Log House

janeth@herald-mail.com History surrounds Hagerstown Day Nursery at the corner of Washington and Locust streets near downtown. Not only is the day care housed in a building that is on the National Register of Historic Places, but it is also one of Maryland's oldest chartered charitable institutions, according to the nursery's brochure. The nursery opened in 1815 as a school for destitute children between the ages for 5 and 12. Isabella Neill and three other female benefactors opened the school and began teaching, modeling it after the "Ragged Schools" in Philadelphia that were started to educate needy children.

The board of directors of the Washington County Agricultural Education Center recently kicked off a fund-raising effort with a donation of $2,500 from MidAtlantic Farm Credit. The donation will help support the Rural Heritage Village Project, the latest phase in the Ag Center's development. Established eight years ago to foster knowledge about the agricultural history and heritage of Washington County, the Ag Center Park, on Md. 65 south of Hagerstown, is home to the Rural Heritage Museum.

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.

MERCERSBURG, Pa. - State Police investigators confirmed Tuesday the fire that destroyed a historic building in Center Square Friday began inside the second-floor apartment of a man who jumped from a side window of the burning building. Investigators also confirmed the resident, William Hamilton, suffered carbon monoxide inhalation, burns to his hands and a broken leg from the blaze and his ensuing leap. The fire, which gutted the inside of the 16-apartment building and destroyed much of its roof, erupted at approximately 6:10 a.m. Friday at the Carriage House Hotel, 5 S. Main St. Police said a cigarette ash from an ashtray left in the area of a love seat was the cause of the fire, which caused approximately $500,000 in damages.

andrear@herald-mail.com The Berkeley County (W.Va.) Historical Society will host its fourth annual Fall Tour of Homes this weekend. Tours of seven historical properties in West Virginia's Eastern Panhandle will be offered from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6, and Sunday, Sept. 7. Properties on the tour include: The Benjamin Snyder House, an arts and crafts-style bungalow built in 1925. The Newcomer brick and log mansion next door has a connection to Confederate spy Belle Boyd.

House being restored to circa 1862 condition By JULIE E. GREENE / Staff Writer SHARPSBURG - What was once a dilapidated house surrounded by abandoned cars could become an example of historic restoration and a popular tourism spot. Civil War enthusiast William F. Chaney plans to open a Civil War museum and gift shop in a historic home east of Sharpsburg by early spring 2001. Chaney is restoring the circa 1790s house at 18422 Shepherdstown Pike to the way it would have looked in September 1862 during the Battle of Antietam.

Dry Spring Farm Editor's note : This is the 130th in a series of articles about the historical and architectural treasures of Washington County. Terms to know Batten door : a door built by nailing boards (battens) together in a variety of ways. Corbeled : decorated with projections, each jutting out more than the one below. Finial : a pointed, symmetrical ornament. Kas : a large, standing wardrobe with doors and wide, elaborate molding at its top. This furniture style came from Germany and Holland, and was used during the 18th century.

From the tools to build it to the banks to finance it, everything needed to put a roof over your head was under one roof Saturday at Home Show 2007 at Hagerstown Community College's Athletic, Recreation and Community Center. Some of the hundreds of people walking about the 200 exhibitor booths were looking to start from scratch on a new house. "We're looking to downsize. I'm not sure where we're going yet, but we're looking for ideas," said Donna Crider of Chambersburg, Pa. She and her husband, Clark, plan to build a house when they retire.

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.

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.