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South Mountain Heritage Society

South Mountain Heritage Society South Mountain Heritage Society works to preserve Burkittsville's unique history through our museum

Operating as usual

Over the next few months, South Mountain Heritage Society will be closed for the winter season. This gives us time to cl...
01/05/2023
Digital Collections

Over the next few months, South Mountain Heritage Society will be closed for the winter season. This gives us time to clean exhibit cases, change out displays, and prepare for a new program year which begins in April 2023. Even though our doors are closed, we still want to share the amazing history of Burkittsville with you!

Visit our website to explore digital exhibits and galleries from our museum collections. These include exhibits on the Battle of South Mountain and the historic Resurrection Reformed Church. View over 100 historical photographs of Burkittsville and the surrounding communities of Broad Run, Locust Valley, Petersville, Knoxville, and the Gapland Estate. Learn about Burkittsville's historic Female Seminary, or the story of our town's Post Office.

Enjoy browsing the museum's collections and we look forward to welcoming everyone back in person in the spring to South Mountain Heritage Society!

South Mountain Heritage Society is committed to curating a rich collection representing our local culture and history. The collections at the heritage society museum include manuscripts, photographs,...

Tonight, South Mountain Heritage Society will once again host a wonderful Burkittsville town tradition, ringing in the N...
12/31/2022

Tonight, South Mountain Heritage Society will once again host a wonderful Burkittsville town tradition, ringing in the New Year with the historic bells of Resurrection Reformed Church and Saint Paul's Lutheran Church.

Our doors will open at 11:30 pm for light refreshments and one last chance to enjoy the holiday decorations in the museum. At midnight, we will ring in 2023!

From all of us at South Mountain Heritage Society, we wish you and yours happy, safe, and warm holidays!
12/25/2022

From all of us at South Mountain Heritage Society, we wish you and yours happy, safe, and warm holidays!

We couldn’t help but share a few more photographs of the beautiful decorations at the museum from today’s event. Thank y...
12/11/2022

We couldn’t help but share a few more photographs of the beautiful decorations at the museum from today’s event. Thank you to our talented and dedicated decorating crew!

12/11/2022

Thank you to everyone who joined us today at South Mountain Heritage Society for Museums by Candlelight!

If you didn't make it to us today, no need to worry. We are happy to share this short video telling the story of our historic Pomplitz and Rodewald Pipe Organ. At the end, listen to this unique instrument play a favorite carol of the season!

We cannot wait to see you today at South Mountain Heritage Society for Museums by Candlelight. The museum has been beaut...
12/10/2022

We cannot wait to see you today at South Mountain Heritage Society for Museums by Candlelight. The museum has been beautifully decorated and you can learn about (and even hear music from) our historic pipe organ all through the day! Refreshments and a craft for children will also be available. SMHS is open today from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm.

Make sure to visit the Museums by Candlelight website and plan out your day to visit SMHS and all of the other amazing historical sites open today throughout Frederick County. Learn more here: https://www.visitfrederick.org/events/annual-events/museums-by-candlelight/

Who else is missing the book sale? While SMHS' Gigantic Used Book Sale has wrapped-up for this year, we are excited to s...
11/15/2022

Who else is missing the book sale? While SMHS' Gigantic Used Book Sale has wrapped-up for this year, we are excited to share news of an exciting upcoming book sale from our friends at Heritage Frederick!

On Friday, November 25, 2022, Heritage Frederick is holding a book sale which will feature over 1,000 titles pertaining to local and regional history, genealogy, and decorative arts/material culture. The books have been donated or are extraneous copies which we are clearing from our storage. Books will be arranged by subject and priced between $3 and $10. The sale runs from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm. Come by the museum and take home some amazing and rare books on Frederick County history!

Heritage Frederick is located at 24 East Church Street, Frederick, MD.

10/29/2022

Starting at 9:00 today, you can fill bags of books for just $10.00 per bag, and we have thousands of excellent titles for you to browse! Come and see us on this last day of the Gigantic Used-Book Sale at SMHS!

