Save Historic Antietam Foundation

Hello folks,

I just wanted to bring you up to date with SHAF activities and what we have been doing lately.  And of course any time you have questions about hat we’re doing feel free to drop an email to antietam@verizon.net, or send a Facebook message, etc.

For the past year and a half the purchase and disposition of the Boyer House/War Wounds house has been keeping us busy. As you may recall, it was our intention to hold onto the house until the town of Sharpsburg could buy it from us. The intent was to use it as a stabilized ruin under the supervision of the town museum. To make a long story short, after protracted discussions, lawyers’ advice and a lot of other complications, that deal was terminated. We have agreed to let the town museum take documents and ephemera that pertain to the town, and SHAF is retaining ownership, for now. Once all the historic material is removed, we plan to clean out the house, place restrictive easements on it, and sell it. When that time comes, soon we hope, we will first list it to SHAF members so that anyone of you who wants to live in a very historic house in a very historic town, will get first chance at it. After a set amount of time (undetermined at this point) we will list it with a real estate agent. As you know, SHAF has never held property, especially structures; we place easements and sell property. This is how we have been so effective for a small organization with no paid staff. We will let you know ASAP when we are ready to sell.

As you know, we have worked cooperatively with the American Battlefield Trust for many years. The ABT recently purchased an 11-acre property directly behind the Dunker Church, extending to the bypass. This property, now used as farmland, constituted the lower portion of the West Woods at the time of the battle. Rather than contribute money to ABT for purchase, we have proposed to restore the land to its war-time appearance. This will entail planting hardwood saplings spaced widely apart to give the appearance of the original wood lot. This will be pricey, but we plan to ask for individual donors and place a plaque somewhere on the land to acknowledge those donors. All this will be done before ABT transfers the land to the NPS, which will happen eventually.

Speaking of property in that locale, the 9-acre Poffenberger tract, west of the Hagerstown Pike and across from the Visitors Center has already been transferred to the NPS. The non-historic house and dilapidated barn and shed have been approved for demolition by the NPS. We do not know when this will happen, but will let you know as soon as we know.

We are making plans for a Fall Work Day, hopefully some time in October. The tentative plan is to aid the NPS in removing non-native brush and trees from the East Woods. Antietam Battlefield has hired a biologist who is planning a restoration of the East Woods and has begun some clearing already.  We will announce the date as soon as we know it.

And, as always, we are grateful for any and all donations as we build up our treasury for the next purchase. We have a PayPal account and you can always send a check to PO Box 550 Sharpsburg MD 21782.