| Maryland (Washington County), Antietam — An Indian Deed |
| | Israel Friend in 1727 secured a deed from the Indian chiefs of the Five Nations. Beginning “At the mouth of Andietum Creek thence up the Potomack River 200 shoots as fur as an arrow can be slung out of a bow” thence “100 shoots right back from the river” then “squared till in interceedes with the creek.” — Map (db m1972) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Antietam — Lock 34, Harpers Ferry |
| | Lock 34 was often referred to as "Goodheart's Lock". Willard Goodheart was the last locktender at this location. Like nearby Lockhouse 33, the lockhouse at Lock 34 was destroyed in the great flood of 1936. Of the 1936 flood, Mr. Goodheart as quoted as saying that he and his family "escaped by boat without our possessions before the house collapsed". One of the most devastating of the post canal era floods, the 1936 flood caused major damage throughout the Potomac River Valley. — Map (db m23872) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Big Pool — Big Pool Junction |
| | The eighteen miles of rails between
Hagerstown and Big Pool were the busiest
of the Western Maryland Railway. It was
here in 1892 that a connection was made with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad across the Potomac River at Cherry Run, West Virginia. The Big Pool Train Station was constructed in 1892. By the turn of the century other structures were added including a siding, a storage building and
company houses.
In 1904 the building of the Cumberland Extension began at Big Pool. The . . . — Map (db m735) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Big Pool — Fort Frederick — Maryland State Park |
| | Colonial stone fort built 1756 for Province of Maryland by Gov. Horatio Sharpe to protect frontier against French and Indians after Braddock’s defeat. Detention camp for British prisoners 1776–83. Occupied 1861–2 by Union troops. George Washington was here July 1756 and June 1758. — Map (db m681) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Big Pool — Fort Frederick — A Witness to War |
| | Built by the Maryland colony in 1756 during the French and Indian War, Fort Frederick’s stone walls surrounded three large buildings. The colonists abandoned the frontier fort in 1759, when the threat of Indian raids subsided. During the Revolutionary War, the fort confined hundreds of British prisoners. The state auctioned the fort
and about 100 acres in the 1790s. The property changed hands several times; in 1860, Nathan
Williams, a free African American, bought the
place and farmed the . . . — Map (db m821) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Big Pool — Fort Frederick Officers’ Quarters |
| | A Ghost in the Ground.
Before you is the foundation of “The Governor’s House,” the building that served as the officers’ quarters, ceremonial hall and storeroom for Fort Frederick. What did that building look like? We know the size and general layout of the building from the foundation. There are only a few historical
documents, which mention the building. Of those, the most significant is Samuel Hughes’s 1778 letter, from which we learn that the building was a 2-story timber . . . — Map (db m823) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Big Pool — Four Locks |
| | Here the Potomac River makes a meandering four-mile loop around Prather’s Neck. To avoid the bend in the river, the canal engineers cut the canal one-half mile across the neck. Because of the rapid elevation change, these four locks were necessary to lift the canal boats a total of 33 feet. [Sidebar):
A small but busy community grew up here. Children dallied on their way to the one-room schoolhouse still standing just down the road. In the barn just ahead mules rested after long canal . . . — Map (db m15285) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Big Pool — Mule Power |
| | “Here at Four Locks mule barn, mules rested during the winter months. Boat captains left their mules here, paying a mule tended to care for them. Often the mules grew thin because the keeper did not feed the mules as well as their owners did. Mules were the ‘engines’ for the canal boats. Normally, a boat captain had four. Two worked while two rested in their stall in the front of the boat. Captains usually cared for mules as if they were part of the family. In the canal’s peak years, the . . . — Map (db m15278) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Big Pool — Nathan Williams — A Prosperous Farm |
| | Nathan Williams was the son of Samuel “Big Sam” Williams, a slave who in 1826 bought freedom for himself, his wife, and his four children. In 1839, the elder Williams purchased a farm near Four Locks, about 3.5 miles east of Fort Frederick. There, Nathan Williams fell in love with a slave named Ammy on adjoining farm and bought her freedom for $60 in 1847. In 1860, just before the Civil War, the couple acquired the Fort Frederick tract for $7,000.
When the 1st Maryland Infantry . . . — Map (db m5571) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Big Pool — The National Road — The Road that Built the Nation |
| | “. . . so many happy people, restless in the midst of abundance.” —Alexis de Tocqueville, 1840.
Americans are an adventurous people. From
past to present, they have used feet, horses,
wagons, stagecoaches, canals, railroads,
bicycles, automobiles, trucks and buses to
“perpetually change their plans and abodes.”
