Wrightsville to Columbia via the Conowingo Dam - By Perry Hilbert

This area is rich in history. Wrightsville was as far as the South fought East into Pennsylvania. In Early July 1863, Federal Troops burned the covered bridge that spanned the river barely in time to prevent the Confederate Troops from crossing the River. The pylon supports for that bridge can still be seen. Under the colonial Charters for Maryland and Pennsylvania, the colonial boundary was supposed to be about a mile south of Wrightsville, not at it's current location. For a few years, Maryland and Pennsylvania were at odds over the boundary and a Maryland militia actually held the area just south of Wrightsville for almost a year. Pennsylvania's governing council was going to raise a militia to expel the Maryland force. When the king got involved and eventually the royal surveyor and royal astronomer were paid to mark the line between the colonies. Their names: Mason and Dixon. Just south of Wrightsville is a county park/over look called High Point. from the parking lot to the top is a 15 minute walk but permits a great view of the river. A few miles further and just off the route, is the hill top winery and seasonal restaurant Moon Dancer Winery, also with some good views. A few more miles along long level is a small historical site for a native Indian village. and near the same spot is a Marker for Cresap's Fort. Cresap was a Maryland Justice of the Peace who was sent with a gang of associated to hold the western shore of the river against Pennsylvanians. Long level runs along the river with a few parks to stop at. Between the road and the river, the last vestiges of a canal system can be seen. the river along long level was damned up in a hydroelectric building flurry of the great depression. The road then heads west up to the top of the river hills again where you meet up with Rt 425. Rt 425 makes an abrupt 90 degree east turn at the stop sign in New Bridgeville. Named New Bridgeville, when the former village of Bridgeville was flooded by the construction of the dam and most settled next to each other on much higher ground. As it heads east and south, 425 goes through some beautiful farm land that is fast being settled by incoming Amish. The road meets the river again down at Muddy Creek and there is a campground and a small museum called Indian Steps. (local Indians would carve steps in the rocks along the river to gain a place to stand and spear fish. The museum exhibits a huge collection of Indian artifacts gathered from all over the country and incorporated in a rather large vacation house. From there 425 twists and turns back up to the hill tops and meets route 74 near Airville. There is little besides a few small villages along Rt 74. A few miles further south is the junction with Rt 372 which heads east across the Norman Wood Bridge to Lancaster County. If you drive across the bridge, one of the hydroelectric dams in to the north. The river from the bottom of the spill way and continuing south is broken into channels between massive rock ledges and looks just the way the river did before the dams were built.