Jim Boehmler, age 12, of Malvern, Pennsylvania, for his question:

How did Valley Forge get its name?

No American needs to be reminded of what made Valley Forge a famous historical landmark. It was named in colonial times before General George Washington and his Continental Army spent the bitter winter of 1777 and 1778 in this region of Pennsylvania. In those days a grain mill or a foundry was a very important place. The surrounding countryside was often named for the mill or forge.

In this case the countryside was the valley of the Schuylkill River, flowing southeast through Philadelphia to join the Delaware. The forge was an iron works on the south bank in a curve of the Schuylkill River. In September 1777, it was burned by the British in their efforts to defeat Washington's army. But the name of Valley Forge was not forgotten    even though the old forge was lost. And later, when historians restored the famous site, they found the old forge in the valley and excavated its ruins.