Hagerstown in Washington County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Hager Mill

Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, August 9, 2017

1. Hager Mill Marker

Inscription. Hager Mill was constructed in 1790 by Daniel Stull and Colonel Nathaniel Rochester and the nearby miller's house has a date stone inscribed 1791. Prior to the Civil War, it was owned by the Hager Family. During the war, Andrew Hager operated this mill and a store on Public Square. Hager was a slave owner loyal to the Union. In 1864, his mill was raided by Confederate soldiers who provided receipts for all supplies taken, which he entered into his ledger “to be paid when the devil dies” knowing full well he would never receive payment from the Confederate government.

The City purchased the mill in 1917 and unsuccessfully attempted to run it. The mill was sold to John A. Forsythe in 1928, but 5 acres were retained by the City for a public park.

Fascinating Fact

After the Battle of Hagerstown on July 6, 1861, exhausted troopers from Company D, 11th Virginia Cavalry approached a mill on the southeast edge of Hagerstown (believed to be this mill). They found a teenage girl in the doorway wearing an apron in the configuration of a Confederate flag. The girl and her apron were robustly cheered by the men,

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looking for any sign of hospitality after their campaign in Pennsylvania. Captain Edward McDonald asked the teenager for a piece of the apron, to which she responded that he could have all of it. She presented the apron to the Captain and Private Henry. Madison Watkins moved forward and asked to carry it as a flag. The captain agreed and the apron was tied to a staff Private Watkins carried it for the rest of the day until he wounded by artillery fire near Jones Crossroads, south of the city. Found on the field, he had hidden the apron in his uniform to prevent its capture: Watkins was taken back to Hagerstown where his leg was amputated, but he soon died and was buried in the almshouse graveyard. The “young color bearer” likely lies in an unknown grave in Washington Confederate Cemetery. In the post-war years, Captain McDonald displayed “the apron flag” at Confederate veterans' bazaars, and a popular poem about it gained some notoriety. Around that time, Col. Henry Kyd Douglas, a local Confederate Veteran, attempted to track down the young girl who donated the apron, but her identity was never discovered.

Topics.

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, August 9, 2017

2. Hager Mill Marker

This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • War, US Civil.

Location. 39° 38.002′ N, 77° 42.957′ W. Marker is in Hagerstown, Maryland, in Washington County. It is on Mill Street east of Frederick Street (Alternate U.S. 40), on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 288 Mill Street, Hagerstown MD 21740, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Baltimore Metro Region

and in Western Maryland.

It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Hagerstown Female Seminary (approx. ¼ mile away); Memorial Boulevard (approx. 0.3 miles away); St Johns Episcopal Churchyard. (approx. 0.3 miles away); St. John's Cemetery (approx. 0.3 miles away); Willow

Library of Congress

3. Hager Mill

Hager Mill, showing the mill race and water wheel (since removed and replaced with a garage addition).

Lane Park (approx. 0.4 miles away); Rose Hill Cemetery (approx. 0.4 miles away); a different marker also named Rose Hill Cemetery (approx. 0.4 miles away); Jonathan Hager (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hagerstown.

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, August 9, 2017

4. Hagers Mill

Hagers Mill, as it appeared in Harpers Weekly newspaper on October 18, 1862 with Confederate wagons poised in front of it, waiting to receive commandeered supplies.Close-up of photo, courtesy of Tim Snyder, on marker

The Apron Flag image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, August 9, 2017

5. The Apron Flag

What is believed to be a replica of “the apron flag” is displayed in the Davis History House Museum in Romney, West Virginia.Close-up of Maryland Cracker Barrel Magazine photo on marker

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, August 9, 2017

6. Hager Mill

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, August 9, 2017

7. Tie-Rod End

Hager's Mill

The Miller's House image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, August 9, 2017

8. The Miller's House

<br><br>S<br>D & M<br>1791 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, August 9, 2017

9.

S
D & M
1791

Credits. This page was last revised on August 17, 2017. It was originally submitted on August 10, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,532 times since then and 55 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on August 10, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 7, 8, 9. submitted on August 14, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.