Near Sharpsburg in Washington County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Ferry Hill Place
(Built in 1812)
Photographed By Craig Swain, June 9, 2007
1. Ferry Hill Place Marker
The boyhood home of Colonel Henry Kyd Douglas, a member of Stonewall Jackson’s staff. Sept. 18, 1862, Federal troops occupied these premises and confined the Douglas family. June 18, 1863, Headquarters of Confederate Maj. Gen. Edward Johnson, en route to Pennsylvania.
Erected by Maryland Civil War Centennial Commission.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. A significant historical date for this entry is September 18, 1862.
Location. 39° 26.3′ N, 77° 47.7′ W. Marker is near Sharpsburg, Maryland, in Washington County. Marker is on Shepherdstown Pike (State Highway 34) east of Canal Road, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Sharpsburg MD 21782, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 10 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The James Rumsey Bridge / The Battle of Antietam or Sharpsburg (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Blackford’s Ford (about 500 feet away); Swearingen’s Ferry and Pack Horse Ford (about 500 feet away); a different marker also named Ferry Hill Place (approx. 0.2 miles away); Ferry Hill
this page online
Also see . . .
1. Henry Kyd Douglas Collection. NPS Antietam National battlefield website entry:
Henry Kyd Douglas was on Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson's staff in the Maryland Campaign. He was a great asset to the Confederate leadership at Antietam because he grew up about four miles from the battlefield. (Submitted on October 27, 2015, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.)
2. C&O Canal Ferry Hill. National Park Service website entry:
Ferry Hill sitting above the crossroads of the Potomac River, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, and the "great road" has been and continues to be a place of change and adaptation. In 1775 Van Swearingen had constructed a "Ferry Inn" at the ferry landing on the Maryland side of the river. The community that grew as a result of the ferry became known as Bridgeport.
Photographed By Brian Scott, September 19, 2015
2. Ferry Hill Place Marker
At its New Location
At its New Location
Photographed By Craig Swain, June 9, 2007
3. Markers Clustered at the Intersection of Shepherdstown Pike and Canal Road
Photographed By Brian Scott, September 19, 2015
4. Ferry Hill Place Marker
At its New Location
Looking West Along Shepherdstown Pike
At its New Location
Looking West Along Shepherdstown Pike
Photographed By Brian Scott
5. Col. Henry Kyd Douglas (d. 1903)
Immediately after the war he was held as a witness at the trial of the Lincoln conspirators, having known some of them. He practiced law at Hagerstown, corresponded and wrote for the press about the Civil War, and was active in veterans' affairs. He wrote his memoirs, I Rode With Stonewall (first published 1940). He led an initiative for the re-burial of Confederates from the Antietam Battlefield to Hagerstown in 1877. He later ran for office in the Maryland Senate and U.S. Congress, but was unsuccessful.
Photographed By Craig Swain, July 28, 2007
6. Ferry Hill Place
Overlooking the present day Rumsey Bridge, and the sites of Packhorse / Blackford’s / Boteler’s / Shepherdstown ford, Ferry Hill Place offers a commanding view of the Potomac River valley. With close proximity to Shepherdstown, it is easy to imagine Col. Douglas slipping across the river to visit family in secret, as he indicated in post war writings.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 24, 2022. It was originally submitted on July 27, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 2,042 times since then and 70 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on July 27, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 2. submitted on October 27, 2015, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. 3. submitted on July 27, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 4, 5. submitted on October 27, 2015, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. 6. submitted on July 28, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. • J. J. Prats was the editor who published this page.
