National Historic Register Nomination for Antietam Farm, Sharpsburg, MD

Abstract

Antietam Farm is a historic vernacular farmstead located south of Sharpsburg in Washington County, Maryland. The farm, set in an agricultural area of high historical interest, reflects the development and events in this part of Washington County. David Showman acquired 220 acres in 1842 and built the farmhouse ca. 1844. The house has Federal and Greek Revival elements, contrasting with the German vernacular farmhouses in the region. Sharpsburg and the surrounding area were the location of the 1862 Battle of Antietam. Following the Battle, the house was the headquarters for Union General Ambrose Burnside and the Union Army’s 9th Corps. President Abraham Lincoln visited the Antietam battlefield and met with Burnside at this house. Some 70,000 Union troops occupied the region for an extended time, devastating the region’s agriculture and farms. Over the last three decades, the owners have carefully restored the farm to its mid-19th-century appearance. The result is a property whose historical significance, integrity, and contributing resources make it eligible for the National Register of Historic Places under Criteria A and C.