January 10 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
On Friday, January 10, join historian, author, and Antietam Battlefield guide Steve Stotelmyer as he explores a local South Mountain Civil War mystery, “The Legend of Wise’s Well: A South Mountain Mystery.”
This talk features the history of Fox’s Gap, a gap in South Mountain that witnessed some of the heaviest engagements of the Battle of South Mountain during the Civil War. Is the Legend of Wise’s Well simply an urban legend, or is there some truth to it, too?
This month’s cocktail is the Cranberry Pomegranate Bellini, a festive cocktail for the new year made of cranberry and pomegranate juice topped with Prosecco. Doors open at 5:30 PM and light hors d’oeuvres will be served!
Culture & Cocktails 2025 has been made possible by the generous support of the James and Mary Schurz Foundation.
$20 – $30
20 members/30 non-members
January 2, 2025
On Friday, January 10, join historian, author, and Antietam Battlefield guide Steve Stotelmyer as he explores a local South Mountain Civil War mystery, “The Legend of Wise’s Well: A South Mountain Mystery.” This talk features the history of Fox’s Gap, a gap in South Mountain that witnessed some of the heaviest engagements of the Battle of South Mountain during the Civil War. Is the Legend of Wise’s Well simply an urban legend, or is there some truth to it, too? This month’s cocktail is the Cranberry Pomegranate Bellini, a festive cocktail for the new year made of cranberry and pomegranate juice topped with Prosecco. Doors open at 5:30 PM and light hors d’oeuvres will be served! Culture & Cocktails 2025 has been made possible by the generous support of the James and Mary Schurz Foundation.
July 23, 2024
Did you know? Much of Downtown Hagerstown’s urban “look” dates from its late 19th and early 20th century glory days as a railroad hub. Join us on September 14 and learn about the fascinating architecture behind the buildings you pass daily as Dr. Paula Reed, an architectural historian, guides us on a walk back in time. During this tour, you will travel to the square and along the first blocks of Potomac and Washington Streets and learn about the many architectural styles and periods of Downtown Hagerstown. The tour will begin at 2:00 PM, and we will gather in front of the Miller House Museum. Be sure to dress for the weather and wear comfortable shoes and clothing. We will be walking about two miles. Tickets are very limited, with only 25 available; we hope to see you there!
July 14, 2024
By Zach Brooks and Abigail Koontz There’s a new exhibit at the Miller House Museum in downtown Hagerstown that recalls one of the most dramatic incidents in the city’s history. As if July were not hot enough, in the summer of 1864, the fourth summer of the Civil War, Confederate Brig. Gen. John McCausland rode into town and demanded $20,000 and 1,500 sets of clothing for his cavalrymen. And if Hagerstown’s residents did not meet the demand within four hours, he promised to burn the whole town down. By the afternoon of July 6, McCausland — who was part of a Confederate contingent led by Lt. Gen. Jubal Early and bent on taking the war straight to Washington — had taken control of Hagerstown. Mayor John Cook, a merchant, had fled north. McCausland convened with Councilman Matthew S. Barber, who also was treasurer of the Hagerstown Bank, and bank teller John H. Kausler at Byer’s Drug Store in Public Square; and then again, joined by Hagerstown Bank president and former Congressman James Dixon Roman, at the Washington County Courthouse. They reached an agreement to raise the $20,000, though there was a dispute over the provision of 1,500 suits of clothes. Eventually, McCausland […]
June 17, 2024
Article Author: Abigail Koontz (This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail July, 2024) While American gangsters Al Capone and Bugs Moran were terrorizing Chicago, over 631 miles away in Washington County, local moonshiner Harry “Snap” McCoy was busy distilling and selling illegal liquor in Hagerstown and the surrounding communities. McCoy’s story captures the turbulent years of Prohibition and the history of moonshiners active in Washington County during that time. McCoy was born Jan. 7, 1870, to blacksmith Elbert McCoy and Emma (Ardinger) of Williamsport. In 1878, Elbert died of tuberculosis, leaving Emma to care for five children. McCoy’s childhood in Williamsport was a bustling, novel one. The Cumberland Valley Railroad reached the outskirts of Williamsport in 1872. The following year, the Western Maryland Railroad ran directly into Williamsport, connecting to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. The railroad had a profound effect on McCoy. Although he only completed the fourth grade, by age 30 he worked as a conductor for the WMRR in Williamsport. A 1906 photograph in the Washington County Historical Society collection captures McCoy posing for the camera beside his friend, Sam McClannahan, at the train station. An oncoming train is visible just over their shoulders. In January 1919, […]
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