Centuries ago, George Washington dreamed of
a highway joining east and west. In 1806,
Thomas Jefferson made that roadway a . . . — Map (db m820) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Boonesboro — The Maryland Campaign of 1862 |
| | On September 4, 1862, General Robert E. Lee, hoping to shorten the war by winning a decisive victory on Northern soil, crossed the Potomac River into Maryland. Lee planned to draw the Army of the Potomac through South Mountain into Pennsylvania and fight on ground of his choosing. His plan depended on securing his supply line down the Shenandoah Valley past Harpers Ferry—then garrisoned by nearly 13,000 Federal troops. When the Federals did not withdraw, Lee decided to attack them. From . . . — Map (db m2041) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Boonsboro — “Crampton’s Gap” “Maryland Heights” and “Pleasant Valley” |
| | Important points during the first invasion of Maryland by the Army of the Confederacy in 1862. — Map (db m1879) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Boonsboro — Battle of Boonsboro — Buying Time — Gettysburg Campaign |
| | Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart faced a difficult assignment: to locate the Union cavalry and prevent it from severing Gen. Robert E. Lee’s avenue of retreat to Williamsport and the Potomac River after the Battle of Gettysburg. The result was the biggest and most sustained cavalry battle in Maryland during the campaign. The Battle of Boonsboro occurred here along the National Road on Wednesday, July 8, 1863. Stuart, with five brigades advancing from the direction of Funkstown and Williamsport, . . . — Map (db m1630) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Boonsboro — Boonsboro — Lee's Headquarters — Antietam Campaign 1862 |
| | After Gen. Robert E. Lee issued Special Order 191 near Frederick dividing the Army of Northern Virginia into four columns, Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson’s command marched across South Mountain on September 10, 1862. His column passed through Turner’s Gap and Boonsboro en route to compel the surrender of the Federal garrison at Harpers Ferry. Gen. James Longstreet’s and Gen. D.H. Hill’s columns also passed by here, and Gen. J.E.B. Stuart established his headquarters here . . . — Map (db m1872) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Boonsboro — Cannon of Revolutionary War |
| | (War of American Independence) 1775–1783 forged Mount Aetna, Maryland Dedicated July 4, 1906 Rededicated July 5, 1992 Charles F. Kauffman, Jr. Mayor, Town of Boonsboro Robert J. Shifler, Assistant Mayor • Kevin M. Chambers, Councilman • Robert W. Gross, Councilman • Raymond D. Grove, Councilman • Howard W. Long, Councilman • Richard E. Hawkins, Councilman • Sheila A. Wren, President Park Board • Robert L. Phillips, Secretary • Gerald F. Metz, Member • William R. Henneberger, Member . . . — Map (db m2005) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Boonsboro — Deaths of Two Generals — “Hallo, Sam, I’m dead!” — Antietam Campaign 1862 |
| | The fight for Fox’s Gap on September 14, 1862, claimed the lives of two generals, one from each side. Confederate Gen. Samuel Garland, a Lynchburg, Virginia native, attended the Virginia Military Institute at Lexington and later obtained his law degree. Married in 1856, he suffered tragedy early in the war when both his wife and four-year-old son died in an influenza epidemic. Grief-stricken, he left Lynchburg as captain of the Lynchburg Home Guard, excelled during the Peninsula Campaign and . . . — Map (db m455) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Boonsboro — Gettysburg Campaign — Invasion & Retreat |
| | After stunning victories at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, Virginia, early in May 1863, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee carried the war through Maryland, across the Mason and Dixon Line and into Pennsylvania. His infantry marched north through the Shenandoah Valley and western Maryland as his cavalry, led by Gen. J.E.B. Stuart, harassed Union supply lines to the east. Union Gen. Joseph Hooker, replaced on June 28 by Gen. George G. Meade, led the Army of the Potomac from the Washington . . . — Map (db m1913) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Boonsboro — Gettysburg Campaign — The Battle of Boonsboro |
| | Two U.S. Cavalry divisions repulsed five rebel cavalry brigades in a day-long fight north of Boonsboro on July 8, 1863. The South Mountain passes remained open to the Federal Army in pursuit of the Confederates retreating from Gettyburg via Hagerstown to Williamsport. — Map (db m7008) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Boonsboro — Maj. Gen. Jesse L. Reno |
| | (front)
9th Army Corps.
September 14, 1862.
Reno.
(west side)
This monument marks the
spot where Major Gen. Jesse Lee Reno,
commanding 9th Army Corps U.S. Vol’s,
was killed in battle Sept. 14, 1862.
(south side)
Battles.
Vera Cruz; Cerro Gordo;
Cantreras; Churubusco;
Chapultepec; Roanoke Island;
New Berne;
Camden; Bull Run;
Chantilly and South Mountain.
(east side)
Erected by
the survivors of
the 9th Army Corps
to their . . . — Map (db m389) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Boonsboro — Near Here in Wise’s Field |
| | Near here in Wise's field on the morning of Sept. 14, 1862, Brigadier General Samuel Garland, Jr. C.S.A. of Lynchburg, Virginia fell mortally wounded while leading his men. — Map (db m429) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Boonsboro — North Carolina |
| | (Front Side): In Memory of the North Carolinians who fought at or near here September 14, 1862. The 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 20th, 23rd, 30th Infantry and Manly's and Reilly's Battery, 1st NC Artillery. General D.H. Hill was in command of the Confederates with elements of Longstreet's Corps arriving in the afternoon. The fighting here at Fox's Gap saw one of the few instances of actual hand-to-hand combat of the war. The 13th NC was totally surrounded after . . . — Map (db m4325) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Boonsboro — Roxbury Mills Bridge |
| | This bridge was built in 1824, in close proximity to Roxbury Mills, an early sawmill and later a large distillery complex which operated into the 20th century. A three-arch bridge over the Antietam, it was one of a series of bridges built for the county by Silas Harry. It has an over all length of 169 feet, and has spans of 27, 33 and 27 feet. — Map (db m5036) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Boonsboro — Stonewall Jackson's Way |
| | Under Special Order 191, Maj. Gen Thomas J. Jackson led Confederate troops from Frederick to capture Harper's Ferry. On Sept. 11, 1862, Jackson's Second Corps moved by this road from its encampment near Boonsborough to cross the Potomac at Williamsport. — Map (db m3912) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Boonsboro — 580 — Stonewall Regiment |
| | More than 90,000 Michigan men served in the Union Army and Navy during the Civil War. The 17th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment was mustered at the Detroit Barracks in August 1862 under the command of Colonel William H. Withington. The regiment consisted of raw recruits from field, workshop and schoolroom. One company was composed almost entirely of students from Ypsilanti Normal School, now Eastern Michigan University. With less than a month of military training, the 17th left for . . . — Map (db m398) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Boonsboro — The Battle for Fox’s Gap — “Hell is empty and all the devils are here.” — Antietam Campaign 1862 |
| | As Confederate Gen. D.H. Hill’s division struggled to hold the gaps of South Mountain on September 14, 1862, the fighting here at Fox’s Gap raged throughout the day. About 9 a.m., Gen. Jesse L. Reno’s corps attacked Confederate Gen. Samuel Garland’s lines approximately ¾ of a mile south of here and began pushing the men north towards Fox’s Gap. Sometime around midmorning, Garland fell mortally wounded and the Confederates scattered into the gap.
