HomeMy WebLinkAboutHAC_Bylaws_Report_1967APPENDIX
1On November 21, 1967, the Board of County Commissioners
unanimously voted to establish an Advisory Committee on Histor-
ical sites. This action was taken following a request to the
Planning and Zoning Commission for such a Committee. The duties
of the Committee would be to
the County by location, type
to the Planning Commission.
use the recommendations as a
of the Committee were chosen
and knowledge of the County';
icance.
list and review historic sites in
and significance for recommendation
The Planning Commission would then
guide for future planning. Members
to represent those with an interest
history and architectural signif-
The four appointed members were:
Richard K. Hershey - Historical Society
John C. Frye - Civil War Round Table
James Chapman, Jr. - Architectural Association
Mrs. Samuel L. Greenawalt - DAR
It was suggested that a fifth member be chosen from the field of
education.
At the first meeting on January 18, 1968, John Frye was
named temporary Chairman. After consultation with Mr. Douglas
Bivens and School Superintendent William Brish, John Seburn
became the fifth member,representing the educational field, as
requested by the County Commissioners. The Board of Commissioners
confirmed his appointment on January 23, 1968. At the February
29 meeting, John Frye was elected permanent Chairman of the Com-
mittee.
In February, Orlando Ridout, Director of the Maryland His-
torical Trust, and Mrs. Preston Parish, architectural archivist
for the Maryland Historical Trust, visited Hagerstown. Mr.
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Ridout met with, and told our Committee that Washington County
has from two to three times as many historical places worth noting
as any other County in Maryland. Three graduate students in
history from the University of Maryland, started a survey in
the County in August, 1967. They worked in the rural areas of
the County, locating buildings, which included houses, spring
houses, barns, smokehouses, took pictures of them and noted cer-
tain information, the first phase of the survey. The second
phase calls for elaboration on the type of building, the period
in which it was built, and the type of architecture. Arrange-
ments are still being made to survey eleven towns in the County
and Hagerstown.
Many buildings unique g are.a q type of architecture. Most of
thesitesare located in the Valley of the Antietam, roughly in
the area between Chewsville and Sharpsburg. Beyond the Conoco-
cheague, historical buildings. are scarce.
The Maryland Historical Trust is a quasi public State Agency
created by act of the legislature in 1961. It keeps a continuing
physical record of the State.
The most interesting facet of the survey in Washington County,
according to Mr. Ridout, is the growth, as a community, of homes
from 1740 through every decade to 1840. Log cabins, even those
covered in weather boards, are interesting. The features of
the County are not that it has many examples of great mansions,
but rather that it has a great profusion of sturdy farmhouses of
brick and stone built by farmers of early America. It represents
the homes of the German farmers who settled in Frederick and Wash-
ington Counties, which are different from the homes of the early
English in the tidewater area.
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After the buildings are more clearly defined and distinguished
architecturally, the Historical Trust will present a selection
from among them to be included in the Maryland Register. From this
list, the National Register will make selections. The National
Register is sponsored by the Department of the Interior.
The meetings of the Historical Advisory Committee have been
of the informative type rather than of policy making.
.On February 29, 1968, John Frye talked about the many Civil
War fortifications in the Southern tip of the County in the
Maryland Heights and Fort Duncan area.
Terry Ringler, Director of the Soil Conservation Service of
Washington County, presented a preliminary report of a study being
made by his organization on recreational, scenic and historical
places in the County.
The Committee requested the Chairman to ask the County Com-
missioners to appoint another member to the Committee, representing
the Western part of the County, and submitted the name of Mrs.
Ralph Donnelly, representative of the Garden Clubs. Mrs. Donnelly
became the sixth member of the Committee by appointment of the
County Commissioners. -
On March 28, John Frye showed colored slides and gave a short
background on each historical site in the County. Darrell Wurster
of the Economic Development Commission, screened the movie
"Valley of History", a tourist promotional film of Washington
County.
On April 25, 1968, Dean McClanahan, Superintendent of the
C & 0 Canal National Monument, presented three films entitled,
"Down the Old Potomac",.,"Magnificent Ditch's and "Towpath West".
