Brandy M. Watts (me) has been studying the Schuylkill & Susquehanna Railroad (and Stony Valley) since she was in the third grade. However, the railroad was not her only historical interest. She also studied (although not as in depth as the railroad) The Blue-Eyed Six, Palmyra, Mount Gretna Maximum State Security Prison, The Union Canal, Joseph Johns, and a few others. In the eighth grade she also recieved the "Woodmen of the World" award for her knowledge of American History.
She started hiking in Stony Valley even before she could walk. In the third grade her interest was made clear, when her parents took her to the former resort town of Cold Spring where she became amazed by the idea that there was a hotel in such a desolate valley. After searching for two years, she found a picture of the hotel, and in the meantime became interested in all of the other ruins in Cold Spring. By fifth grade, she was studying all of Cold Spring Township. By sixth grade, she started to study the whole Stony Valley from High Bridge to Ellendale Forge. By eighth grade she was studying the whole railroad from Dauphin to Auburn. In her senior year of high school she added the four-mile Rockville extension to her studies as well.
In September of 2004, she gave her first presentation about the railroad at the Dauphin-Middle Paxton Historical Society. She continues to give presentations and lead historical hikes for different organizations. She also volunteers her time at the Dauphin-Middle Paxton Historical Society and for the Cold Spring Preservation Project.
Brandy recently graduated from Penn State University with a B.H. in American Studies, with a focus on Museum Studies and Public Heritage.