Captured by its Charm

This is the Potomac River as it winds through western Maryland, dividing it from West Virginia. The splotch in the middle of the photo is a tiny unincorporated community known as Little Orleans. It captured my heart the first time I was there, not for it's beauty, but because of its uniqueness. It was a step back in time.

One summer in the mid 1980's our Seneca Stake Young Women chose this area for some of the activities associated with that year's Young Women's camp. I don't remember who was in charge -- I was a ward leader -- nor how they found this quaint little "town", but I'm so glad they did. Our all day canoe trip began and ended here. There may have been homes in the vicinity, but I don't remember seeing any -- they were probably hidden in the wooded hills. There was a small primitive campground just down the road.






What charmed me most about Little Orleans, besides the feeling of stepping back in time to a simpler time, was the building pictured above. First of all, you can see this is a "vintage" building with little if any redeemable value. It had a worn wooden floor and, in the summer, squeaky double screen doors. There was a porch, not visible in the photo, that had rocking chairs or a swing on it. This building is the essence of Little Orleans. It was the mayor's office. It was the gas station, the grocery store, and the greasy spoon restaurant. It was the canoe livery, and the one stop shop for hunting and fishing licenses. It was the pool hall and local bar. There may have even been rooms to rent upstairs. Though I don't know who would have wanted to stay there, or how they would have found the place. Little Orleans is off the beaten track. Not exactly a honeymoon spot. Still, there was something about it that still won't leave me alone.

A few years after our Young Women canoe trip, Bob and I set out to re-discover Little Orleans and were pleased to find it unchanged from that magical summer day.