I made a trip out to Frostburg last Thursday for a visit with my daughter, and took advantage of the fact that I was traveling alone by making some fun side trips on the way back. My primary goal was to find the Kennedy Farmhouse, the secluded farmhouse in the shadow of South Mountain, south of Sharpsburg and north of Sandy Hook, where John Brown hid out, stockpiled weapons, and planned his raid on Harper's Ferry during the summer and early fall of 1859. Many winding roads and brown signs later, I finally came upon the historical marker which pointed me to the back of a clearing beside the road where, behind a chain link fence (and, unfortunately, a locked gate) stood the surprisingly small farmhouse. It is hard to believe that at one time during those exciting, secretive months in the life of this building, up to 21 people were hidden in the attic and could only emerge quietly in the dark of night to help unload shipments of arms and equipment and to make plans.
Since I was in the area, I decided to visit Crampton's Gap, the only one of the three 'gaps' involved in the Battle of South Mountain that I had not yet visited. After the war, a large portion of the battlefield at Crampton's Gap was purchased by George Alfred Townsend, a sometime journalist and author of the strange novels Katy of Catoctin and The Entailed Hat, who dubbed himself "Gath." He covered his part of the mountain with buildings and other structures, including the War Correspondents Arch, which is dedicated to the artists and journalists who were active during the Civil War.
This is the arch as seen from the road coming up from Burkittsville.
A terra-cotta horse's head
Gath has been criticized for having an inflated ego, for obscuring the significance of the battlefield by overlaying it with the many constructions (monuments to himself?) on his estate, and also for leaving off the names of many who should have been named on the Arch, and including many who should not have been. Here is an article on the subject by a Burkittsville writer.
When I arrived at Crampton's Gap last Thursday, it had become overcast and was just beginning to rain. It was a warm day, and the wonderful smell of ozone was in the air. It was late in the afternoon, close to 5:00, and the park office was closed. I was the only person in sight, except for the occasional passing car. It was perfectly quiet except for the sound of the rain and the birds. The mountain pass smelled of 'clean woods.'
Forsythia and wild rhododendron at Crampton's Gap.
If it had been earlier in the day, I would have taken a walk along the ridge on the Appalachian Trail which passes right through the Gap, just behind Gath's mausoleum. Most of the buildings Gath constructed are now gone, some with only the foundations remaining. The strangest is definitely the mausoleum he built for himself, which he never occupied after death...by that time, his fortunes had changed, and for some reason he was buried in a cemetery in Philadelphia instead.
Gath's mausoleum and a nearby stone arch.
Gath's epitaph.
This is part of a strange, roofless enclosure, the size of a small house, with two openings to walk through. It's near the mausoleum, and nobody knows what he built it for. I just think he liked building drystone walls....it is pretty impressive!
On the way back down the mountain, heading west in the path of the Confederate retreat, I passed a huge old stone farmhouse with a very busy dog running around nearby. I stopped and he posed for a picture. I think he is one of the many 'black dogs' who have guarded the passes on South Mountain as long as anyone can remember. Fantastic, magical, and terrifying qualities are reported of these dogs, who go by the collective name of the "Snarly Yow." Whether they are related, all aspects of the same being, or whether they carry the spirits of long-standing guardians of this special place will, for now, remain a mystery.
Before I left for home, I made a quick drive up to Fox's Gap to check my favorite mirror at the site of the Wise Farm. This spot, too, was quiet and deserted, and I took a few more pictures. Maybe next time I'm up there I can pick some apples again...they were small and a little buggy but they made good applesauce :-D
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