Railroad to Reunion

— Antietam Campaign 1862 —

After the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862, soldiers' families traveled by rail to Hagerstown or Frederick, and then by horse and buggy to the site to recover the bodies of loved ones or to search for survivors. Thus began a constant stream of battlefield visitors that still continues. A regular Decoration Day commemoration (a forerunner of Memorial Day) began in May 1868 with a parade through Sharpsburg and the decoration of soldiers' graves.

In 1883, the Shenandoah Valley Railway reached Sharpsburg, where the small frame Sharpsburg Station welcomed visitors to town. Every Memorial Day thousands of veterans and families passed through the station to attend parades and reunions. Soon, slate curbing and wide walkways flanked the road from the station to the cemetery. Norway maples, some of which still survive, were planted beside the road to shade veterans and their families.

Fire destroyed Sharpsburg Station in 1910, and the next year the Norfolk & Western Railway completed the present freight and passenger station in time for the 50th anniversary of the battle. Veterans also returned for the 75th anniversary in 1937; President Franklin D. Roosevelt attended the huge reenactment.

The station, renamed Antietam after two trains collided when engineers confused the words Sharpsburg and Shepherdstown, closed late in the 1950s. A private citizen bought it and turned it around so that the bay window, which once allowed stationmasters to look up and down the tracks, faced the road.

Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.

Show me all markers in:  Sharpsburg, MD  |  Washington County  |  21782  |  Maryland  |  United States of America

Grove Farm
1862 Antietam Campaign
Headquarters Site Gen. R.E. Lee
First Methodist Cemetery
Grove House
Longstreet's Command
Jackson's Command
Sharpsburg Bluebirds
Kemper's (Va) Brigade
Sharpsburg's Big Spring

• GPX
• KML
• LOC

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.