Or how about a bag full of books? You certainly will have no regrets coming to the SMHS museum tomorrow as we finish out...
10/28/2022

Or how about a bag full of books?

You certainly will have no regrets coming to the SMHS museum tomorrow as we finish out another great Gigantic Used-Book Sale! Tomorrow is our books-by-the-bag sale, we provide the bag, and you fill it to overflowing for just $10.00. The museum will be open 9:00 am until 4:00 pm. Stop by and take home some fantastic books!

We are getting close to the end of the Sixteenth Annual Gigantic Used-Book Sale at the SMHS museum. A huge thank you to ...
10/24/2022

We are getting close to the end of the Sixteenth Annual Gigantic Used-Book Sale at the SMHS museum. A huge thank you to everyone who has come out over the last four weeks and purchased books. We've had a wonderful time catching up with you and greatly appreciate your support of this fundraiser for the continued preservation of our beautiful museum.

This coming Saturday is the final day of the book sale. We will be selling books by the bag. For just $10, you can fill a bag all the way to the top. We hope to see you on Saturday between 9AM and 4PM in Burkittsville!

What have our volunteers been busy doing this week? Replenishing tables and bookshelves throughout the museum with thous...
10/21/2022

What have our volunteers been busy doing this week? Replenishing tables and bookshelves throughout the museum with thousands of wonderful books for you to browse. We are excited to open our fourth weekend of the Gigantic Used-Book Sale tomorrow from 9:00 am until 4:00 pm. We hope to see you there!

10/15/2022

This morning, we welcomed hundreds of wonderful people to Burkittsville for the running of our annual Spook Hill Cider and Wine 4 Mile. Thank you to everyone who came out to participate and especially to all of our volunteers who make this fundraiser possible!

SMHS’s Annual Gigantic Used-Book Sale is off to a great start for our third weekend. Stop by and stock up on some fantas...
10/15/2022

SMHS’s Annual Gigantic Used-Book Sale is off to a great start for our third weekend. Stop by and stock up on some fantastic books! We are open until 4:00 today.

Tomorrow should be a perfect day to explore the beautiful Middletown Valley! If you're in the mood to get an up-close vi...
10/14/2022

Tomorrow should be a perfect day to explore the beautiful Middletown Valley!

If you're in the mood to get an up-close view of some of the beautiful scenery of the lower valley, South Mountain Heritage Society's annual Spook Hill Cider and Wine 4 Mile Run will take place tomorrow morning. The museum will also be open from 9:00 am until 4:00 pm for the third week of our Annual Gigantic Used Book Sale! We'll have new titles available to browse in the back room plus thousands of excellent books in the historic church.

After the race and the book sale, take a drive up the valley to our friends at the Myersville-Wolfsville Area Historical Society who will be holding a "Museum for a Day" in the town hall on Main Street from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm. They are also offering a guided tour entitled "Historic Myersville: The Colorful Past of a Sleepy Maryland Town" which starts at 7:00 pm. Information and tickets available here https://www.eventbrite.com/e/historic-myersville-the-colorful-past-of-a-sleepy-maryland-town-tickets-420712170427?fbclid=IwAR3X7fExG_3Cuj2o1PcxhmQ9s5elH2rHXAuzsjz5vQncnBtyUP_8b6_2iOIare

This should be the perfect autumn weekend to make a full day of exploring the beautiful and historic Middletown Valley!

Historic Maryland By Air recently featured a series of stunning aerial photographs of Burkittsville that we couldn't res...
10/11/2022

Historic Maryland By Air recently featured a series of stunning aerial photographs of Burkittsville that we couldn't resist but to share with our friends who appreciate the special beauty and history of our community.

Seeing Burkittsville from above illustrates the town's history in its regional context. The crossroads leading up and down and across Middletown Valley brought early settlers to Burkittsville. The town's proximity to South Mountain and Crampton's Gap illustrates how close village residents experienced the sounds, smells, and terror of the Battle of South Mountain on September 14, 1862.