The fighting died down at midday as both sides . . . — Map (db m454) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Boonsboro — The Battle of Antietam or Sharpsburg |
| | The bloodiest conflict of the War Between the States occurred September 17, 1862, a few miles from this point (turn left in the center of Boonsboro). — Map (db m456) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Boonsboro — The Boys from Boonsboro District — World War: 1914 - 1918 |
| | [Street side]:
[Emblem of the Junior Order of United American Mechanics] Erected in honor of the boys from
Boonsboro District
by South Mountain Council No. 88, Jr. O.U.A.M.
and Citizens of the community.
July 4th, 1919.
First Lieutenants: Louis McC Young - Roger E. Martz
Baker, William L. •
Beachley, William H. •
Beard, Frank •
Bomberger, Richard W. •
Brown, Frank E. •
Cross, Max A. •
Doub, Earl W. •
Doub, Kieffer G. •
Dubel, Alvey R. •
Easterday, . . . — Map (db m16491) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Boonsboro — The Dahlgren Chapel |
| | This chapel was built around 1881 by Madeline Vinton Dahlgren, widow of Admiral John A. Dahlgren, USN, inventor of the Dahlgren gun, the armament used by the USS Monitor against the CSS Virginia, formerly the steam frigate USS Merrimack.
— Map (db m1297) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Boonsboro — The Lost Orders |
| | No other document of the Civil War has generated so much controversy as Lee's Special Orders No. 191. These “Lost Orders” detailed the movements of Lee's army for the operation against Harpers Ferry. On September 9 Lee sent copies of the order to his subordinate commanders. The copy that General George B. McClellan read on September 13 was found by three Federal soldiers in an abandoned campsite near Frederick in an envelope wrapped around three cigars. The envelope was addressed to . . . — Map (db m2042) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Boonsboro — The National Road — The Road that Built the Nation |
| | “. . . so many happy people, restless in the midst of abundance.” —Alexis de Tocqueville, 1840.
Americans are an adventurous people. From
past to present, they have used feet, horses,
wagons, stagecoaches, canals, railroads,
bicycles, automobiles, trucks and buses to
“perpetually change their plans and abodes.”
Centuries ago, George Washington dreamed of
a highway joining east and west. In 1806,
Thomas Jefferson made that roadway a . . . — Map (db m1911) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Boonsboro — Town of Boonsboro — Maryland uses Macadam to Complete the National Road |
| | The National Road from Baltimore to Cumberland was comprised of a series of privately funded turnpikes. By 1822, the road was complete except for the ten miles between Boonsboro and Hagerstown. In August of the year, under pressure from the state legislature, Boonsboro and Hagerstown bank directors formed the Boonsboro Turnpike Company to complete the final section. The National Road, from Baltimore to Cumberland, was often called the “Bank Road,” because the state government . . . — Map (db m1162) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Boonsboro — Washington Monument — Signal Station — Antietam Campaign 1862 |
| | During the Antietam Campaign, the U.S. Signal Corps used the stone structure in front of you and to your left as a signal station. On July 4, 1827, citizens of the town of Boonsboro paraded to the top of the mountain here and began building this first monument in the country completed in honor of George Washington. On September 14, 1862, as Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and his staff entered Boonsboro during the Battle of South Mountain, Lt. Col. E.P. Alexander observed “a small party of . . . — Map (db m1161) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Brownsville — Brownsville-Burkittsville Pass |
| | Marching from Middletown to seize Maryland Heights, McLaws’ and Anderson’s Confederate Divisions crossed South Mountain by this road September 11, 1862. On September 14th Manley’s N.C. Battery and elements of Semmes’ Brigade defended the pass and protected Howell Cobb's right flank. — Map (db m2068) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Brownsville — St. Luke’s Episcopal Church — Brownsville, Maryland — Founded 1837 |
| | During the civil war, St. Luke’s served as headquarters for General Lafayette McLaws, who’s troops from the Army of Northern Virginia were bivouacked around Brownsville, September 11, 1862. It served as a hospital for his wounded following the Battle of Antietam. Union forces later burned the interior of the church, leaving it a shell until its reconstruction in 1869. — Map (db m2072) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Cearfoss — Crossing the Mason and Dixon — Pennsylvania, at Last! — Gettysburg Campaign |
| | Four thousands of Confederates in Gen. Robert E. Lee's invasion of the North in 1863, the rate of march exceeded thirty miles a day. Since this part of Maryland is so narrow, splashing across the Potomac River in the morning and crossing the Mason and Dixon Line by afternoon became a daily routine. William Christian shares his thoughts as an "invader" with his wife: "We are paying back these people for some of the damage they have done to us, though we are not doing them half as bad as they . . . — Map (db m11608) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Cearfoss — Gettysburg Campaign — Invasion & Retreat |
| | After stunning victories at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, Virginia, early in May 1863, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee carried the war through Maryland, across the Mason and Dixon Line and into Pennsylvania. His infantry marched north through the Shenandoah Valley and western Maryland as his cavalry, led by Gen. J.E.B. Stuart, harassed Union supply lines to the east. Union Gen. Joseph Hooker, replaced on June 28 by Gen. George G. Meade, led the Army of the Potomac from the Washington . . . — Map (db m11609) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Cearfoss — Mason and Dixon Line — 105th Mile Stone |
| | 500 feet beyond this point, on private property, this stone is located. It bears the coat of arms of Lord Baltimore and William Penn. the 104th mile stone and the 103rd mile stone bear the letters M and P Maryland-Pennsylvania and are located along the Maryland edge of this road. — Map (db m11610) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Clear Spring — “The Bank Road” — The Cumberland Turnpike Road |
| | The portion of this highway from the west end of the Conococheague bridge to Cumberland (40 miles) was built between 1816 and 1821. The banks of Maryland financed it by purchase of the stock. — Map (db m699) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Clear Spring — A Road Nurtures A Vision — The Historic National Road and Clear Spring |
| | “The citizens at all times aim to be surpassed by no other town in the County.” –Martin Lehr, Clear Spring historian, 1890’s.
