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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!
