Antietam National Cemetery

SHARPSBURG -- Antietam National Cemetery will be closed temporarily while a flagpole near the cemetery entrance is replaced, according to a press release from Antietam National Battlefield Superintendent John W. Howard. The closure will begin Monday, and the cemetery will reopen as soon as the 85-foot flagpole is installed, Howard said. The existing flagpole was damaged during a storm on June 4. For information, call the battlefield at 301-432-7648 or 301-432-5124.

SHARPSBURG - Beginning today, there will be no parking on either side of the Sharpsburg's main street from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. so the street can be milled and then paved. The parking ban will extend from Antietam National Cemetery on the east end of town to Sharpsburg Elementary School at the west end of town. The ban, which will not be in effect over the weekend - July 26 and 27 - will resume Monday, July 28, and continue through Wednesday, July 30.

With Memorial Day approaching, Anna and James M. Harnish of Fairview this week decorated their son's grave at St. Paul's Church Cemetery near Clear Spring. The couple placed flowers, a cross and a pinwheel in memory of their son, James L. Harnish, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps in Germany in the 1960s. He died in 2007. Anna Harnish, 81, said although the flowers were artificial, she did her part to keep alive an American tradition that dates to the aftermath of the Civil War. “It signifies remembrance,” she said.

Remembering those who served Following is a list of Tri-State area Memorial Day observances: Memorial Day parade Where - Main Street from Sharpsburg Elementary School to Antietam National Cemetery, Sharpsburg When - Saturday, May 23 Free Activities in the town square include the dedication of the town clock at 10:45 a.m., music by Rohrersville Band at 11:15 a.m. and a wreath-laying ceremony at noon. Retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Philip Coady, first commander of USS Antietam, is grand marshal.

Battlefield photos by Tim Johnson In honor of today's 144th anniversary of the Battle of Antietam - the bloodiest single day of battle in American history, here are some of Tim Johnson's images from Antietam. At first glance, the "ghosts" aren't always obvious. Looking out over a cornfield or a sunken road north of Sharpsburg, the true gruesomeness of war isn't, either. "I just think it's a way to let people try to remember it's not just a field," photographer Tim Johnson says of the images he creates at Civil War battlefields such as Antietam.

SHARPSBURG - In addition to honoring local veterans with more solemn services, at least three local towns will celebrate the Memorial Day holiday weekend with parades. Boonsboro-area resident Army National Guard Maj. Gen. Boyd M. Cook will be the grand marshal for Sharpsburg's annual Memorial Day parade this Saturday, says Sharpsburg Town Councilwoman Patti Hammond. Cook is the Department of Defense's appointed Maryland chair for employer support of the guard and reserve. A Memorial Day parade and service will be held in Boonsboro on Sunday, May 28. The wreath-laying ceremony and memorial service start at 1 p.m. in front of the library.

wandaw@herald-mail.com SHARPSBURG - Visitors to Antietam National Cemetery will find the grave sites of eight black soldiers, who served in World War I and World War II, tucked away in the back corner of the cemetery. Pfc. Howard S. Puller of West Virginia, Sgt. Littleton Goens of Maryland and Lee I. Lavender, a cook, are among the buried soldiers whose names are barely legible on the weathered headstones containing their date of death and military rank. Unlike the other soldiers, these soldiers represent a "great irony," said John Howard, the cemetery's superintendent.

SHARPSBURG - There are few places that can be considered a "memorial town," Civil War historian Dennis Frye said Saturday. Sharpsburg is one of them. Frye, who also is chief historian at Harpers Ferry (W.Va.) National Historical Park, was the guest speaker at a Memorial Day wreath-laying ceremony at Sharpsburg's Town Square. The town not only is linked with the Sept. 17, 1862, Battle of Antietam, but it also is known for its service to wounded soldiers, Frye said. With 71 hospitals set up in town and the surrounding area, nearly 18,000 of the wounded temporarily would call Sharpsburg home, he said.

andrews@herald-mail.com SHARPSBURG - Solemn reflection followed lively parading in Sharpsburg on Saturday during the town's annual Memorial Day tribute. Following a wreath-laying ceremony, dozens of military organizations, community groups, school bands, politicians and pageant winners marched and rolled down Main Street. Bands played, batons twirled, firetrucks honked. Hundreds of spectators clapped, cheered and called out their thanks to those who serve them. The youngest in the crowd waited with open hands, bowls and even an upside-down umbrella for candy tossed their way. The procession outlasted a brief, light rain as it headed east before finishing near Antietam National Cemetery.