In 1821, Martin Myers chose a site that straddled a “clear spring” at the foot of Fairview Mountain to lay out a village he called “Myersville.” Fifteen years later the town was called “Clear Spring” and its 700 thriving inhabitants provided services for travelers on the National Road. As many as . . . — Map (db m694) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Clear Spring — Capt. Samuel G. Prather |
| | (North face): In memory of Capt. Samuel G. Prather. Who raised and commanded the 2nd Co. of the Potomac Home Brigade Maryland (Vols.) in Great Rebellion of 1861 against the only Free Government on the earth and died at his post of duty October 15, 1861 in the 29th year of his age.
(South face): To transmit to latest time the memory of this true man and exalted Patriot and to regard the affection for their late Commander: this shaft is erected by the officers and men of Co. F 1st Md. Regt. — Map (db m25140) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Clear Spring — Clear Spring |
| | The spring from which the Town of Clear Spring acquired its name. — Map (db m693) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Clear Spring — Fort Frederick — Maryland State Park |
| | Colonial stone fort built 1756 for Province of Maryland by Gov. Horatio Sharpe to protect frontier against French and Indians after Braddock’s defeat. Detention camp for British prisoners 1776–83. Occupied 1861–2 by Union troops. George Washington was here July 1756 and June 1758. — Map (db m680) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Clear Spring — Fort Mills |
| | ←
One of the four stockade forts erected in 1756 along the North Mount Road as supports for Fort Frederick in preventing the Indians from descending upon the inhabitants living in the Cumberland Valley. — Map (db m5930) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Clear Spring — Gen. J. E. B. Stuart’s Cavalry |
| | Gen. J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry on his raid around the Federal army, Oct. 19, 1862, crossed the National Road here after crossing the Potomac River at McCoy’s Ferry three miles south of this point. — Map (db m682) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Clear Spring — Gettysburg Campaign — Invasion & Retreat |
| | After stunning victories at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, Virginia, early in May 1863, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee carried the war through Maryland, across the Mason and Dixon Line and into Pennsylvania. His infantry marched north through the Shenandoah Valley and western Maryland as his cavalry, led by Gen. J.E.B. Stuart, harassed Union supply lines to the east. Union Gen. Joseph Hooker, replaced on June 28 by Gen. George G. Meade, led the Army of the Potomac from the Washington . . . — Map (db m695) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Clear Spring — Lancelot Jacques |
| | A French Hugenot who in partnership with Thomas Johnson in 1768 built "Clearspring Furnace." He and Johnson dissolved partnership in 1776 when Johnson became first governor of Maryland. Jacques' house built about 1766. — Map (db m3913) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Clear Spring — McCoy's Ferry |
| | On May 23, 1861 Confederates attempting to capture the ferry boat at McCoy's Landing were driven off by the Clear Spring Guard. Here on October 10, 1862, Gen. J.E.B. Stuart crossed the Potomac on his second ride around McClellan's army. — Map (db m3914) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Clear Spring — Protecting Cultural Resources |
| | Floods occur at regular intervals in the Potomac Valley. Between 1829 and 1998 there have been 144 recorded floods or high water occurrences. repairing flood damage was a continuing battle for the C&O Canal Company and is still a problem for the National Park Service. During periods of low water, the remains of the original crib and rubble dam, destroyed by floods can be seen downstream from the present dam built in 1857.
