Near Sharpsburg in Washington County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Antietam Station
Railroad to Reunion
| | Antietam Campaign 1862 | |
Photographed by Craig Swain, July 28, 2007
1. Antietam Station Marker
After the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862, soldiers families traveled by rail to Hagerstown or Frederick, and then by horse and buggy to the site to recover the bodies of loved ones or to search for survivors. Thus began a constant stream of battlefield visitors that still continues. A regular Decoration Day commemoration (a forerunner of Memorial Day) began in May 1868 with a parade through Sharpsburg and the decoration of soldiers graves.
In 1883, the Shenandoah Valley Railway reached Sharpsburg, where the small frame Sharpsburg Station welcomed visitors to town. Every Memorial Day thousands of veterans and families passed through the station to attend parades and reunions. Soon, slate curbing and wide walkways flanked the road from the station to the cemetery. Norway maples, some of which still survive, were planted beside the road to shade veterans and their families.
Fire destroyed Sharpsburg Station in 1910, and the next year the Norfolk & Western Railway completed the present freight and passenger station in time for the 50th anniversary of the battle. Veterans also returned for the 75th anniversary in 1937; President Franklin D. Roosevelt attended the huge reenactment.
The station, renamed Antietam after two trains collided when engineers confused the words Sharpsburg and Shepherdstown,
this page online
Erected by Maryland Civil War Trails.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Railroads & Streetcars • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #32 Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the Maryland Civil War Trails series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is May 1868.
Location. This marker has been replaced by another marker nearby. It was located near 39° 27.09′ N, 77° 46.138′ W. Marker was near Sharpsburg, Maryland, in Washington County. It was on Shepherdstown Pike (Maryland Route 34), on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker was in this post office area: Sharpsburg MD 21782, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker was in the Baltimore Metro Region and in Western Maryland. It was also in the American Mid-Atlantic, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it was in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it found itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this location, measured as the crow flies: A different marker also named Antietam Station (a few steps from this marker); Battle of Antietam (within shouting distance of this marker); The Civil War Veterans Walkway To Glory At Antietam (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); a different marker also named Grove Farm
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), October 11, 2020
2. Antietam Station Marker
Unfortunately, the marker appears to have suffered weather damage.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Grove Farm (was approx. 0.2 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
More about this marker. The marker features a drawing of the station by Annie Lemarie and a picture of the station as it looked while in operation. The caption for the latter is, The Federal governments Antietam Battlefield Commission erected this monument in 1898. The monument is composed of eight original Parrott cannon (none of which were at the battle), set breach down on a granite block, with a pyramid of cannon balls perched atop the muzzles. The monument was disassembled in the mid-1930s, but the granite foundation remains today.
Additional keywords. Antietam Campaign 1862, N&W Railroad
Photographed by Craig Swain, July 28, 2007
3. Marker in Front of the Restored Station
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, October 19, 2019
4. Antietam Station Marker
at 17230 Shepherdstown Pike.
Photographed by Brian Scott, September 19, 2015
5. Antietam Station and Marker
Photographed by Craig Swain, July 28, 2007
6. Location of the Granite Marker
Inscription, "Battle of Antietam Fought Near Here Sept. 17, 1862." The cannon were removed and placed inside the National Battlefield Park to the north, most going to the cemetery.
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, April 11, 2011
7. Closeup of Granite Marker
Photographed by Allen C. Browne, October 19, 2019
8. Antietam
Credits. This page was last revised on April 1, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 3, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 3,805 times since then and 61 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on August 3, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 2. submitted on October 12, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3. submitted on August 3, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 4. submitted on October 24, 2019, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 5. submitted on October 27, 2015, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. 6. submitted on August 3, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 7. submitted on April 14, 2011, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 8. submitted on October 26, 2019, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • J. J. Prats was the editor who published this page.
