Hospital D, A Church in Burkittsville

Antietam Campaign, 1862

Burkittsville is a charming small town in Maryland, not far from Frederick. 

"Union surgeons turned Burkittsville, a quiet rural village of some 200 people, into a hospital complex after the September 14, 1862, Battle of Crampton’s Gap. The building in front of you, the German Reformed Church, was Hospital D."

You can read the rest of this marker on the Historic Marker Database. 

Church Post #450

Pleasantville First Church of God

Fellowship Hall

Inspired Sunday / Shadow Shot Sunday

This country church is in Maryland across the river from Harpers Ferry.

 

Samples Manor Church of God

Inspired Sunday: I photographed this church in March when I visited John Brown's hideout near Harpers Ferry. The mailing address is in Sharpsburg, Maryland, but this church is out in the country.

Also sharing with Shadow Shot Sunday.

 The church was consecrated in December 1873. Part of the building is thought to be older and the 2-story section at the front is a newer addition. 

The community of Samples Manor is named for John Semple, who acquired the land in 1764. He named his land Keep Treist, a name that lives on in a road named Keep Tryst. (I've seen the a sign on US 340 that says Keep Tryst and wondered about it.)

Spruce Forest Artisan Village

We were here four years ago and I did not get around to posting photos. The village was so cute that I took more photos than I knew what to do with, so they languished in a folder called 4October2017. (I arrange my photo folders by month and year.) 

Did you ever look up information for a blog post and find bad news? 

In April 2020, Grantsville, Maryland, was hit by a devastating storm that blew down the tall spruce trees that defined Spruce Forest Artisan Village. Many buildings were damaged and some, like this small covered bridge, were destroyed beyond repair. 

You can read about the damage and rebuilding efforts on the SpruceForest website. 

This village contains historic buildings that were moved here to preserve them. It is next to Casselman's Bridge, which I did share in a post shortly after visiting there.

Post-Vaccination Trip to Pennsylvania

We took a brief trip to Pennsylvania this week. Since we got our second dose of the Covid vaccine two months ago, we felt that is was relatively safe to travel by car. My sister is visiting Pittsburgh this week and that is closer than Kentucky, so this was an opportunity to see her for the first time in over a year. 

Signs, Signs

Frank has a brother who lives near Pittsburgh so we saw him too. 

Images 1-3 are at the Maryland Welcome Center at Sideling Hill. It has some pretty views. On the door I saw a hand-drawn sign that says "Mask on Maryland."

I did most of the driving so did not take many pictures en route.

Eventually I needed Frank to take the wheel. I pulled over in a parking lot in Uniontown and saw this sign for a tire store.

We had arranged to meet Frank's brother at a Dairy Queen in Delmont, PA. Frank then went off with him for two nights and I continued to my sister's residence, but first I wanted to locate a restroom. The doors to Dairy Queen were locked. Like many restaurants, they are doing drive-through service only. This protects their staff from exposure to Covid, at least for the most part. 

At a service station, a clerk directed me to a Get-Go gas station that has open restrooms. 

I was glad to have my GPS to direct me to Peggy's address, even though it had failed me three times on the trip so far. I think it loses signal in the mountains and then says to turn either too soon or too late. 

When I finally reached Peggy's driveway, I was delighted to have a welcoming committee of Peggy, her daughter Meadow, her daughter-in-law Michelle, and her cute little girl. It's hard to believe she is eleven already; see her picture as a baby in 2010.

The next day we visited Larry, Meadow's dad, at his home near Greensburg.

Later Peggy took me to a softball game where her grand-daughter was playing. Here are Michelle, Elias, and their dog Nala with Peggy.

Elias is Peggy's son. I did not see him the day before because he was at a softball game with his son. Both of the children enjoy sports.

I only spent two nights at Peggy's house, and left yesterday. I drove back to Delmont  to meet Frank and Bill. 

I am thankful that I had a chance to see family members. All had been vaccinated except the children, so that's a great thing.

More Signs at the Kennedy Farm

Yesterday's post took you to John Brown's hideout in Maryland, the Kennedy Farm. There are two Civil War Trails signs near the entrance to the property that are worth sharing. 

