The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1951-01-04

Beginning with this weeks issue
am going to write a series of
stories about the different towns in
Washington County, and hope you
will find in them some interesting
facts that perhaps you have not
heard of before. This weeks story
concerns Boonsboro.
Boonsboro is closely built, resi-
Dental town. The solid brick and
stone houses have low front porches
close to the sidewalks. Boonsboro
has not always been a quiet town.
1t was settled in 1774 by George and
William Boone, whom legend has
related to the more famous Daniel.
The town was prosperous in the
1905 when the pike was alive with
notwithstanding traffic; its black
smith shops and stores were busy
and its inns and taverns were filled
with travellers and teamsters.
"Stonewalr' Jackson narrowly es-
capped capture on the outskirts of
Boonsboro on September II, 1862
Colonel Henry Kyd Douglas, one of
his staff officers, was advancing into
town with few cavalrymen, when
a detachment of Federal cavalry
dashed out of the Sharpsburg road
and drove the ConfederateS back to-
ward their main column. On the
way back they met General Jack
son, unmounted and leading his
horse, far ahead of his troops. The
Confederate detail wheeled about,
called to imaginary reinforcements,
and charged the Federals. The ruse
succeeded and the Federal cavalry
withdrew before what they believed
to be superior force.
Four days after the Battle of South
Mountain, Fitzhugh Lees cavalry,
while protecting the rear of Lees
army as it moved toward Sharps-
burg, had a skirmish in the streets
of Boonsboro with advancing Fed
eral troops. After the battle of An
tietam, Boonsboro's churches and
many of its private homes were used
for the care of the wounded.
There are several interesting
homes and other buildings in Boons-
boro some of which are:
"Rose HILL" located on Main
Street, is a two-story house con-
structed of heavy timbers encased
with mortar, and was built in 1914.
Rows of lilac bushes and lockwood
and a number of fine old maple
trees surround the house. This was
one of the settings for David Belas-
cos play, 'The Heart of Maryland"
first produced in 1895 Several
scenes of the film version were
photographed here.
Mt. Nebo Church, also on Main
Street, was built in 1868 to replace
a log structure erected by the United
Brethren in 1882. Before that date
the congregation Worshiped in
Shonk's Church, the site of which is
marked by graveyard on the out
skirts of Boonsboro Bishop Philip
w. Otterbein, who with Martin
Boehm founded the United Brethren
in Christ, frequently preached at
Shonk's.
At Main and Church Streets is the
former United States Hotel, where
many celebrities stopped. Little
changed, the old place is still OPP
Grated as a hotel.
Trinity Reformed Church, Church
Street near Main, occupies the site
of the Salem Union Church in which
Lutheran and Reformed congrega-
lions jointly worshiped from 1910 to
1870, when the present building was
erected. The earlier church served
as military hospital during the
Civil War. The Salem Church be-
came the center of a town contro-
versy. The Lutflerans advocated
Handicapped windows, while the
Reformed members of the congrega-
ton insisted on square windows
contending that the other type was
sinful" A compromise resulted 1r
square windows on one side of the
building and round on the other