In 1998, the guard lock and flume were filled with soil to halt the . . . — Map (db m25142) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Clear Spring — Stonewall Jackson at Dam 5 |
| | At the outbreak of the Civil War, Maryland became a border between the Confederacy and the Union. The Confederacy knew that the canal and railroad were important Union supply lines. Stonewall Jackson’s Brigade made several attempts to destroy Dam 5 and cripple the canal. On December 7, 1861, Confederate artillery “commenced throwing shells and shot at the dam and houses on the Maryland shore.” Jackson’s troops then tried digging a ditch to undermine the dam; Union troops fended off . . . — Map (db m23561) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Clear Spring — The Federal Signal Station |
| | near this point was captured Oct. 10, 1862 by a detachment of Gen. J. E. B. Stuart's Cavalry. On clear days this station could communicate with stations on South Mountain which relayed messages via Catoctin Mt. to Sugar Loaf Mt. to Washington, D.C. — Map (db m5588) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Clear Springs — Wilson’s Store — Store of Three Wonders |
| | "You wonder if we have it. We wonder where it is. You wonder how we found it!” That is how Janice Keefer remembered her father’s store during the 42 years that Dorsey Martin conducted business here. Originally opened by Rufus Wilson in 1850, the store remained in continuous operation for National Road travelers until it closed in 1975. In 1983, Frances and Lewis Horst rescued the Wilson store and school house, and have restored them to their heyday splendor. (Sidebar): The Last . . . — Map (db m4932) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Conococheague — Gettysburg Campaign — Invasion & Retreat |
| | After stunning victories at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, Virginia, early in May 1863, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee carried the war through Maryland, across the Mason and Dixon Line and into Pennsylvania. His infantry marched north through the Shenandoah Valley and western Maryland as his cavalry, led by Gen. J.E.B. Stuart, harassed Union supply lines to the east. Union Gen. Joseph Hooker, replaced on June 28 by Gen. George G. Meade, led the Army of the Potomac from the Washington . . . — Map (db m5925) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Funkstown — Baltimore Street — Funkstown’s Link to the Chesapeake |
| | When the National Road was completed through Funkstown in 1823, a rush of “stagecoaches and wagon teams, droves of cattle, teamsters and travelers” flooded through the town. Although Baltimore was seventy miles to the east, the Funkstown city founders named their main street “Baltimore,” pointing out their role as a link between the shores of the Chesapeake, the Great Valley of Virgnia and the mountains to the west. Originally named “Jerusalem” by German . . . — Map (db m2007) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Funkstown — Battle of Funkstown — July 10, 1863 |
| | After Gettysburg, in order to mask entrenching operations along the Potomac river by General R. E. Lee, Confederate troops, led by General J.E.B. Stuart, engaged Union forces under General John Buford. The day-long battle east of the road resulted in 479 casualties. The Chaney house served s a hospital and at the Keller home Major H.D. McDaniel, later Governor of Georgia, survived his wounds. — Map (db m388) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Funkstown — Battle of Funkstown — At Bay another Day — Gettysburg Campaign |
| | The Confederate presence at Funkstown threatened any Union advance against Gen. Robert E. Lee’s position near Williamsport and the Potomac River as he retreated to Virginia after the Battle of Gettysburg. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart’s cavalry, posted at Funkstown, posed a serious risk to the Federal right and rear if the Union army lunged west from Boonsboro.
Stuart, meanwhile, determined to wage a spirited defense to ensure Lee time to complete fortifications protecting his army and his avenue of . . . — Map (db m1158) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Funkstown — Building the Funkstown Bridge |
| | “The turnpike bridge at Funkstown is the only one...which seems to belong to a town” —Helen Ashe Hays, The Antietam and its Bridges
This bridge, finished in 1823, is perhaps the oldest one over Antietam Creek. Irish immigrant laborers made up the construction crew. Many worked on the road to pay off the cost of their passage from the old country, what they called “working to pay off the dead horse.” The “great brigade” of Irish . . . — Map (db m2010) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Funkstown — Civil War Hospital Site — Angela Kirkham Davis House |
| | Civil War Hospital Site Angela Kirkham Davis House Was used as a hospital during The Maryland Campaign 1862 Private Property courtesy of S.H.A.F. — Map (db m2008) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Funkstown — Claggett’s Millrace Bridge |
| | Although it vaults only a millrace deflected from Antietam Creek proper, this small but well-designed one-arch bridge is typical of many others that have not survived at mill sites in the county. It is not certain that John Weaver built this 53' bridge, which would not have been considered necessary by the county government. Conjecture is that the Claggetts contracted to have it built in 1841 after the completion of the three-archer nearby. — Map (db m5669) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Funkstown — Claggett's Mill Bridge |
| | This three-arch bridge over Antietam Creek was completed by John Weaver in 1840 for $2,800. It was near the mill operated for generations by the Claggett family. The house, barn, and outbuildings of the Claggett estate, "Valentia," stand nearby. This bridge is 173' long and has spans of 34', 38' and 34'. — Map (db m5031) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Funkstown — Funkstown Bridge No. 2 |
| | This bridge over Antietam Creek at Funkstown was built in 1833 by George Weaver for $1,800. At this site was Shafer’s Mill where flour was ground. The most notable feature of this bridge is the graduated size of its three arches, growing larger from the east to the west as it rises from low ground to high on the western bank. The spans of the bridge are 20', 31' and 35'; and the bridge is 109' in length. — Map (db m2009) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Funkstown — Keller Home |
| | Used to treat Confederate officer H.D. McDaniel 11th GA. Regt. during the battle of Funkstown July 10, 1863, who suffered a severe wound and was brought to this house. He survived to later become governor of Georgia. — Map (db m2006) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Funkstown — M3A1 Light Tank — "Stuart" |
| | Crew: 4 men - commander, loader, gunner, driver
Weight: 28,500 lbs.
