Historic House

by Kevin G. Gilbert / staff photographer see the enlargement Support grows for saving historic house The crusade to save one of Washington County's oldest homes has drawn interest from across the country. People from Westmoreland County, Pa., Tacoma, Wash., Pekin, Ill., and other places have pledged their support by e-mail, said Dick Hartle, of the Middleburg/Mason-Dixon Line Area Historical Society Inc. The unlikely allies are descendants of Johan Ludwig Kemmerer, the man who built the house in 1774.

The demolition of an historic house is like a death in the family - we celebrate the memory as we regret the demise. The Kammerer House, built in Washington County just south of State Line, Pa., in 1774, was razed five years ago. The Washington County Rural Heritage Museum commemorating the history of this old friend in a special display entitled "Houses Tell Their Own Stories. " The centerpiece of the presentation is the original Kammerer House date stone, inscribed with the year and the initials of the earliest owner/builder ("LK" for Ludwig Kammerer)

Local artists who helped expand the mural at the Rochester parking lot were honored during Tuesday night's meeting of Hagerstown's mayor and City Council. The expansion of the Rochester House mural was named the Mount Prospect mural because Mount Prospect was the name of the grounds on which the historic house sat, said lead artist Bettina Messersmith. Messersmith, Zoe Baker, Christine Chaney, Amy Evans, Ryan Mahon and Ed Grove, manager of Duron Paints & Wallcoverings, were given certificates of appreciation from the city and the Washington County Arts Council.

WILLIAMSPORT -- A proposed expansion of the Pinesburg Quarry in Williamsport was not approved Tuesday by the Washington County Commissioners, some of whom said the quarry must do more for nearby residents before they approve the expansion. Several county commissioners questioned how the expansion would affect wells and water quality in the area and asked what can be done for residents whose property is damaged by blasting. They also said they were concerned about what would happen to a historic house and barn on the site of the proposed expansion.

WASHINGTON COUNTY - A school for the arts in Hagerstown and a historic house in Sharpsburg are among 46 projects approved for state preservation tax credits. The Maryland Historical Trust on Wednesday announced $20 million in tax credits for buildings either on the National Register of Historic Places or that qualify to be on it. Cho Benn Holback + Associates, a Baltimore architectural firm, received a $1.4 million tax credit to renovate a past Elks lodge on South Potomac Street in Hagerstown.

She cried softly, taking one last walk through and around the historic Kammerer House, which is expected to begin coming down Monday. "It's the history of the community. It's a shame for it to have lasted this long just to knock it down," said Darlene Higgins, a member of the Middleburg/Mason-Dixon Line Area Historical Society, a group which has been trying to save the historic house since 1996. "It's the historic significance of the house," said Tom Waltz, 29, of Falling Waters, W.Va.

Summer means weekends on sandy beaches, mornings out in a boat, afternoons in the park and evenings in the back yard. But those are the days off. Weekdays in the Lifestyle department of The Herald-Mail are spent planning and preparing sections weeks in advance. So summer means something else - primarily juggling festivals and celebrations - while at work. I have a good idea what I'll be doing with the sunny months as we hammer out a schedule, taking account of newsworthiness, timeliness, service to readers and the ability to be creative.

marlob@herald-mail.com Plans for storing nearly 1,000 empty trailers on a 65-acre site near Williamsport were presented to the Washington County Planning Commission Monday despite the fact the business owner hasn't received approval for an earlier, smaller version because of a dispute over trees to screen the site. "There were 268 units before," said Stephen Goodrich, chief senior planner, who introduced the latest site concept that adds 731 new units spread over more acreage, bringing the total capacity to 999. Last July, Bowman Sales and Equipment Inc. President Todd Bowman presented the commission with a site plan for the property owned by Donald Bowman, but it was tabled due to a conflict over the type of shield trees to be used, county Planning Director Robert Arch said.

SHARPSBURG - When devising plans to turn Ferry Hill into a tourist attraction, C&O Canal National Historic Park officials have at least three options from which to choose, officials said. Canal Superintendent Doug Faris said the historic house and surrounding land along the Potomac River could be restored to look as it did: -- during the early years of the C&O Canal operation; -- when Civil War officer Henry Kyd Douglas was growing up there; -- around 1924 when the canal ceased operation.

Two ransack house, rob man CLEAR SPRING - Two men ransacked a house on Funkhouser Road and stole a loaded gun Sunday afternoon, according to the Washington County Sheriff's Department. James Turner, 68, was at home west of Clear Spring at about 3:45 p.m. when two men knocked on his door and asked if he had a truck for sale, deputies said. When he walked outside, the men put a pillow case over his head, deputies said. Turner was dragged back inside and the house was ransacked.

