GATH: The Man and His Mountain

GATH: The Man and His Mountain (HMO9)

Location: Knoxville, MD 21758 Sacramento County
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Country: United States of America
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N 39° 24.297', W 77° 38.384'

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Inscription
George Alfred Townsend, known by his pen name of "GATH," was born in Georgetown, Delaware, in 1841. One of the youngest and most renowned special correspondents of his time, he reported on politics and war in both the United States and abroad. In 1860, Gath's natural talent and classical education earned him a job with the Philadelphia Inquirer. In 1861 he transferred to the New York Herald, where he reported on the Civil War. Noted for investigative journalism, his reports and commentaries were accurate, informative, and descriptive. He had begun a prolific writing career.

After the war, in 1865, Gath married his high school sweetheart, Elizabeth Evans Rhodes of Philadelphia. Bessie, as she was known, loved his writing. In 1884, Gath observed that "mankind is always interesting, but is also fatiguing." Wanting a summer retreat, he built his baronial Gapland estate on this property over a ten year period. In 1896, Gath unveiled Gapland's crown jewel, his War Correspondents Memorial Arch. He dedicated it to his colleagues, both North and South, who reported on the Civil War.

Eventually Gath's prose style became less popular and no longer sustained his lavish lifestyle. In 1903, after the death of Bessie, he slipped into perpetual mourning to the detriment of his health. He became a virtual recluse. Townsend left Gapland in 1911 and moved to the residence of his daughter and son-in-law in New York. He began his memoirs but died in 1914 before he could finish them. Buried beside Bessie in a Philadelphia cemetery, he never returned to Gapland. Today, despite a rich literary legacy and this marvelous estate, Gath is a largely forgotten figure.

Donated to the people of the United States by The Friends of South Mountain Battlefield.
Details
HM NumberHMO9
Tags
Placed ByBlue and Gray Education Society
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Tuesday, September 2nd, 2014 at 9:26am PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 272713 N 4365040
Decimal Degrees39.40495000, -77.63973333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 39° 24.297', W 77° 38.384'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds39° 24' 17.82" N, 77° 38' 23.04" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)301
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 12700 Appalachian Trail, Knoxville MD 21758, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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