On May 23, 1968, Mr. Ralph Donnelly spoke and showed
slides on the history of the Mason-Dixon Line, and pointed
out some of the token efforts that have been made toward its
preservation. The Committee unanimously endorsed the following
--resolution: Recommend to the Washington. County Commissioners
and the Planning and Zoning Commission that the remaining origi-
nal Mason-Dixon stones be preserved in original positions, if
possible. If relocation is found to be necessary, they can be
relocated in a convenient position along with a new marker de-
noting the change.
June 27, 1968, Mr. James Roach, Historian from the Harper's
Ferry National Park, and Mr. Robert Buchanon, Historian of the
C & O Canal Staff, presented to the Committee the locations and
importance of the fortifications in the southern part of the
.County, Maryland Heights, Fort Duncan, Sullivan Battery, before,
during and following the Civil War. This area was significant
to the outcome of the Civil War in that, it was able to delay
troops (Confederate) long enough to prevent their occupation
of Washington in July of 1864. Over 750 acres of these works
are in the Harper's Ferry Park, but the rest, including Fort
Duncan and Battery Sullivan, are privately owned.
September 26, 1968, Mr. Robert Buchanon gave a brief history
of the Battle of Antietam, and drafted the physical history of
the. Battlefield from the time of the actual battle, to the pres-
ant state of its preservation. Dean McClanahan, Superintendent
of the Antietam National Battlefield Site, proposed acquisition
of 2,000 more acres of land as protection of the shrine against
encroachment. Future plans include: New emphasis on Antietam
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as the birthplace of the International Red Cross through Clara
-Barton's battlefield nursing; new National Cemetary Land;
establishment of an. historic farm portraying exactly agriculture
at the time of the Civil War; creation of a farm demonstration
unit.
The Antietam Battlefield property now consists of 795 acres
of Federally owned land. Expanding this to 2,000 acres would.
protect the the shrine from being overrun and lost forever as
a part of our Nation's culture. Antietam now has about 250,000
annual visitors; it is one of the most significant and least
known of the Civil War Battle Shrines.
October 31, 1968, John Frye informed the Committee that
Bernard Hillenbrand, Executive Director of the National Asso-
ciation of Counties, had learned that Washington County was the
first County in the United States to form an Historical Advisory
Committee. It would be informative to the Association to have
a copy of the Historical Advisory Committee's Minutes and cor-
respondence to aid other counties in forming such a committee.
Theentirefile of our Commission has been made available to
the National Association of Counties.
Mr. W. A. Krebs, Engineering Associate from the Game and
Inland Fish Commission, showed the Committee a map designating
the Indian Springs and Blair's Valley areas where they have a
public fishing facility. There is a-35' acre, lake there.
Mr. Edward Heath of the Department of Forests -and Parks
told the Committee of the five areas of historic interest;
Washington Monument State- Park, Gathland State Park, Fort Ton-
olowy, Fort Frederick and Greenbrier State Park. Plans for
Fort Frederick include the reconstruction of barracks within
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the fort and a complete museum. _=t�
November 21, 1968, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Blackburn, Past Presi-
dents of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club of Washington, D. C.,
presented a report on the status of. the Appalachian Trail and
it's branches in our County, the possible plans (State and County)
for its preservation, incorporated in and around the recently
signed National Historic Trails Bill. A new hiking trail,
stretching from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia, to a point
east of Carlisle in Pennsylvania, is in the making. The new
trail, to be called the Tuscarora -Big Blue Trail, will connect
with the Appalachian Trail at its northern and southern ends,
and the C & 0 Canal towpath will form another connection in the
middle. It will make a circuit 400 miles long. The Tuscarora -
Big Blue Trail is not included in the National Trails Act or
any other Federal legislation, and depends entirely upon volun-
tary efforts of club members and cooperation of land owners.
A film entitled "How Will Me Know It's Us", was viewed
upon the recommendation of the National Association of Counties.
Thefilm suggested how cities can preserve historic buildings
instead of condemning them to make way for new development.
On January 9, 1969, guests were Ernest Moody of the Wash-
ington County Soil Conservation Service, and Dean McClanahan,
Superintendent of the National Antietam Battlefield Site. Mr.
