Log House

High winds helped feed the flames of a fire that destroyed a two-story log house Monday night at 10943 Mowersville Road in Lurgan Township, Pa., Newburg-Hopewell Fire Co. Chief Edgar Hoover said. Hoover said the fire started earlier in the day in the chimney. The homeowners thought they had the fire under control, he said, but it flared up Monday night and quickly spread through the walls. “They (initially) dealt with it themselves,” Hoover said. “It obviously had extension they didn’t know about.

A fire caused $200 in damages Saturday to a one-story log house that was under construction on Old Forge Road near Smithsburg, the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office said. The fire was discovered by the Smithsburg deputy fire chief at 10:36 p.m. in the 22000 block of Old Forge Road, according to a fire marshal's office news release. Authorities said the fire started accidentally when rags used to stain logs spontaneously combusted. The fire was out when firefighters arrived.

julieg@herald-mail.com WASHINGTON COUNTY - An approximately 144-year-old house got a new home Wednesday and one day could be near a living history village, a Washington County Agricultural Education Center official said. The families of the late brothers, Paul and Charles Poffenberger, donated the log house to the center's rural farmstead off Sharpsburg Pike, said Dick Schukraft, the Ag Center's fund-raising chairman. The inside of the house could be open for public viewing as early as spring, according to Schukraft and Gerald Poffenberger, who is Charles Poffenberger's son and president of the Ag Center.

waynesboro@herald-mail.com MERCERSBURG, Pa. - The Mercersburg Borough Council voted to accept a historic apartment building that was gutted in a September fire in "as-is" condition with the stipulation that the borough pay to finish the demolition of the burned-out structure. The council agreed to accept the building Tuesday following a 40-minute executive session with the borough attorney, said Betty Stenger, chairwoman of the borough's Historical Architectural Review board.

A fire Wednesday that destroyed a two-story log house on Broadfording Road west of Hagerstown caused about $115,000 in damages, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal's office. The loss to the house was estimated at $100,00 and damage to contents in the house was estimated at $15,000, according to a news release. The cause of the fire remained under investigation, the release said. The home is owned by Jack Conrad, fire officials said. No one was home when the fire began, fire officials said.

Bowman House, at 323 N. Main St. in Boonsboro, was the residence and "Boonsboro Pottery" of John Bowman for about 40 years after he purchased it in 1868. The house and 2.6 acres on the National Pike were given to Boonsboro Historical Society in 1971 by Charles Smith, a grandson of Bowman. This is the third season that Bowman House has been open to the public for tours and living history in the form of open-hearth cooking demonstrations the fourth Sunday of the month, usually between March and October, according to Jan Wetterer, Boonsboro Historical Society spokeswoman.

When the cholera reached epidemic proportions for laborers on the C&O Canal near Williamsport in 1931-32, the presence of Rev. Father Timothy Ryan helped to comfort the sick and dying. Near the river town, Father Ryan established a hospital in a log house on the "Friend Farm. " Land near the structure was used as a burial site for victims of the dreaded disease. Today, the site is known as Hospital Hill. It was under Father Ryan's pastorate that on July 4, 1826, the cornerstone was laid for Saint Mary's Church in Hagerstown.

A faulty electrical wire started a fire that caused minor damage to an old log house Thursday afternoon near Clear Spring, a fire official said. Clear Spring Volunteer Fire Co. Chief Mike Reid said the fire was reported at 1:43 p.m. in the 13600 block of St. Paul Road. The exact address of the house was not visible on the property. The call was reported as a fire near the intersection of St. Paul and Broadfording roads. Reid said firefighters were able to isolate the fire to a rear corner of the house and get the flames under control in a few minutes.

The small log house settles into a hollow facing Md. 85 just east of Buckystown, Md., in Frederick County and is a little way from its original Washington County home. The house originally stood along what is now Alternate U.S. 40, the Old National Pike. Built at the end of the 18th century or the beginning of the 19th, the house sat on the north side of the road, down the western slope of South Mountain, close to Md. 67, southeast of Boonsboro. Now near Buckystown, the house is newly refurbished, set on stone foundations with a large stone chimney on its west side.

waynesboro@herald-mail.com MERCERSBURG, PA. - A 214-year-old, two-story log house, discovered when a fire in 2003 destroyed the building surrounding it, is being stabilized by a log-building expert while the Mercersburg Borough Council decides what to do with it. "Everybody has different ideas," Borough Manager Arthur "Artie" Speicher said of the range of proposals among borough council members. The building has significant history in that its builder, Archibald Irwin, had ties to two American presidents.