With Memorial Day approaching, Anna and James M. Harnish of Fairview this week decorated their son's grave at St. Paul's Church Cemetery near Clear Spring. The couple placed flowers, a cross and a pinwheel in memory of their son, James L. Harnish, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps in Germany in the 1960s. He died in 2007. Anna Harnish, 81, said although the flowers were artificial, she did her part to keep alive an American tradition that dates to the aftermath of the Civil War. “It signifies remembrance,” she said.

Sharpsburg Elementary School fifth-grader Kahlin Stydinger said placing American flags on the graves at Antietam National Cemetery was a way to reward the Civil War soldiers buried there because of what they fought for.  “That's the only reason why we don't have slavery today,” she said. “All of these people sacrificed their lives.” Sharpsburg fifth-grader Mason Gumm also said placing the flags by the graves recognizes what the soldiers accomplished. “These people helped this country be one and unite both halves, the south and the north,” he said.

A fitting way to cap off this past weekend's events commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Antietam, a remembrance ceremony Monday paid tribute to the thousands of men who died as a result of America's bloodiest day. More than 100 people attended the event, which featured the reading of about 3,400 names of soldiers killed at Antietam or who died later from their wounds, according to National Park Service Ranger Alann Schmidt. “We thought it would be something nice, something special; a little more meaningful for our 150th anniversary,” he said.

When the dust settled and the smoke cleared after the Sept. 17, 1862, Battle of Antietam, thousands of soldiers lay dead or wounded on the rolling fields near Sharpsburg. "For one day of battle, there would be really long, long, long lasting impacts," said Alann Schmidt, a park ranger at Antietam National Battlefield. "A lot of folks focus on the troop movements from the battle, but it doesn't take long until the glory and rush of battle give way to the harsh reality of what you're faced with in a practical and logistical sense afterward," Schmidt said.

In September 1862, a majority of Sharpsburg residents fled their homes as Union and Confederate soldiers converged on the town to wage war. Now, almost 150 years later, Antietam National Battlefield officials are bracing for an influx of another sort. Susan Trail, a National Park Service ranger and superintendent at the battlefield, said Wednesday during a Hagerstown-Washington County Chamber of Commerce breakfast that thousands of tourists are expected to attend the sesquicentennial celebration of the battle from Sept.

For Connie Knight, the parade was, in part, a march down memory lane. As she sat with her sisters among spirited throngs packing Main Street in Sharpsburg Saturday afternoon, Knight recalled marching in the Memorial Day parade with her elementary school class. But more than that, Knight said, the event serves as a reminder. “I think it's very important that we remember our veterans and our soldiers and celebrate this day,” said Knight, 69, of Sharpsburg. “Pay honor.” A memorial ceremony kicked off the 145th Memorial Day Commemoration during late morning.

Sharpsburg officials have been preparing all week for Saturday's 145th Sharpsburg Memorial Day commemoration. The event, which usually draws between 8,000 and 10,000 people, will include a memorial ceremony and a Memorial Day parade. “We've got all the bands lined up, and we got all the flags up Wednesday night,” Sharpsburg Vice-Mayor Bryan Gabriel said Friday. “We're getting our grandstand ready down at the square.” More than 90 organizations in the area are scheduled to be featured in the parade.

Sharpsburg Elementary fifth-grade students placed flags on the graves of soldiers at Antietam National Cemetery on Thursday, May 26. The students were accompanied by National Park Service rangers, chaperones and classroom teachers Cindy Weaver and Kim Rishell. Betty Otto Kretzer, a park ranger at the time this event was started 23 years ago, originated the idea of having students place flags on the soldiers' graves.   Potters to open kiln at Boonsboro site Local potters Blair Meerfeld and Allison Severance invite visitors to their first public kiln opening Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The wood-fired salt kiln is located at Searchwell Farm, 18839 Manor Church Road, Boonsboro.

One person called it "small-town USA at its best" and another a "back-then town. " Sharpsburg's Memorial Day commemoration, which was held Saturday, has been a town custom for 144 years. The community marked the holiday with a parade, wreath-laying ceremony and service at Antietam National Cemetery. Sharpsburg Mayor Hal Spielman said the events are important traditions for Sharpsburg, although attendance has been waning. "We'd have a lot more people here when I was a kid," Spielman said after dignitaries and veterans' organizations placed 32 wreaths on town square.

Mark P. Brugh's original play "Antietam Anthologies: 1862" examines the messy work - and messy politics - of identifying, relocating and re-interring the bodies of Confederate soldiers six years after the Battle of Antietam. "I wanted people to know the names of the people from Sharpsburg who did heroic acts of bravery and exhibited valor in the wake of adversity," said Brugh, as actors arrived for a recent Wednesday night rehearsal. "Antietam Anthologies" premieres Friday night and continues through Sunday, Sept.