 The Conococheague Institute will host a seminar on historic spring houses in Montgomery Township, southern Franklin County, Pa., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10, at Welsh Barrens Visitors Center, Rock Hill Farm, 12995 Bain Road, Mercersburg, Pa. The seminar is free and is open to the public. RSVPs are required to ensure seating availability. Contact staff at 717-328-3467 or pioneerhistory@innernet.net to reserve a seat. Participants may bring their own lunch; sandwiches will be available for purchase with an RSVP.

1. Bike ride The fourth annual Ofc. Christopher Nicholson Memorial Law Ride will be Saturday, Oct. 8, beginning at 11:30 a.m. Registration will be 9 to 11 a.m. at Veterans Park in Smithsburg; the ride ends at the Improved Order of Redmen Conococheague Tribe 84. $25, lunch included; $15 per passenger. Call Mike Barnhart at 301-766-7204 or email mbarney1@myactv.net . 2. A tuneful Sunday Project Natalie perform jazz. 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 9. Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, City Park, Hagerstown.

Ice crystals clung to Karen Ramsburg's hair, but she didn't seem to mind as she braved damp and drizzling weather smiling to passing motorists hoping to spread awareness about the impending demolition of the historic Smith House in Mercersburg. With demolition set for Monday, about six people held signs and waved to passing motorists Saturday hoping for a last-ditch effort to save the house which dates to the mid-1700s. Ramsburg, former president of the Committee to Save the Justice William Smith House, said the house is the birthplace of the American Revolution and the Second Amendment right to bear arms.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. -- The house of Capt. John Kerney, Huxley Hall, was marked with a bronze plaque by the National Society Colonial Dames XVII century, Sir George Calvert Chapter of Maryland. It is one of the highest honors awarded for a house. The home is on Old Mill Road in Martinsburg. Kerney, who was born in 1745 and died in 1805, served with Captain Abraham Shepherd in a company of riflemen defending Fort Washington on Long Island, N.Y. The battle was a serious defeat for Gen. George Washington and the Continental Army.

Check history before changing name of alley To the editor: Please make sure someone researches the name "Cramer" before changing the name of Cramer's Alley. I called the city to warn them to check before changing the name. It had to be some person in our history. I don't live in the city, so I can't vote on a name, but I will suggest Cramer Avenue. We don't want to be embarrassed later when some historian comes forward with the history of the name Cramer's Alley.

MERCERSBURG, PA. -- Mercersburg residents concerned about the possible demolition of an 18th-century house have sent a letter to the MMP&W Fire Co. asking the department to refrain from razing the structure. The fire department purchased the former Nelling family house adjacent to its Main Street property after the stone and brick building remained listed for sale for about a year. Although MMP&W has not announced plans for the house, some residents have speculated the fire department wants to use the property for additional parking or a new access driveway.

DOWNSVILLE -- Susan Peterson is a bit uncomfortable with the idea of a story written solely about herself. If it has to be done, she said, she wants to make sure the people who helped her form the Hagers-town Area YMCA Lacrosse Association (HAYLA) are mentioned. Those partners were Erin Rafi, Sue Fahey and Mike Ewing. When Peterson and her husband, Jim, lived in Carroll County, Md., their children played lacrosse. But when the family moved to Washington County in 2002, there were few options for the sport.

HAGERSTOWN -- The Hagerstown City Council is considering whether to spend $40,000 to fix code violations on the exterior of the historic Alms House on North Locust Street. The council failed to reach an agreement Tuesday on a long-term plan for the abandoned structure that was built in the late 18th century and served as a hospital during the Civil War. The city bought the property in 2004 for $95,000. Councilman Lewis C. Metzner said Tuesday that the city had two options -- demolish the Alms House or pay a lot of money to maintain it. Some of the code violations include damaged sidewalks, deteriorated masonry and broken windows, according to public documents.

About this series Editor's note: This is the third story in a bimonthly series about local preservation efforts, an exploration of what motivates people to preserve historic sites or not to preserve them and how these decisions affect us all. Here's what's coming up in the series: o Price's Bridge, spans Conococheague Creek near the Pennsylvania border. The deteriorated five-arch stone bridge was built in 1822 to replace a wooden structure and is typical of early 19th-century bridges in Washington County.

WILLIAMSPORT -- A proposed expansion of the Pinesburg Quarry in Williamsport was not approved Tuesday by the Washington County Commissioners, some of whom said the quarry must do more for nearby residents before they approve the expansion. Several county commissioners questioned how the expansion would affect wells and water quality in the area and asked what can be done for residents whose property is damaged by blasting. They also said they were concerned about what would happen to a historic house and barn on the site of the proposed expansion.