"This is the Kennedy farmhouse, which abolitionist John Brown (using the pseudonym Isaac Smith) leased in July 1859 from Dr. Robert Kennedy's heirs, ostensibly to do some prospecting. Brown's fifteen-year-old daughter, Annie Brown, identified the Kennedy Farm as "Headquarters: War Department." It served as a barracks, arsenal, supply depot, mess hall, debate club, and home to Brown and his fellow conspirators to plan their attack on the U.S. Arsenal at Harpers Ferry, five miles away. Brown's daughter-in-law Martha Brown, sons Owen, Watson, and Oliver Brown, and eighteen other men, five of whom were African American, jammed the house and nearby cabin. Crates marked "mining tools" actually held about 400 rifles and pistols, ammunition, black powder, 1,000 pikes, tools, tents, clothing, and other items a small army needed."

Read the rest of the text on HMDB.

Interesting note: Behind the log house there is a a long white building beyond the trees. I noticed the sign IBPOEW on it. This stands for Improved Benevolent Protective Order of Elks of the World, an African American organization. From 1950 to 1966, they owned and maintained the Kennedy Farm as a shrine to John Brown. They had an auditorium where some big names in music performed, including Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, B. B. King, Eartha Kitt, Otis Redding, Etta James, the Coasters, and the Drifters. (Source: Wikipedia.)

Although John Brown's attack on Harpers Ferry failed, it accelerated the debate over slavery. The other table-top sign tells the story of Jubal Early's army passing this spot five years later, as the American Civil War raged.

"In June 1864, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee sent Gen. Jubal A. Early's corps from the Richmond battlefield to the Shenandoah Valley to counter Union Gen. David Hunter's army. After driving Hunter into West Virginia, Early invaded Maryland to attack Washington, D.C., draw Union troops from Richmond, and release Confederate prisoners held at Point Lookout. On July 9, Early ordered Gen. Bradley T. Johnson's cavalry brigade eastward to free the prisoners. The next day, Johnson sent Maj. Harry Gilmer's regiment to raid the Baltimore area. Union Gen. Lew Wallace delayed Early at the Battle of Monocacy on July 9. Federal reinforcements soon strengthened the capital's defenses. Early attacked there near Fort Stevens on July 11-12 and then withdrew to the Shenandoah Valley with the Federals in pursuit. He stopped them at Cool Spring on July 17-18. Despite failing to take Washington or free prisoners, Early succeeded in diverting Federal resources.

After abandoning his attempt to capture Harpers Ferry, Confederate Gen. Jubal A. Early and his army crossed the Potomac River a few miles north of here at Blackford's (Boteler's) Ford near Shepherdstown and spread out through the Maryland countryside. On July 6-8, 1864, the Confederates passed by this spot. Gen. John C. Breckenridge's troops were the first to arrive here. Breckinridge, a former vice president of the United States, had contended against Abraham Lincoln in 1860 for the presidency of the United States."

 

John Brown's Hideout: The Kennedy Farm

Washington County, Maryland

Tuesday Treasures

John Brown

and his associates collected arms and ammunition on the Kennedy Farm (Samples Manor) in Maryland for months prior to the raid on the arsenal at Harpers Ferry, October 17, 1859.

I'm reading a book about John Brown and the Harpers Ferry raid by one of my favorite teachers, Charles P. Poland, Jr.  This got me interested in going back to the Kennedy Farm, which I have visited in the past on field trips with Professor Poland and a history class from Northern Virginia Community College. 

This site is peaceful and remote. Although it is not far from Harpers Ferry as the crow flies, allow plenty of time to get here. The route includes five miles on a winding and narrow road.

In Memoriam
to the Provisional Army of the United States of America and their presence at Kennedy Farm the summer of 1859.

John Brown, 59, hanged

• Annie Brown, 16, sent home • Martha Brown, 17, sent home • John Henry Kagi, 24, killed • Aaron Dwight Stevens, 28, hanged • Owen Brown, 34, escaped • Oliver Brown, 19, killed • Jeremiah Goldsmith Anderson, 26, killed • John E. Cook, 29, hanged • Charles Plummer Tidd, 24, escaped • William Thompson, 26, killed • Dauphin Osgood Thompson, 21, killed • Albert Hazlett, 22, hanged • Watson Brown, 20, killed • Edwin Coppoc, 24, hanged • Barclay Coppoc, 20, escaped • John Anthony Copeland, Jr., 25, hanged • William H. Leeman, 20, killed • Stewart Taylor, 22, killed • Osborn Perry Anderson, 29, escaped • Dangerfield Newby, 44, killed • Lewis Sheridan Leary, 24, killed • Shields Green, 23, hanged • Francis Jackson Meriam, 21, escaped. “

. . . I John Brown am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land: will never be purged away; but with blood. I had as I now think: vainly flattered myself that without very much bloodshed; it might be done . . .” . . . 

It can be said . . . it all started here . . .