The rich farm fields which frame the village link the contemporary with the past. Historically, the families who lived and worked on these farms relied on crucial services provided by the commercial and industrial establishments in Burkittsville. Likewise, the crops they produced helped stock store shelves or provide the raw materials for the manufacturing of goods. Today, this interchange has evolved, but a symbiotic relationship between the farms and the town continue to exist. Burkittsville residents and visitors support local agribusiness while the continued use and preservation of these farms maintains the rural character so vital to understanding our community's history.

Be sure to follow Historic Maryland By Air, like their post on Burkittsville, and view incredible photographs of other historic communities across the Old Line State!

What a beautiful autumn day in Burkittsville! SMHS is open today until 4:00 pm for the second week of our Gigantic Used-...
10/08/2022

What a beautiful autumn day in Burkittsville!

SMHS is open today until 4:00 pm for the second week of our Gigantic Used-Book Sale. Stop by and browse thousands of great books.

We appreciate everyone who stops in and supports the book sale! Proceeds from this fundraiser are crucial to preserving our home, the beautiful and historic Resurrection Reformed Church.

Have you finished reading all of the books you purchased last week? The Gigantic Used-Book Sale will reopen tomorrow, Sa...
10/07/2022

Have you finished reading all of the books you purchased last week?

The Gigantic Used-Book Sale will reopen tomorrow, Saturday, October 8, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm with many new titles ready to browse as well as thousands of great books throughout the museum. We hope to see you there!

Thank you to everyone who braved yesterday's windy, rainy weather and came out to the museum for the opening day of our ...
10/02/2022

Thank you to everyone who braved yesterday's windy, rainy weather and came out to the museum for the opening day of our Sixteenth Annual Gigantic Used-Book Sale! If you didn't make it yesterday, or just haven't gotten enough books yet, there is no need to worry. We are already stocking new books in and refilling displays in preparation for next Saturday! As we continue to get new books, they will be available each week in the exhibit room. Don't forget that on the last Saturday of the month, we will be offering books-by-the-bag! We hope to see you next Saturday between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm at South Mountain Heritage Society.

10/01/2022

The Sixteenth Annual Gigantic Used-Book Sale is open and off to a great start! Come by the museum today and browse thousands of great books, and come back each week as there will be new books to peruse! The sale is open today from 9:00 am until 4:00 pm.

We are counting down the hours until the annual Gigantic Used-Book Sale opens at the museum! Make sure to put a stop by ...
09/29/2022

We are counting down the hours until the annual Gigantic Used-Book Sale opens at the museum! Make sure to put a stop by SMHS on your schedule for this coming Saturday between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm to browse thousands of books available at great prices! Your support is greatly appreciated and will go to the preservation of our beautiful home, the historic Resurrection Reformed Church.

160 years ago, this document set in motion events that forever changed the lives of the residents of Burkittsville. Corp...
09/13/2022

160 years ago, this document set in motion events that forever changed the lives of the residents of Burkittsville. Corporal Barton W. Mitchell of the 27th Indiana Volunteer regiment discovered these pages in a field southeast of Frederick on September 13, 1862. Delivered to the hands of General George B. McClellan and authenticated by his staff, the pages revealed Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s plans to divide his army and capture the strategic transportation hub of Harpers Ferry.

Within 24 hours, McClellan’s Army of the Potomac began moving out of Frederick to seize the opportunity to attack Lee’s divided forces. Crossing Catoctin Mountain and the Middletown Valley, the United States soldiers set their sights on the three gaps of South Mountain where small guarding forces of Confederal soldiers had positioned artillery units. 12,000 United States soldiers under command of Major General William B. Franklin moved through and around Burkittsville to engage Confederates under command of Brigadier General Howell Cobb in Crampton’s Gap. Their successful capture of the gap forced the Confederates to retreat into Pleasant Valley.

On the following day, September 15th, the Confederates occupied Harpers Ferry and captured nearly 12,500 United States soldiers, one of the largest surrenders in American military history. Among those men were soldiers of the First Maryland Infantry, the Potomac Home Brigade, including many local soldiers who had enlisted from the Burkittsville area. They were taken to Annapolis and paroled in a prisoner exchange.