Moody presented the complete report begun by Terry Ringler and
,hi -s organization entitled, "An Appraisal of Potentials for Out-
door Recreational Developments". The publication is intended
to aid groups and individuals in pointing out potential for
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selected recreational enterprises in Washington County. Copies
are, available as a companion report.
Dean McClanahan appeared again to present more detailed
plans to protect the National Battlefield Site. He said Veterans
-organizations and other interested groups have expressed interest
in expanding Federal holdings at the Antietam to include 2,000
acres, half of which is land over which important battle action
occured, the rest to form a buffer zone which would prevent com-
mercial, industrial and urban development from infringing upon
the actual battle site. He used an overlay map to point out
additional acreage needed.
As can be seen from the above report, the Committee has
been meeting with many Historians, both professional and non-
professional, to familiarize ourselves with as much of the County
history as possible. Our final report is based on information
gathered from this year of study.
This section prepared by:
34
Mary Burgner Greenawalt(Mrs. Samuel L.)
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WASHING►ON COUNTY
HISTORICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE
JAMES J. CHAPti{AN, SR.
JOHN C. ERYE, CHAIRMAN .
,,�-.� .: ��z' MRS. SAMUEL GREENAWALT
qj''' RICHARD K. HERSHEY
JOHN W. SEBURN
REPORT OF THE WASHINGTON COUNTY HISTORICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE
To THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS AND PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION
The County Commissioners should first be commended on the
appointment of such a Committee. If nothing more comes from the
action of the Committee, the fact that representatives of each
body interested in history in the County were able to sit down
together for the first time in itself makes the Committee worth-
while. We have enjoyed the association, and hope that the report
is helpful to parties concerned. The forthrightness of the Com-
missioners is very evident in the fact that, according to the
National Association of Counties, we are the first in the country
to have a committee of this type.
Although some historic landmarks have already been lost, the
County is most fortunate in being ahead of this onslaught and most
of our heritage is still with us to be preserved if we see fit.
The Committee has met with representatives of local State and Fed-
eral government, private individuals and associations charged or
interested in historical preservation. Quite a bit of personal
data has been obtained by the Committee which, of course, cannot
be included in a -report of this type, but would be available upon
request.
The following is a breakdown of areas, sites, or structures
which have a tremendous historical aspect to the County.
ANTIETAM BATTLEFIELD
This scene of the bloodiest single day's conflict of the Civil
War appears to be in the greatest danger at the present time of our
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historical sites. The addition of water to the town of Sharpsburg
could greatly enhance the possibilities"of quick residential devel-
opment of this now rural area.
With a few exceptions, the Battlefield remains much the same
as -it did on that bloody September day over a hundred years ago,
but the demand for residential sites in the County could soon ob-
literate this rural concept. To prevent "another Gettysburg",
action must be taken immediately.
A recent survey of the National Park Service shows that of
the 795 acres now in Federal hands, very little of this acreage is
really representative of the Battlefield itself. This survey shows'
that an additional 2,000 acres of land was directly affected by the
battle. Certainly the best way of preservation of this type of
historical site is by outright ownership, and this objective will
probably be inaugurated in the very near future by the National
Park Service.
The County should cooperate with this purchase, not as a land
grab, but as a preservation of this nation's history. Antietam it-
self belongs to the Nation, not Washington County. Steps should
be taken by the County to zone areas surrounding this Battlefield
'compatible with plans of its preservation by the National Park
Service.
FORT FREDERICK
Fort Frederick, along with Antietam and the C & O Canal, prob-
ably are our greatest historical attractions. According to a report
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from the Department of Forests and. Parks, Fort Frederick will be
preserved by their agency and unless the State so desires, most
likely little or no County preservation around the site will be
needed. In addition to the present holdings, the State plans to
-.purchase additional acreage adjacent to the Park in the near fu-
ture.
C & O CANAL
Much has been said and written about the historical aspects
of the C & O Canal in the past fifteen years and it is not necessray
to be included in this report. The preservation of the Canal, with
cooperation of all agencies as proposed by the County Potomac River
Basin Advisory Committee, could be followed and would be agreed upon
by our Committee.