Max Speed: 36 mph
Cruising Range: 70 miles (road) 135 miles (with drop tanks)
Weapons System: M6 37mm main gun M1919A4 .30 caliber flexible on turret M1919A4 .30 caliber coaxial with main gun M1919A4 .30 caliber bow mounted Engine: Continental W-670-9A - 7 cylinder - 4 cycle - 250 hp These were used by light tank companies and mechanized cavalry squadrons. Some of these tanks are still in use by armies in South . . . — Map (db m25453) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Funkstown — Rose's Mill Bridge |
| | This handsome three-arch bridge over Antietam Creek was constructed by John Weaver in 1839 and was specially adapted to the grain mill which was built at the same time. The westernmost of the three arches was designed to accommodate the millrace flue, and the floor of the bridge at its southwest corner was widened to permit loading and unloading of wagons directly under the second floor level mill door. The arch spans are 23', 26' and 23', with a total bridge length of 132'. — Map (db m4930) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Funkstown — This Plot is Dedicated to Public Use |
| | By the citizens of the Funkstown District in grateful appreciation of the services of those of her citizens who were engaged with the military, navy and marine forces of the United States in the World War.
1914-1918
E. Blanche Hoffmaster, Army Nurse Mark C. Artz • Hugh Artz • Bernard R. Ball • Jacob L. Bower • J. Chester Brewer • Leon L. Carr • Walter S. Davis Guy L. Doub • Clarence G. Emmert • C. Lester Emmert • Robert Flynn • Paul E. Gigous • Samuel D. Green • Obed I. Hammond • Shull M. . . . — Map (db m6539) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Gapland — “Crampton Gap” |
| | An important part of the Battle of South Mountain was fought here September 14-15, 1862, when the Federal forces pressed the Confederate troops back into Pleasant Valley and on to Sharpsburg — Map (db m3901) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Gapland — Confederate Retreat |
| | Driven from Crampton’s Gap on Sept. 14, 1862, by Gen. Franklin’s Sixth Corps, elements of McLaws’ Confederates formed across Pleasant Valley to bar Union advance on Maryland Heights and Harper’s Ferry. Later these Confederates joined Lee about Sharpsburg. — Map (db m2065) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Hagerstown — A City Divided |
| | The Hagerstown Mail offices were located on the second floor of this building during the Civil War. Due to the newspaper's pro-Southern columns, the Mail's editor and co-owner, Daniel Dechert, was arrested in 1862 and sent to Old Capitol Prison in Washington DC, and held until he took the "Oath of Allegiance". Following the defeat of Federal Maryland troops by Maryland Confederates in the Battle of Front Royal, Virginia, Dechert's newspaper was sacked and burned by a Unionist mob. John . . . — Map (db m20792) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Hagerstown — A City Divided |
| | The Lyceum, a public debating hall constructed circa 1848, stood on this site during the Civil War. Heated debates took place here prior to the Civil War on the state of the Union. Following the Battles of Antietam and Gettysburg, the Lyceum was used as a hospital for wounded troops of both armies. — Map (db m20847) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Hagerstown — Antietam Battlefield |
| | 12 miles to Antietam National Battlefield Site, where on Sept. 17, 1862, about 41,000 Confederates under the command of General Robert E. Lee were pitted against 87,000 Federals under General George B. McClellan. — Map (db m1965) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Hagerstown — Bench Mark "A" |
| | "In October 1877, Bench Mark "A" was cut on the water table of the recently rebuilt courthouse in Hagerstown, Maryland", reads the report of the coast and geodetic survey to President McKinley. This was the beginning point of a transcontinental level line which by way of Williamsport and then along the C&O Canal reached Hancock in one month but it was not until 1904 that the line extended from the Atlantic to Pacific Oceans.
Bench Mark "A" is not just of historical interest, . . . — Map (db m6529) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Hagerstown — Christian Newcomer Home |
| | Christian Newcomer, 1749-1830, was one of the founders of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, the first American-born denomination. He moved to Washington County in 1775 and in his journal described crossing the Allegany Mountains ... [remainder of text is illegible] — Map (db m6789) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Hagerstown — Corporal William Othello Wilson |
| | United States Army Medal of Honor Recipient and Buffalo Soldier
William Othello Wilson, a native of Hagerstown, Maryland, enlisted in the U.S. Army on August 21, 1889, at age 22 in St. Paul, Minnesota.
He was subsequently assigned to the 9th Cavalry, I Troop in the western frontier during the Indian Wars. Soldiers in the 9th and 10th Cavalry regiments were among the first black soldiers in the history of the United States Army.
Cheyenne warriors who later fought these . . . — Map (db m5755) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Hagerstown — Crossroads of History — Route 40 & 11 Cross At This Point |
| | In the court house that stood on this site Confederate Gen. John McCausland was given $20,000 in cash and all of the suits, hats, shoes, boots, shirts and socks that could be found as ransom upon his threat to burn Hagerstown in July of 1864.
Over the old National Trail in front of this court house passed thousands of settlers on the way west by wagon, horse and foot in the first half of the 19th century before the building of railroads across the mountains.
