My Valley Forge Story: Pete Goodman

A view from the top of the tower.

NPS/ Pete Goodman

I was asked by a park staff member to reflect on my involvement and connections with Valley Forge upon their 50-year celebration of being Valley Forge National Historical Park.

I couldn’t help but remember an old photograph from the family archives taken from the old lookout tower with the tower’s shadow cast over a cabin and old 1920s cars parked around it. The date on the back of the photo is 1920. I can’t verify that date. But it does go to show that our family has had a long association with Valley Forge Park. I recall as a youngster – probably 8 to 10 years old – climbing the tower with my father. There are no photos to commemorate that event. But I do vividly remember climbing the open steel structure and being pretty uncomfortable doing so.

The next connection I recall was my grandfather’s remarriage which occurred in the Valley Forge Chapel in 1959. I was 14 and was taking a photography course in junior high school, so I was patronized by the family and asked to take pictures at the wedding, which I did. Of course, the photos I took were not memorable, and the only one I could find in the family archives is the professional shot of my grandfather and his new bride coming down the steps of the chapel with my parents on the stairs behind them.

Valley Forge Chapel in 1959, a photo taken by Pete Goodman of his Grandfather, his new wife, and Pete's parents.

NPS/ Pete Goodman

The next connection I recall was my grandfather’s remarriage which occurred in the Valley Forge Chapel in 1959. I was 14 and was taking a photography course in junior high school, so I was patronized by the family and asked to take pictures at the wedding, which I did. Of course, the photos I took were not memorable, and the only one I could find in the family archives is the professional shot of my grandfather and his new bride coming down the steps of the chapel with my parents on the stairs behind them.

In 1971 while serving in Viet Nam my wife sent me a post card of “Historic Old Knox’s Bridge” as it said on the reverse of the picture side with Judy adding, “Just one of Pennsylvania’s beautiful memories – “.

A welcome and needed link to back home.

Buffer planting project crew in 2004.

NPS/Pete Goodman

Fast forward another few decades and I am back in the park as a volunteer looking to work with Brian Lambert, the park’s natural resources manager, in 2002. A number of volunteers were working with Brian to obtain a grant to do extensive riparian buffer planting. The grant came through in 2003 and Brian died 11/10/2003. I volunteered to run the buffer planting project. A baptism by fire for my first volunteer project. The project was successfully completed in 2004.

I helped plan another project along Valley Creek in the park some years later. This was to protect a force main sanitary sewer line from being exposed due to an eroding stream bank. There were lots of partners with this revetment project. Some of them were Tredyffrin Township, Valley Forge National Historical Park, Valley Forge Chapter of Trout Unlimited (VFTU) and the Delaware Riverkeeper Network. The revetment was very successful in protecting the stream bank and added some good fish habitat too.

Valley Creek stream bank protection project, 2004.

NPS/ Pete Goodman

I helped plan another project along Valley Creek in the park some years later. This was to protect a force main sanitary sewer line from being exposed due to an eroding stream bank. There were lots of partners with this revetment project. Some of them were Tredyffrin Township, Valley Forge National Historical Park, Valley Forge Chapter of Trout Unlimited (VFTU) and the Delaware Riverkeeper Network. The revetment was very successful in protecting the stream bank and added some good fish habitat too.

Teaching a group about fly fishing.

NPS/ Pete Goodman

Most recently I have been involved in teaching fly fishing in the park. VFTU received a grant to fund a Junior Ranger Angler program to teach fly fishing. There have been three sessions so far, and the chapter plans on continuing the program with its own funding if grant funds can’t be found. It is very fun for us volunteers to teach fly fishing to children and their parents.

Additionally, we have taken visitors from out-of-town to the park to feel the history of the place and tour the visitor center. We have enjoyed sledding, fishing, bird watching, counting deer, photographing nature, walking/hiking and just communing with nature in this wonderful park in our backyard.

Tags: valley forge national historical park, valley forge national historic park, 50 years of valley forge, my valley forge story, vf50