Now aware that McClellan knew his plans, Lee scrambled his forces together on the fields around Sharpsburg where the Battle of Antietam was fought on September 17, 1862, the single bloodiest day in American military history.

For the people of Burkittsville, the aftermath of these battles was long felt. For nearly three months, over 1,000 soldiers wounded at Crampton’s Gap were hospitalized in the Reformed and Lutheran Churches, the schoolhouse, and other buildings throughout town. Residents carried water, food, straw, and wood for heat, to the hospitals throughout this period. Town physician Dr. John E. Garrott assisted army surgeons in treating wounded soldiers.

For enslaved African Americans who lived and worked in the households of Burkittsville and on the surrounding farms, the impact of the Maryland Campaign was significant. President Abraham Lincoln seized on the American victory at Antietam to announce his intention to issue the Emancipation Proclamation in January 1863. Burkittsville’s enslaved residents were not freed by the Proclamation since Maryland was not in rebellion against the United States, but the Emancipation was a crucial step in the eventual abolition of slavery in the state which occurred over a year later in November 1864 with the ratification of a new constitution.

(Scans of the Lost Orders from the National Park Service, Monocacy Battlefield)

What is in a name? Throughout its history, the building which houses South Mountain Heritage Society has been known by m...
09/02/2022

What is in a name?

Throughout its history, the building which houses South Mountain Heritage Society has been known by many names. The earliest is “The Union Church of Burkittsville,” as it was named in the 1831 deed in which Henry Burkitt conveyed the churchyard to the ministers and trustees of the Reformed and Lutheran congregations. At that time, both congregations used the title “Evangelical,” though its meaning was different from modern-day usage. Among early-nineteenth century German religious communities, “Evangelical” was used synonymously with “Protestant,” simply denoting that the church was not Catholic. The name “the Evangelical Reformed Church of Burkittsville” is inscribed on the cover page of the baptismal register that commenced in 1830.

While “Evangelical Reformed Church” may have been an official title, the building and its congregation were colloquially known as the “German Reformed Church.” This name was used by soldiers who convalesced here in the months after the Battle of South Mountain in 1862. It also appears on the cornerstone, which was carved and placed in the southwest corner of the church in 1860 when it was expanded.

However, another inscribed stone introduces yet another name altogether absent from early documents in the church’s history. In the wall above the front door is a stone which reads “Church of the Resurrection, How amiable are thy Tabernacles O Lord of hosts.” The second part of this inscription is taken from the opening verse of the 84th Psalm.

Just when this stone was placed is not exactly known. It is located within a brick wall that was built in 1860 when the front of the church was extended to the large portico that dominates its façade today. However, due to its location, it is hard to identify in early photographs of the building because it is often shaded in the shadow cast by the ceiling of the porch. The earliest photographs to clearly show the stone date from the 1930s. By that time, the congregation was generally using the name “Resurrection Reformed Church,” such as in newspaper advertisements for services and special events.

So which name should we use? Any of these names are correct and reflect periods in the long and intriguing history of this beautiful landmark in historic Burkittsville. The South Mountain Heritage Society museum will be open tomorrow, Saturday, September 3, 2022 from 10:00 am until 3:00 pm. Stop by and learn more about the church and the village of Burkittsville!

Some of the most amazing details in the historic Resurrection Reformed Church which SMHS calls home are, unfortunately, ...
08/10/2022

Some of the most amazing details in the historic Resurrection Reformed Church which SMHS calls home are, unfortunately, beyond the public areas of the museum. Due to safety concerns and out of interest of preservation, the gallery which spans three sides of the nave is not open to the public. However, we want to share with you some of the incredible details that are visible from this vantage point and how they inform us about the history of this wonderful old building.

Click on the images below to explore the gallery of the South Mountain Heritage Society museum!

It is a beautiful day in Burkittsville and we hope you will join us on today’s historic house tour, which includes the m...
06/04/2022

It is a beautiful day in Burkittsville and we hope you will join us on today’s historic house tour, which includes the museum and our beautiful headquarters, the historic Resurrection Reformed Church. For house tour tickets, stop in at PJ Gilligan Mercantile on the town square for information. The tour sites are open from 12:00 until 4:00 pm. Afterwards, you can enjoy food and music at the Hamilton Willard Shafer Farm. Come out and discover the beauty and history of Burkittsville!

