Author Archive

St. Patrick’s Day in Funkstown – or The Battle of Funkstown 1823

Posted on: Thursday, March 17th, 2016 @ 2:16 pm

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, an excerpt from Rebel of ’61. In his 1899 book Rebel of ’61, the author, Joseph R. Stonebraker, told of a riot on St. Patrick’s Day 1823 in the quiet little town of Funkstown. Stonebraker had heard that Thomas Kennedy wrote a humorous poem about the event, but regretted that he could not locate a …

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Save the Saylor!

Posted on: Monday, March 7th, 2016 @ 4:42 pm

  Near the Antietam Creek just east of the newly developed Hagerstown Light Business Park, in the new Kiwanis Park, a circa 1800 stone house stands off the beaten-path, unused, and untended for half a century. (Click here for Google Map of the Site) Inaccurately called the Loose House, this dwelling should be correctly referred …

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Summer Picnic Meeting 2015

Posted on: Sunday, August 16th, 2015 @ 3:31 pm

  2015 Meeting of the Washington County Historical Trust   Sunday, August 23rd at 4 pm Old Forge Farm, Hagerstown, MD Who can attend this meeting? Any member of the WCHT, and those with a passion for preservation    OLD FORGE FARM  20702 Old Forge Road, Hagerstown, MD 21742, United States   Summer food is the fare …

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Stone Walls, Preservation, and the Washington County Comprehensive Plan

Posted on: Sunday, August 16th, 2015 @ 10:21 am

The battle to bring awareness to historic preservation in Washington County has always been an uphill struggle. To that end,  occasionally we must “see and been seen” before our elected political representatives.     The Washington County Planning Department has begun the next cycle of updating the Comprehensive Plan. This is our opportunity to inform our elected …

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A Effort to Save History; BKG still endangered. Update Summer 2015.

Posted on: Monday, July 13th, 2015 @ 9:29 am

Why can’t history and progress cohabitate peacefully? The Brumbaugh-Kendle-Grove (BKG) Farmstead sits across the road from Hagerstown Airport on land acquired to expand the runway in 1999.  The farm was purchased by the Washington County Commissioners with grants from the FAA. As such, it is required to be used only for aviation purposes. The Federal …

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Not Your Average Dating Service

Posted on: Sunday, May 31st, 2015 @ 3:07 pm

QUIZ: What do Mount Vernon and the Tower of London have in common with the following Washington County historic homes?? Keedy House, Boonsboro, MD Middlekauff-Poffenberger Farm, Sharpsburg, MD Mary Locher’s cabin, Antietam National Battlefield, Sharpsburg, MD Joseph Poffenberger Barn, Sharpsburg, MD Roulette House, Sharpsburg, MD Roulette Barn, Antietam National Battlefield, Sharpsburg, MD   ANSWER:  Dendrochronology  …

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Opera Night at Old Forge Farm

Posted on: Wednesday, May 6th, 2015 @ 8:35 am

You Are Invited! A Historic Benefit for a Historic Cause   An event to raise funds for the establishment of a Western Maryland Preservation Field Office. We offer you an opportunity to contribute to local preservation by attending:      OPERA NIGHT GALA at OLD FORGE FARM WINING, DINING & DANCING Friday, May 29, 2015 beginning at 6pm  $100  DONATION (TAX-DEDUCTIBLE) PAYABLE TO: WCHT ATTIRE – …

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Happy May Day!!!

Posted on: Friday, May 1st, 2015 @ 9:42 am

May is Packed with History Events   Nothing is more handsome than a fine early home in the spring, and there are plenty of great events in Washington County and other nearby Maryland destinations to satisfy our spring cravings to visit old homes and historic sites.     MARK YOUR MAY CALENDAR FOR THESE EXCITING …

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WCHT & Washington County Gives 2015

Posted on: Wednesday, April 29th, 2015 @ 10:15 am

JOIN THE TRUST ON May 5th, 2015 FOR. . . . WASHINGTON COUNTY GIVES 2015       On Tuesday, May 5th, 2015 the Trust is joining more than 60 nonprofits in a 24 hour online giving promotion called Washington County Gives   If you support HISTORIC PRESERVATION in Washington County, then help us during Washington County Gives 2015 Last year’s event brought …

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141 – Rockland Farm, 1773. Hagerstown, MD

Posted on: Saturday, April 25th, 2015 @ 3:31 pm

  Fiddlersburg is a small community on the eastern fringes of Hagerstown. The main street, Antietam Drive, has been supplanted by Eastern Boulevard and the railroad crossing closed so that it comes to an abrupt dead end. The neighborhood is quiet. Small houses are tucked along both sides of the street with wide gaps for …

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