A fire caused $200 in damages Saturday to a one-story log house that was under construction on Old Forge Road near Smithsburg, the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office said. The fire was discovered by the Smithsburg deputy fire chief at 10:36 p.m. in the 22000 block of Old Forge Road, according to a fire marshal's office news release. Authorities said the fire started accidentally when rags used to stain logs spontaneously combusted. The fire was out when firefighters arrived.

A faulty electrical wire started a fire that caused minor damage to an old log house Thursday afternoon near Clear Spring, a fire official said. Clear Spring Volunteer Fire Co. Chief Mike Reid said the fire was reported at 1:43 p.m. in the 13600 block of St. Paul Road. The exact address of the house was not visible on the property. The call was reported as a fire near the intersection of St. Paul and Broadfording roads. Reid said firefighters were able to isolate the fire to a rear corner of the house and get the flames under control in a few minutes.

In the mid-1700s, British soldiers on the way to battle might have marched right past the property on the old road crossing South Mountain. A century later, just after a battle nearby, Civil War armies did rush past on the same road, barely 12 paces away from the front door of the property's new log farmhouse. Today, the new battle threatening the old log house, barn and outbuildings at 20725 Reno Monument Road is the nation's ongoing economic struggle. With its owner in bankruptcy, the property has deteriorated.

Over the centuries, the 18th-century log house being renovated on the Shepherd University campus has been a private home, a sorority house, a day-care center, a home-economics classroom, and, until last month, a storage unit. The university has spent about $68,000 on renovations so far. The one-and-a-half story frame house is believed to have been built between 1772 and 1793 by Femetghe and Clarkson Freeman. It's on East High Street between Snyder and Knutti halls. It's easily recognized by its peeling yellow paint.

High winds helped feed the flames of a fire that destroyed a two-story log house Monday night at 10943 Mowersville Road in Lurgan Township, Pa., Newburg-Hopewell Fire Co. Chief Edgar Hoover said. Hoover said the fire started earlier in the day in the chimney. The homeowners thought they had the fire under control, he said, but it flared up Monday night and quickly spread through the walls. “They (initially) dealt with it themselves,” Hoover said. “It obviously had extension they didn’t know about.

A fire Wednesday that destroyed a two-story log house on Broadfording Road west of Hagerstown caused about $115,000 in damages, according to the Maryland State Fire Marshal's office. The loss to the house was estimated at $100,00 and damage to contents in the house was estimated at $15,000, according to a news release. The cause of the fire remained under investigation, the release said. The home is owned by Jack Conrad, fire officials said. No one was home when the fire began, fire officials said.

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- Firefighters from at least four departments battled a blaze Wednesday that destroyed a two-story log house at 17163 Broadfording Road west of Hagerstown. Maugansville Goodwill Volunteer Fire Co. Chief Bill Garrett said the house that was owned by Jack Conrad was a total loss. "When we came out of the station, we could see the smoke from the road," Garrett said. Smoke could be seen around 2 p.m. from at least a mile away, floating over cow pastures and barns in the area.

This is the 181st in a series of articles about the historical and architectural treasures of Washington County. CHEWSVILLE - Waltz Road tees into Twin Springs Drive (Chewsville's main street) just west of its intersection with Md. 64. Its single lane heads north, cluttered with small houses, outbuildings, vehicles and a warning that there is no outlet. Abruptly it crosses a railroad and turns right to follow along beside the track. Eventually easing away, it arrives at a sign held in brick posts topped with tulip-shaped finials that announces: Waltz Farm Est. 1774.

o This is the 173rd in a series of articles about the historical and architectural treasures of Washington County. Mount Briar Road runs south-southeast from Dogstreet Road below Keedysville. Built on a hill close to the road stands a large log house with successive stone wings stepping up the rise. A broad, fenced yard stretches to the left. On the right, near the small run that meanders north of the house, stands a stone springhouse and a summer kitchen with plank walls and a massive stone chimney.

Trick-or-treating and more in the Tri-State The Hagerstown Suns invite parents to bring their children to Municipal Stadium from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, for a free trick or treat event. Attendees are encouraged to come in costume. The ballpark will be filled with spooky activities including a ghost stories booth, Halloween carnival games and a trick-or-treat path. Prizes will be awarded for the scariest, most unique and best overall costumes. The event will be held in the Hagerstown Trust Plaza at the front entrance of Municipal Stadium.