This Saturday, June 4, 2022, South Mountain Heritage Society will be open for our regular first Saturday museum day begi...
06/01/2022
South Mountain Heritage Society

This Saturday, June 4, 2022, South Mountain Heritage Society will be open for our regular first Saturday museum day beginning at 10:00 am.

Beginning at 12:00 pm until 4:00 pm, we will be one of the featured sites on the Burkittsville House Tour. Tickets may be purchased at the P.J. Gilligan Mercantile on the town square in Burkittsville for $30.00, proceeds support the preservation of the historic Hamilton Willard Shafer Farm which was Maj. Gen. William B. Franklin's headquarters during the Battle of South Mountain.

Included on the tour are:
- Horine's Store, the oldest commercial structure in Burkittsville which is restored to a mid-nineteenth century general store
- Weiner Tannery, once the industrial heart of the village and now a beautiful residence with gardens
- The Cost-Horine House, a beautifully-preserved example of vernacular Federal architecture
- South Mountain Heritage Society, the former Resurrection Reformed Church and a unique architectural landmark
- Saint Paul's Lutheran Church, an elegant Greek Revival church which served as a hospital during the Civil War
- Friends Goodwill, the farm of Henry Burkitt on which the eastern half of Burkittsville was laid out in the early-nineteenth century
- the Hamilton Willard Shafer Farm, affectionately known to many as "Mrs. Motherway's House," and the beneficiary of funds raised from the tour.

Learn more about the tour here: https://burkittsvillepreservationassociation.org/burkittsville-house-tour/

Since 1993, South Mountain Heritage Society has been dedicated to preserving and interpreting the history of Burkittsville, a wonderfully-preserved rural village in the scenic Middletown Valley of...

Signs of spring are all around the SMHS Museum, from the daffodils and forsythia blooming outside to welcoming visitors ...
04/04/2022

Signs of spring are all around the SMHS Museum, from the daffodils and forsythia blooming outside to welcoming visitors on our first museum day of 2022. There is another sign of spring which will soon arrive: our annual Makin' Hay 10K Run!

On Saturday, April 23, 2022, the Makin' Hay 10K Run will take place at Catoctin Creek Nature Park on Sumantown Road in Jefferson, Maryland. The race course takes participants through the rolling hills of the lower Middletown Valley, over two historic bridges and passed many farms which carry on the rural legacy of this region.

If you would like to run the course, you can sign-up here: https://runsignup.com/Race/MD/Middletown/SMHSMakinHay10K

We are also looking for volunteers to help with a number of tasks on the day of the race. If you can help us out, click here to sign-up: https://runsignup.com/Race/Volunteer/MD/Middletown/SMHSMakinHay10K

After two years, we are excited to share that Museum Days are returning to South Mountain Heritage Society! We will be o...
04/02/2022

After two years, we are excited to share that Museum Days are returning to South Mountain Heritage Society! We will be open on the first Saturday of each month from April through September from 10:00 am until 3:00 pm.

Stop by today to explore our exhibits which feature hundreds of artifacts telling the stories of the village of Burkittsville and the surrounding region. Take a guided tour of the historic Resurrection Reformed Church and learn about the incredibly history and unique architecture of this Burkittsville landmark.

We also invite you to stay tuned for information about future special exhibits to come later this season!

Did you know that one of the ministers to serve Resurrection Reformed Church (the building which South Mountain Heritage...
02/17/2022
Male and Female Colored School No. 1 Timeline – The Peale

Did you know that one of the ministers to serve Resurrection Reformed Church (the building which South Mountain Heritage Society calls home) was an early leader in education equality for Black children in Baltimore?

Rev. Dr. George Lewis Staley led Resurrection Reformed Church for just three years, from 1846 until 1849, but his connection to the congregation and the Burkittsville Community endured long afterward. In addition to his ministerial work, his passion seems to have been education. After leaving this charge in 1849, he relocated to Baltimore where he founded the Mount Vernon Female Seminary. This school was closed during the Civil War, but in 1864, Rev. Staley started a second institution of higher education for female students at Tryconnel, a historic farm located a few miles south of Burkittsville on the road leading to Knoxville and Berlin (Brunswick).

