Boonsboro Trolley Museum

Days Open: By Appointment

African American Heritage site, dedicated to preserving the history of the first black church and Freedmen’s Bureau school, in Sharpsburg, MD. A wayside marker is located on the property for more information.

Days Open: Year Round
Hours: 9 AM – Sunset

In Washington County, four miles east of Boonsboro and 1 1/2 miles north of Alternate Route 40 on Monument Road, Washington Monument State Park is named for the first monument in the country erected to the Father of our Country, George Washington. A rugged stone tower was dedicated to the first president by the citizens of Boonsboro in 1827. Picnicing, hiking, historic interests, picnic shelters available with reservation.

The “Bloodiest Single-day of Battle” of the Civil War took place at Antietam, near Sharpsburg. Park living history programs at Antietam National Battlefield provide a glimpse into the lives of Civil War soldiers. Learn about Civil War medicine at the Pry House Museum. Annual events include an Independence Day concert and December’s Antietam Memorial Illumination, with 23,110 lights placed along a five-mile driving route.

As the autumn of 1862 approached, President Abraham Lincoln felt he needed a decisive Union victory to ensure that there would be support for a yet-to-be-announced proclamation freeing the slaves. It’s still debatable just how decisive the slaughter at Antietam – remembered as “The Bloodiest Single Day of the Civil War” – truly was. By sheer numbers, the Sept. 17 battle ended in a draw, with 10,7000 Confederates and 12,4000 Union soldiers killed, wounded or missing in action. However, General George McClellan’s Union army thwarted the Rebel advance north, and a few days after the cannons fell silent, Lincoln visited the battlefield.

This byway roughly follows the chronology of events beginning Sept. 4, as General Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia crossed the Potomac River into Maryland, and ending two weeks later as Lee’s forces limped back into West Virginia. The byway brings you face to face with both familiar and lesser-known Civil War stories, while also placing you among breathtaking scenery and convenient recreational opportunities.

126 miles – Allow 4 hours to drive the byway.

Days Open: Saturday & Sundays (other days by Appointment)
Hours: 1:00pm-4:00pm

Depicting the heritage of local farming life, this museum displays antique farm equipment, an authentic turn-of-the-century country store, and model rooms of a typical 19th century farmhouse and a gift shop. Located off Route 65, first building at the Washington County Agricultural Education Center. Any size groups are welcome.

Days Open: Tours by appointment

Kennedy Farm, Maryland a national historic landmark, used during the summer of 1859 by John Brown and his Provisional Army of the United States. From this house in 1859, John Brown, the storied abolitionist, seized the Federal Armory at Harpers Ferry, just across the Potomac River. Recently restored, this log house is on the National Registry. Open summer weekends.

Days Open: 7 days a week
Hours: 8:30 AM – Dusk

At Sharpsburg, the site of the bloodiest single day battle in American history. Casualties totaled more than 23,000 on September 17, 1862. Clara Barton cared for wounded soldiers here. Visit Dunker Church, Bloody Lane, Burnside Bridge and the Visitor’s Center. Open year round. Admission to Visitors Center. Driving tours.

Days Open: Daily
Hours: 8am to Dusk

Begin your visit of South Mountain Battlefield at the Washington Monument State Park Office and Museum at 6620 Zittlestown Road in Boonsboro; or Gathland State Park in Burkittsville, MD.

July 13 – 20, 2019
Sharpsburg Pike, MD

Days Open: April-November
Hours: 11am-5pm April, May, Oct, Nov; weekends only. June-Sept: daily.

The historic Newcomer House at Antietam National Battlefield is the site of the Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area Exhibit and Visitor Center

Days Open: Daily
Hours: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Park Grounds are open daylight hours.

The Bloodiest One Day Battle in American History where 23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing after twelve hours of savage combat on September 17, 1862. The Battle of Antietam ended the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia’s first invasion into the North and led to Abraham Lincoln’s issuance of the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. Antietam National Battlefield is one of the most pristine Civil War battlefields in the country.

The mission of the foundation is to preserve land(s) on which the battle was fought. Nearly 7,000 Union cavalry and light artillery attached Gen. Robert E. Lee’s rear guard of almost 3,000 infantrymen near Williamsport, MD, on the morning and early afternoon of July 14, 1863. Much of the battle was fought approximately two miles from the Falling Waters crossing over the Potomac River. Only 11 days after “Picket’s Charge” in Gettysburg, it is considered the final battle of the Gettysburg Campaign. It is sometimes confused with the unrelated Battle of Falling Waters (Hoke’s Run) in West Virginia two years earlier.

Days Open: 7 days
Hours: Tue.-Fri. 10am-4pm, Sun. 7am – 1pm

Founded in 1849, St. Mark’s has served the community as a place of worship, education and service.

Days Open: Park open year-round and museum open April-October on weekends
Hours: Museum open April-October on weekends from Noon-5 PM

Astride the ridge known as South Mountain, near Burkittsville at Crampton’s Gap, lies Gathland State Park. The home of an unusual man, Gathland was an architecturally unique estate made up of as many as 20 structures, many of them built of rugged stone, individual in purpose and design. A number of buildings still stand, and the remains of others may be seen by visitors to the park. The park’s museum includes exhibits on Townsend’s personal life, Gathland’s past and tells the story of the Battle of Crampton’s Gap. A self-guided walking tour of the estate is available by contacting the park.