Headquarters all year-round.

Recreation facilities in the park include designated picnic areas, a six-mile multi-use trail, ten miles of horse trails and the multi-use Valley Forge-to-Philadelphia Schuylkill River Trail.