What are the best off-appalachian trail sites/sights or towns?

[Bagge Pants]

I plan on walking swiftly and seeking interesting historical or intriguing sites/sights near or off the Appalachian Trail for my thru hike. I might camp near the spot and then check it out in the morning before returning to the trail.

Do you know of any abandoned mines or ghost towns with early US historical value right off the trail? This topic might not be in the every day guides and books so I'd thought I'd throw it out there.

Serious post.

[hikerboy57]

There are mines all over Harriman State Park in New York also ruins of a revolutionary war era town called doodletown.there are also the 1776 and 1777, trails that both british and american soldiers used harriman is loaded with history.

[annamagpie]

Did you see this post? http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...untains-(Video) That looks pretty neat.

[oldbear]

Stanton VA is not only Woodrow Wilson's hometown But one of the best preserved antebellum towns along the Blue Ridge and given the Civil War history of that region that's a pretty amazing distiction
NNW of Harpers Ferry @ Sharpsburg MD is the Antietam Battlefield
and
Gettysburg Battlefield is a short distance east of the AT in PA

[daddytwosticks]

I believe there are several plane wreck sites along the AT, starting near Muskrat Creek shelter right over the GA/NC state line.

[Coffee]

Hoover's Rapidan Camp in SNP is worth a detour. Not an abandoned town but lots of historical interest with old buildings to look at.

http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/preside...p_rapidan.html

[dmax]

There's not too much left now, it mostly has burned down. Lost Cove is an abandoned town outside of Erwin, Tn.

[Starchild]

There seemed to be lots of mining around the Palmington PA (and the superfund site) that looks potentially explorable. I would even think many of these areas could be previewed on google maps satellite image as they are huge and I expect very visible.