The street to the west was . . . — Map (db m1934) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Hagerstown — First Battle of Hagerstown — Vicious Fighting in the Streets — Gettysburg Campaign |
| | Combat raged here in the town square and in adjoining city blocks for six hours on Monday, July 6, 1863. Holding Hagerstown was crucial to Gen. Robert E. Lee's retreat to Virginia after the Battle of Gettysburg. If the Confederates lost this crossroads town, Lee's access to the Potomac River would be seriously hampered. The Federals recognized Hagertown's importance, and just before noon Gen. H. Judson Kilpatrick's cavalry division galloped north on Potomac Street. It charged into three . . . — Map (db m6533) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Hagerstown — For God and Country |
| | In loving memory of those who gave their lives in the World Wars 1917-1918 [list of names] 1941-1945 [list of names] In loving memory of those who gave their lives in the Korean Conflict 1950-1953 [list of names] Rededicated by Morris Frock Post No. 42, November 11, 1959 In loving memory of those who gave their lives in the Vietnam Conflict [list of names] Dedicated May 30, 1974 — Map (db m6528) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Hagerstown — Gen. Robert E. Lee |
| | Gen. Robert E. Lee with Longstreet’s Corps entered Hagerstown Sept. 11, 1862 to make it a base for operations in Pennsylvania. On Sept. 14, 1862 this force hastened to the battle of South Mountain and then to the battlefield of Antietam. — Map (db m1156) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Hagerstown — Gettysburg Campaign — Invasion & Retreat |
| | After stunning victories at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, Virginia, early in May 1863, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee carried the war through Maryland, across the Mason and Dixon Line and into Pennsylvania. His infantry marched north through the Shenandoah Valley and western Maryland as his cavalry, led by Gen. J.E.B. Stuart, harassed Union supply lines to the east. Union Gen. Joseph Hooker, replaced on June 28 by Gen. George G. Meade, led the Army of the Potomac from the Washington . . . — Map (db m6531) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Hagerstown — Great Indian Warrior/Trading Path |
| | The most heavily traveled road in Colonial America passed through here, linking areas from the Great Lakes to Augusta, GA. Laid on ancient animal and Native American Trading/Warrior Paths. Indian treaties among the Governors of NY, PA, & VA and the 19 chiefs of Iroquois League of Five Nations in 1685 and 1722, opened the Colonial Backcountry for peaceful settlement and colonization. In MD, known as the Great Philadelphia Wagon Road, passed by Hagerstown and crossed the Potomac at Evan Watkins Ferry. — Map (db m797) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Hagerstown — Hager House and Museum |
| | When German immigrant and founder of Hagerstown,
Jonathan Hager, arrived in this country in 1736, western
Maryland area was frontier. Maryland’s colonial governor
was offering cheap land to those willing to settle here. In 1739, Hager obtained 200 acres which he called “Hager‘s Fancy” and
began building this home. He presented his new bride, German
neighbor Elizabeth Kershner, with their new home in 1740.
Hager House’s 22" stone walls offered protection from attack
and . . . — Map (db m1160) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Hagerstown — Hager’s Fancy — (Circa 1740) |
| | Third dwelling was built by Jonathan Hager, founder of Hagerstown Maryland, 1762; Captain of Scouts, French and Indian War, 1755–1763; member of the Non-Importation Association and of the Committees of Safety and of Observation, 1775; member of the General Assembly, Annapolis, 1771–1775. — Map (db m1159) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Hagerstown — Hagerstown — Bringing Farm Products to Maryland's Great Valley |
| | Following Jonathan Hager’s arrival in 1739, German and Scots-Irish immigrants settled in Maryland’s Great Valley, developing prosperous farms. By the mid 1790’s,
agriculture was booming and the region needed a way to get its products to market. Community leaders proposed construction of a good road from Hagerstown to Baltimore.
Almost thirty years later, a new “National Road” reached Hagerstown. The town expanded as a freight center and stagecoach destination. An endless stream . . . — Map (db m6532) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Hagerstown — Hagerstown Ransomed |
| | On July 6th, 1864, Confederate Cavalry General John McCausland and his 1,500 troops demanded a ransom of $20,000 from Hagerstown, or the town would be burned. Three local banks gave up the money, underwritten by the town council. After the war, a tax repaid the banks. — Map (db m6530) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Hagerstown — In Memory Of — 1898-1902 |
| | In memory of the the men from Washington County Maryland who served in the Armed Forces of the United States of America during the war with Spain, the China Relief Expedition and the Philippine Insurrection. — Map (db m8139) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Hagerstown — John Brown |
| | The Washington House Hotel was a major stop on the National Pike and served as a hospital at times throughout the Civil War. Prior to organizing his raid on the Federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, John Brown registered under the assumed name of "I. Smith" at the Washington House on June 30, 1859. With him were his sons Owen and Oliver, and Jeremiah G. Anderson, all of whom were principal leaders of the raid. Anderson and Oliver Brown died in the raid. The Washington House Hotel burned in 1879. — Map (db m20846) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Hagerstown — John D. Zentmyer |
| | Principal Hagerstown High School 1926-1946 Educator of youth for thirty-eight years. Leader in character building & academic excellence. Thousands, young & old, benefited by his example & guidance. Memorial erected by students & friends of Hagerstown High School. Dedicated May 1, 2000 Born 1885 - Died 1974 — Map (db m6526) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Hagerstown — Jonathan Hager — 1714 1775 |
| | Founder of Hagerstown. Co-founder of this church. Buried west of main building. — Map (db m8138) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Hagerstown — Jonathan Hager House — Circa 1740 |
| | October 16, 1739, Jonathan Hager took up “Hager’s Fancy” 200 acres in the valley of Antietam Creek. A year later he married Elizabeth Kershner for whom Elizabeth-Town (Hagerstown) was named and established his home here. In 1944 it was aquired by the Washington County Historical Society. — Map (db m1157) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Hagerstown — Mason and Dixon Line — 100th Mile Stone |