Winding Down on Willy Nilly Friday

We're only three weeks into 2021 and we've certainly seen some highs and lows! Our country made it through the attack on the Capitol and the Inauguration, but we are still in the throes of the pandemic. We have lost over 400,000 lives already to Covid-19. Two vaccines are available but there are not enough qualified personnel in our part of Virginia to keep up with the demand. So we wait. 

I haven't been to a restaurant in ages. I go into stores less often and very cautiously. Meetings are done online. Thank goodness we have the internet! 

Well, I can still go for rides and take walks in uncrowded places. It is easy to find them except on weekends when every family seems to be outdoors. 

Yesterday I found Seven Bends State Park to be very quiet. Here's one more picture from there,  more abstract than the others and in Black and White. 

The floral image is from my archives. There are three floral themes I'm linking to: Friday Bliss, Garden Affair, and Floral Friday. 

Looks like I inadvertently returned to the red, white and blue theme I used on Inauguration Day. Well, they are great colors! 

My skywatch shot has a similar color scheme, but with orange tones in the sunset.

The rest of today's pictures are from 1998 on Maryland Heights. This was a hike in the fog from Harpers Ferry to the Civil War fort on the mountain. I don't think I could do that steep hike now so I'm glad I went when I could.

I wanted to share these because Harpers Ferry is one of my favorite places. 

I posed at the overlook that is photographed by everyone who goes up there. You can see the bridges across the Potomac, and the town of Harpers Ferry. The river on the upper left is the Shenandoah and it meets the Potomac at a point that's out of the frame to the left. 

Originally I was going with a group from the NVCC Civil War class. It rained that morning and only two of us showed up. The rain had let up but we the found the heights shrouded in fog. 

I think my lens got fogged up too. The few pictures I took of the old stone walls are blurred by mist. This was 22 years ago and I did not own a digital camera, which would have been extremely expensive then.

The fort was built by Federal troops in 1862.  I think the sign in the final shot shows the 30-Pound Battery. 

My companion on this hike was a classmate and I think his name was John Campbell. In that class we typically knew each other by first name. It was pretty much a series of interpretive trips to Civil War sites and there was no roll call. Anyway, he hiked up the mountain with ease and I struggled to keep up.

A Few Snaps of Mercy

I spent today at Mercy Hospital in Baltimore while Lynn had a final round of reconstructive surgery. Basically the talented Dr. Chang corrected the messed-up procedure that was done at UVA a year ago. 

She is home now and recovering. It was a stressful day but I got a few snapshots for Sami’s Murals linkup.

To add to the concerns of waiting to hear that whether a family member had successful surgery plus the headache of Baltimore traffic, I had technical problems with my computer. The screen on my laptop went on the blink, so I tried to blog on my iPad. I rarely do so because it just can’t seem to post photos to Blogger, and the only work-around seems to be to email the post to my “secret” Blogger address. Of course, I got it wrong the first time but finally got these two images posted.

Sent from AOL Mobile Mail

Five Cloudy Day Snapshots.

It's Willy Nilly Friday over on Tom's blog so I've picked out five photos to show you.

1. I recently got a Virginia State Parks Pass, good for a year. I celebrated by carrying lunch one day to  eat at Shenandoah River State Park, even though it was an on-and-off rainy day. I felt good standing at Cullers Overlook as the wind swept across the valley!

2. When we crossed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge a few weeks ago, Frank was driving. So of course, I snapped a picture.

Sharing with Black and White Weekend.  

3. Naked ladies have appeared in my yard! That's one of the names for these pink flowers, also known as Surprise Lilies and Resurrection Lilies.

I planted these as bulbs a few years ago so they aren't really a surprise. The proper name is Lycoris squamigera.

4. Also in our yard are daylilies. I couldn't resist taking a picture of some with our "barn quilt" behind them. 

Orange You Glad and Floral Friday.

5. Here's another picture from a rainy day. Here the rain had moved on but mist was still rising.

Skywatch Friday.

This Should Do It for My Ocean City Posts.

Random-osity
 

The Good: Since I have a weakness for artwork showing horses, I pulled off when I saw this mural with an Assateague Island scene. This is on Stephen Decatur Drive. (If that name is vaguely familiar, think U.S. Navy history.) 

The Random: Pictures taken at the Paradise Plaza, where we stayed. The hotel was good but I found things to complain about. If it had not been so expensive, I might not have been so picky except for the slippery tile floor, a treacherous tub/shower, and a broken phone. We had a great view!

The Fun: It was fun seeing Frank's daughters and their families, even though I did not get to enjoy the food at most meals due to my allergies and upset stomach.