After twenty years leading St. John's Female Seminary at Tryconnel, Rev. Dr. Staley returned to Baltimore to serve as principal of the graded "Colored School" which was conducted in a cramped, unsuitable, and under-funded facility. Between 1883 and 1888, he petitioned city leaders and garnered support of influential citizens in the cause for building a new facility for the school. He also worked to advance the academic offerings of the institution. In the fall of 1888, the "New Colored High School" opened its doors on Saratoga Street and welcomed 643 students. Rev. Dr. Staley retired in 1900, though he continued to support the school until his death in 1908.

Today, the "New Colored High School" is known as Frederick Douglass High School, one of the oldest schools in the United States to have been founded for the secondary education of African American students. Click the link below from the Peale Museum to learn more about this institution and Rev. Dr. Staley's founding role in its history.

Male and Female Colored School No. 1 Timeline A Working Timeline by Dean Krimmel, Mary Ellen Hayward, and The Contemporary The Peale building as seen in an 1877 photo. BCLM Collection MC 10410, Maryland Historical Society. Introduction Terminology and Citations Special Thanks Contact Us Prelude to P...

01/01/2022

While it was impossible to open the museum for our regular New Year’s Eve gathering, the 700 pound bell in the museum’s tower rang out at midnight to herald the coming of 2022!

This tradition dates back almost 150 years in Burkittsville and South Mountain Heritage Society is proud to carry it on. And we hope that when we ring in 2023, we can do it together again with our friends and community present!

This year, as we look to the best interest of the safety of our friends and community, Museums by Candlelight is taking ...
12/08/2021
Museums by Candlelight

This year, as we look to the best interest of the safety of our friends and community, Museums by Candlelight is taking place virtually.

Click below to explore our museum collections including hundreds of historic photographs, documents, and artifacts from the Burkittsville Area. You can also view a video introduction to our historic building and view photographs of past year's holiday decorations.

We look forward to seeing visitors in person soon, but for now, all of us at SMHS wish you a most happy, safe, and healthy holiday season!

South Mountain Heritage Society is pleased to share our "virtual" Museums by Candlelight in 2020 since we cannot join together in-person safely for this beloved holiday tradition. Each year, we...

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PO Box 509, 3 East Main Street
Burkittsville, MD
21718

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Signs of spring are all around the SMHS Museum, from the daffodils and forsythia blooming outside to welcoming visitors on our first museum day of 2022. There is another sign of spring which will soon arrive: our annual Makin' Hay 10K Run!

On Saturday, April 23, 2022, the Makin' Hay 10K Run will take place at Catoctin Creek Nature Park on Sumantown Road in Jefferson, Maryland. The race course takes participants through the rolling hills of the lower Middletown Valley, over two historic bridges and passed many farms which carry on the rural legacy of this region.

If you would like to run the course, you can sign-up here: https://runsignup.com/Race/MD/Middletown/SMHSMakinHay10K

We are also looking for volunteers to help with a number of tasks on the day of the race. If you can help us out, click here to sign-up: https://runsignup.com/Race/Volunteer/MD/Middletown/SMHSMakinHay10K
After two years, we are excited to share that Museum Days are returning to South Mountain Heritage Society! We will be open on the first Saturday of each month from April through September from 10:00 am until 3:00 pm.

Stop by today to explore our exhibits which feature hundreds of artifacts telling the stories of the village of Burkittsville and the surrounding region. Take a guided tour of the historic Resurrection Reformed Church and learn about the incredibly history and unique architecture of this Burkittsville landmark.

We also invite you to stay tuned for information about future special exhibits to come later this season!
Did you know that one of the ministers to serve Resurrection Reformed Church (the building which South Mountain Heritage Society calls home) was an early leader in education equality for Black children in Baltimore?

