The towns of Maryland's Middletown Valley bear the imprints of some of the most telling events in early American history: the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, and the building of America's first national road. Andrew Jackson, the nation's seventh president, described the Middletown Valley as "one of the most favored and delightful spots on earth." The largest town, picturesque Middletown, was the scene of intense activity during the Civil War. Mountaintop Braddock Heights became a resort "getaway" after the construction of a trolley line in 1896. Myersville was...