The C & O Canal development should be followed along the lines
of the Mathias Bill in the last Congress, and should not be swallowed
by the larger and more complex Potomac Valley Park Bill. The State
and County should definitely be able to retain control of the river
and work with a Canal Bill seperate from the Potomac Complex.
WASHINGTON MONUMENT STATE
GATHLAND STATE PARK
The first monument
,.the only War Corresponden
and are now surrounded by
PARK AND
completed to honor George Washington and
bs' Arch in the world are in the County
Maryland State Parks. Encroachment upon
these historical sites is impossible under the present circum-
stances. The parks themselves can be joined, plus Greenbrier State
Park, should the State complete it's acquisition of the South
Mountain Watershed. (State reports it already owns 3,300
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acres in this watershed). Completion of the watershed should be
placed on the top priority list of the Department of Forests and
Parks. Lands should then be marked and made available for recre-
ation and hunting.
APPALACHIAN TRAIL AND'NATIONAL `
HERITAGE TRAIL
The completion of the South Mountain Watershed would protect
the Appalachian Trail recently given national protection by the
signing of the National Trails Bill. This Bill, although endorsed
by the Federal Government, prefers that local governments protect
the National Trail System. The purchase of the Watershed would
fulfill theobligationto protect the Appalachain Trail through
the County.
The C & 0 Canal, the other portion of the National Trail
System in the County, is already protected by the national mon-
ument status and would be further protected by the C & 0 Canal
National Park.
The County's part in a trail system could be connecting or
interlocking trails between various historical sites and park areas.
MASON & DIXON LINE
Although almost forgotten,
the Mason & Dixon Line, the north
.{s boundary of the County, 1s of tremendous interest because of its
so-called division between the North. and South. Its monuments,
many of the original still in place, although protected by State
law, have been neglected. They should be protected, preserved and
should not be moved, even for highway relocation. Better identifi-
cation, especially for the crownstones, should also be initiated.
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In connection with the new Blair's Valley recreational com-
plex planned by the Game and Inland Fish Commission, the stone in-
cluded in that park at the top of the ridge could be designated as
the "Star Gazers" stone, and a system of trails linking it with the
-lower recreational area constructed. It was near this point that
Mason and Dixon calculated correctly that Maryland would not be
divided into two parts at the narrow point at Hancock.
MARYLAND HEIGHTS, FORT DUNCAN and
HARPER'S FERRY FORTIFICATION COMPLEX
Maryland Heights, an area of 750 acres at the south end of
the Elk Ridge Mountain across the river from Harper's Ferry, West
Virginia, is a part of the Harper's Ferry National Historical Park,
thus preserving many of the fortifications on that high ridge, in-
cluding the stone fort. The entire southern peninsula of Washing-
ton County was set up with fortifications during the Civil War,
thus many of the sites including Fort Duncan and Battery Sullivan
are still in private hands and exposed to possible obliteration or
extinction.
Action should be taken to preserve these sites as a companion
to the Maryland Heights area. Due to their nearness to the C & O
Canal they could be preserved in its boundaries by actual purchase
.,...and if this is not done, proper zoning, if possible, should be
planned to preserve these works.
SOUTH MOUTAIN BATTLEFIELD AREAS
Overlooked because of the later battle of Antietam are the
very important South Mountain Battlefield gaps. Four gaps, -Turner's,
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Foxes', Crampton's and Brownsville, played an important part in
this major battle fought three days prior to the Battle of Antie-
tam in September, 1862. Had it not been for the one day battle
of Antietam, the South Mountain Battlefield areas would be ranked
.nationally.
Since the South Mountain range divides Washington County
from Frederick County, a cooperative effort with the Frederick
County Planning and Zoning Cimmission and County Commissioners
should be made to preserve these areas. Only one gap, Crampton's,
a part of Gathland State Park, is now protected. The acquisition
of the South Mountain Watershed area could help protect these sites..
STONE BRIDGES AND STONE FENCES
The stone bridges of Washington County, most 150 years old
and still carrying modern day traffic, are works of marvel from a
by -gone age. Every effort should be made to preserve these histor-
ical structures.