Rev. Dr. George Lewis Staley led Resurrection Reformed Church for just three years, from 1846 until 1849, but his connection to the congregation and the Burkittsville Community endured long afterward. In addition to his ministerial work, his passion seems to have been education. After leaving this charge in 1849, he relocated to Baltimore where he founded the Mount Vernon Female Seminary. This school was closed during the Civil War, but in 1864, Rev. Staley started a second institution of higher education for female students at Tryconnel, a historic farm located a few miles south of Burkittsville on the road leading to Knoxville and Berlin (Brunswick).

After twenty years leading St. John's Female Seminary at Tryconnel, Rev. Dr. Staley returned to Baltimore to serve as principal of the graded "Colored School" which was conducted in a cramped, unsuitable, and under-funded facility. Between 1883 and 1888, he petitioned city leaders and garnered support of influential citizens in the cause for building a new facility for the school. He also worked to advance the academic offerings of the institution. In the fall of 1888, the "New Colored High School" opened its doors on Saratoga Street and welcomed 643 students. Rev. Dr. Staley retired in 1900, though he continued to support the school until his death in 1908.

Today, the "New Colored High School" is known as Frederick Douglass High School, one of the oldest schools in the United States to have been founded for the secondary education of African American students. Click the link below from the Peale Museum to learn more about this institution and Rev. Dr. Staley's founding role in its history.

While it was impossible to open the museum for our regular New Year’s Eve gathering, the 700 pound bell in the museum’s tower rang out at midnight to herald the coming of 2022!

This tradition dates back almost 150 years in Burkittsville and South Mountain Heritage Society is proud to carry it on. And we hope that when we ring in 2023, we can do it together again with our friends and community present!
This year, as we look to the best interest of the safety of our friends and community, Museums by Candlelight is taking place virtually.

Click below to explore our museum collections including hundreds of historic photographs, documents, and artifacts from the Burkittsville Area. You can also view a video introduction to our historic building and view photographs of past year's holiday decorations.

We look forward to seeing visitors in person soon, but for now, all of us at SMHS wish you a most happy, safe, and healthy holiday season!
Looking for some spooky South Mountain history to add to your Halloween festivities? Madeleine Vinton Dahlgren is here to help out!

In 1882, Dahlgren, a novelist, poet, and commentator who established a summer residence at the Mountain House, a historic tavern along the National Pike in Turner's Gap, published "South Mountain Magic." Amid her thoughts on the occult and mysticism, Dahlgren collected legends and stories told by residents of the scattered hamlets along South Mountain, including ghosts, apparitions, monsters, and witches. Her book includes stories of hauntings in the Mountain House and the life of Michael Zittle, the wizard of Zittlestown who performed magic from an ancient German spell book.

Today, Madeleine Dahlgren is best remembered locally for the beautiful Chapel of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, otherwise known as Dahlgren Chapel, which she built the year before "South Mountain Magic" was published. The chapel stands on the Turner's Gap battlefield, opposite the National Pike from the Mountain House.

Happy reading: https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/005777103
Mattie Dempsey and Flo Smith became acquainted several years ago at our book sale. Now they are best friends! And of course they return every year to load up on books.

We've got even more great books than before. Come and see! We're open 8-4 every Saturday for the rest of October.
In two weeks, the South Mountain Heritage Society will open our doors for the Annual Gigantic Used-Book Sale. We are presently looking for volunteers to help each Saturday during the month of October. You can sign up for either a morning (8:00 am to 12:00 pm) or afternoon (12:00 pm - 4:00 pm) shift.

Face coverings will be required for volunteers and customers (if you need a face covering, we will provide you with one). Hand sanitizer and gloves will also be available to customers and volunteers.

Please click below if you are interested in volunteering for this year's book sale!
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Other Burkittsville museums (show all)

Brunswick Heritage Museum Newcomer House Tolson's Chapel and School Boonsborough Museum of History National Road Heritage Foundation Hagerstown Model Railroad Museum Historic Shepherdstown & Museum Washington County Rural Heritage Museum Hagerstown & Frederick Railway Historical Society, Inc. Catoctin Furnace Historical Society, Inc.