| | Maryland-Pennsylvania boundary line. Surveyed and marked 1763-68 by two English astronomers, Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon. This is one of the "Crown" stones, set every five miles displaying the coat of arms of Lord Baltimore on south and Penns on north sides. Intermediate miles marked by stones with M facing Maryland and P Pennsylvania. Stones imported from England. — Map (db m6107) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Hagerstown — Military Occupation |
| | The Independent Junior Fire Company was formed in 1842. Their firehouse was constructed in 1852 and altered in 1881. During the Civil War, the Juniors' firehouse was used by the U.S. Army for various purposes and served as a field hospital to treat the wounded. The Juniors remained at this location until November 21, 1993 when the Company was moved to its new home on Eastern Boulevard. — Map (db m20768) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Hagerstown — Mount Prospect — Nathanial Rochester House |
| | This is the original site of "Mount Prospect," also known as "The Rochester House." Nathanial Rochester built the house in 1789 on ground which once belonged to Jonathan Hager, the founder of Hagerstown. The home was used as a "way station" during the Civil War for battlefield casualties from both the North and South. One of the wounded soldiers treated there was Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., who fought at the Battle of Antietam. He later became a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United . . . — Map (db m20852) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Hagerstown — Old Forge Bridge |
| | This three-arch bridge was erected at a cost $2,800 by W. H. Eirely in 1863 over a ford in Antietam Creek. The east arch of this bridge spans a path once used for cattle. A forge, part of a large ironworks operation owned by the Hughes brothers, was in operation on the north side of the bridge during the late 18th century; and the two stone buildings on the south cliff date from this era. Daniel Hughes house to the north is dated 1763. Later grist and sawmills operated at this site. — Map (db m6521) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Hagerstown — Old Forge Farm |
| | The main block of this house was built in 1762 by Ceorge French. In 1764, it was purchaed by the Hughes family and was Daniel Hughes' home until his death in 1818. He added the wing to the east. Hughes and his borther Samuel were iron manufacturers and owned a number of iron furnaces and forges in the area. Antietam Forge, later called old forge, produced nails and was located on Antietam Creek below the house. Daniel Hughes was an ardent patriot, a colonel in the Revolution, and one of the . . . — Map (db m6535) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Hagerstown — One of Lee’s Ammunition Trains |
| | One of Lee’s ammunition trains was captured here Sept. 15, 1862 by 1200 Federal cavalry under Col. B. F. Davis, escaping from Gen. T. J. “Stonewall” Jackson’s capture of Harpers Ferry. This loss was felt by the Confederate army at the Battle of Antietam. — Map (db m386) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Hagerstown — Ransom of Hagerstown |
| | The existing City Hall was constructed in 1939, replacing the 1818 City Hall on this location. Town Treasurer and City Councilman Matthew Barber negotiated with Confederate General John McCausland regarding the ransom of Hagerstown in 1864. Retreat From Gettysburg On July 6, 1863, Captain Ulrich Dahlgren was wounded in his right leg at this location while leading a detachment of dismounted troopers from the 18th Pennsylvania Cavalry, as they advanced up North Potomac Street. The leg was . . . — Map (db m20767) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Hagerstown — Ransom of Hagerstown |
| | This courthouse was built in 1873, replacing the courthouse that stood at this site during the Civil War. In 1864, Confederate General John McCausland met with town officials and the directors of the Hagerstown Bank in the court clerk's office to finalize payment of a $20,000 ransom levied in retaliation for Union destruction in the Shenandoah Valley. The former courthouse, constructed in 1785, was used as a hospital in the weeks after the Battle of Antietam in 1862. Colonel Henry Kyd . . . — Map (db m20848) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Hagerstown — Retreat from Gettysburg |
| | Zion Reformed Church was a stronghold for the Confederates on their retreat from Gettysburg on July 6, 1863. General Robert E. Lee passed through Hagerstown during the Confederate occupation following the Battle of Gettysburg. General George Armstrong Custer observed Confederate movements from the church's bell tower on July 12th, after his Michigan cavalry brigade forced the occupying Confederates to the western edge of town. A Confederate sniper fired at Custer in the bell tower, but missed him and hit one of the tower's bells. — Map (db m20769) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Hagerstown — Retreat from Gettysburg |
| | St. John's Lutheran Church was erected in 1795. During the Civil War on July 6, 1863, cavalry of both armies clashed in the streets of Hagerstown from noon until dark. Observers recorded that the streets were full of dead and wounded soldiers and dead horses and the buildings were pock-marked with bullet holes. Confederate troops occupied the town until July 12, when driven out by Union forces including General George Armstrong Custer's Michigan cavalry brigade, which forced the Confederates . . . — Map (db m20855) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Hagerstown — Rose Hill |
| | Part of an original grant of 10,000 acres known as Conococheague Manor, the mansion house was built early in the 1800's and tradition attributes its design to Benjamin H. Latrobe. It is noted for its Adam woodwork and for its great hall with a hanging staircase. — Map (db m7997) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Hagerstown — Second Battle of Hagerstown — Custer Captures the Town — Gettysburg Campaign |
| | Six days had passed since the Federals had failed in their first attempt to seize Hagerstown as they pursued Gen. Robert E. Lee's Confederate army retreating to Virginia after the Battle of Gettysburg. On Sunday morning, July 12, 1863, a decisive event occurred - the Union army determined to secure its northern flank. The mission to capture Hagerstown was assigned to Gen. George Armstrong Custer and his Michigan cavalry brigade.
Custer's Wolverines rode into town from the east, scattering . . . — Map (db m6534) |
| Maryland (Washington County), Hagerstown — St. John's Church |
| | Construction was begun in August of 1872 with the cornerstone being laid on September 4, 1872. Opening services were held on October 11, 1875. Cruciform in shape and Gothic in style, the structure is made of native blue hammered limestone complimented by red sandstone trim. The stone spire added in 1881 is highly unusual in that it is made completely of stone, reportedly one of only five such spires in the country. The interior of the church is highlighted by an exquisite oak reredos, carved by . . . — Map (db m20861) |
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