As a companion to the stone bridges., the County has many
stone fences erected in the by -gone era. Naturally, not all stone
fences can be preserved., but some should be marked for preservation.
IRON FURNACES Iii
Very little is left of the several iron furnaces that once
operated in this County. The best of these remains is at the mouth
of the Antietam in Antietam Village. What little is left of this
once great industry should be preserved immediately. This is one
of the few historic sites now under no protection, and since the
land is not suitable for other uses, it could become a part of the
County parks system. None of the present County parks are historic
in nature, and while recreation is a prime objective of the County
parks system, historic preservation should not be overlooked.
PEN MAR PARK
This area, once one of the great tourist spots on the eastern
coast, could easily become a part of the County parks system. The
high fee, however, asked by the Western Maryland Railroad, the
owner of this site, has kept the County and the State from any devel-
opment here. A purchasing price, fair to the taxpayers, would have
to be agreed upon before any planning for development is made at
Pen Mar.
PRIVATELY OWNED ATTRACTIONS
There are some privately owned homes and sites that could be
developed into tourist attractions and recreational sites. The
"John Brown Farm" in the southern part of .the County is a prime
example. Owners of this type of property should be encouraged to
develop them into sites, for tourists to visit and a fee could be
charged to make the efforts worthwhile. The planned development by
<--the Washington County Historical Society of the Beaver Creek School
could fall in this class, as well as some of the other historic
homes. Government agencies shouldencourage this type of develop-
ment by private owners, and offer the help of its agencies toward
these benefits.
TOURIST PROMOTION
There is no doubt that Washington County has failed to
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adequately promote it's many scenic and historic attractions. Prob-
ably there is no other single county in the United States with as
many different attractions as are found in Washington County, Mary-
land. With the completion of the two Interstates, the County is
within a several hours drive of a majority of the population of the
country. The County and private efforts to publicize Washington
County should become a part of a crash program to. increase tourist
visitation.
TIMBERING
Out of state timbermen are ruining some of the timber areas
in the County, especially in the southern portion. Although the
timber is in private hands, some control should be started over
random cutting of timber without regard for watershedding or future
growth. The out of state operator has no desire to protect the
highlands from erosion nor cares about future growth or wildlife
protection. This type of uncontrolled timber cutting should be
stopped if it affects the lowland areas with flooding and is harm-
ful to wildlife and scenic areas..
OVERHEAD TRANSMISSION LINES.
Overhead transmission lines should be controlled so as not
to damage historic and scenic areas. Underground construction of
these lines should be encouraged whenever possible. Never again
should historic and scenic areas, be in danger from overhead lines,
such as was the case in the recent high -voltage line planned over
the Antietam, South Mountain, Harper's Ferry and Pleasant Valley
historic and scenic areas.
HISTORICAL TRUST REPORT
The County has over 600 historical buildings which include
houses, barns, sheds, springhouses, etc., constructed prior to the
1840's, per a report of the Maryland Historical Trust. When com-
pleted, this report should become a companion report to the report
herein. The Committee strongly feels that there is no reason to
catalogue these historic structures, either major or minor, at the
present time,, as all have some historic value or they would not
have been listed by the Historic Trust. The results of the sur-
vey should be made available to the owners of the listed properties
for possible private preservation: Should one of the properties
listed face possible destruction because of a planned road or other
reasons, then the County Advisory Committee could help in deciding
whether it should be bypassed or not. The advice of the County
Committee and the Historical Trust should be made available to any
individual or agency when deciding whether to preserve and how it
should be done. Private conservation of these many historic struc-
tures should be encouraged by the County Commissioners and it's
agencies.
To conclude, this Committee, or a committee of its type,
should be kept active so that it may be called upon at any time by
the planning bodies for advice on historical preservation. In
addition, the incorporated towns should be encouraged to establish
similar commissions
so that
they -may
preserve
sites and buildings
not included in the
County
survey.
If they do
not desire commissions
of their own, the services of the County Committee should be made
available at their descretion.
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The above report is a result of a year's study by your
members, and we hope that it will aid in some way to preserve
our historical heritage for future generations.
HAGER HOUSE
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APPEWFIX