Description: By 1908, extending northwest from the crown of Mt. Joy upon which stood the ever-popular Valley Forge Observation Tower, the timber on the mountainside had been cut like a spoke to provide an unimpeded view from the Tower of the village of Valley Forge. It is from the base of the Tower, looking through this cut that Lucy Sampson captured this image in 1910 of Valley Creek meandering its way north toward the Schuylkill River. To the right of the creek can be seen Valley Forge Road (today’s Rte. 252). The large dam built in the 19th century had backed-up Valley Creek an entire mile from near the River to the Knox covered bridge. Though the dam had been removed prior to this image, the absence of trees where the backwater had lain remained prominent. On the reverse side of this postcard marked 20 July, 1910, the writer of this brief note states: “I’m sitting in Valley Forge Observatory on the top of one of those hills watching you working.” - Herb Fry and Roger Thorne
