Funkstown, Maryland
Encyclopedia
Funkstown is a town in Washington County
, Maryland
, United States
. The population was 983 at the 2000 census.
Funck’s Jerusalem Town
The plan for a village named “Jerusalem,” bounded on three sides by the Antietam Creek, was unveiled by Jacob Funck in 1767. The town boasted 177 lots, each being 82 feet 6 inches wide and 231 feet in length with one exception, lot #43 which by necessity was smaller. Shortly afterwards, lots were for sale and the town soon had fifteen log houses. Early residents referred to it as ‘Funck’s Jerusalem Town’ which became part of Washington County in 1776.
Work on a comfortable stone house of the proprietor of Jerusalem Town was completed in 1769. Jacob Funck, his wife Ann, and their family of four girls and two boys moved into their new residence on lot #165, now designated as 35 West Baltimore Street.
Since its very beginning, Funkstown was known for its mills. Their first mill was built in 1762. It was flourmill operated by Henry Funck. By 1785 Jerusalem was home for an iron furnace, brickyard, powder factory, grist and woolen mills and a host of inns and shops. The last mill built in 1859 was a flourmill which burned in September 1929. It was run by the Antietam Mill Company.
Jacob Funck was a Washington County Representative to the Maryland House of Delegates, 1785-1787. He divested himself of all land holdings in Washington County in 1791. That year, he and his family moved to Jefferson County, Kentucky where they lived until his death at the age of 67 in 1794.
Dr. Christian Borestler settled in Jerusalem around 1784. He brought with him 70 German families that settled in the community. Needless to say, German was the predominant language spoken.
Catawba, Delaware, Cherokee and Powhatan Indians lived in and traveled through this area hunting, fishing and farming. Antietam Creek is named after these Native Americans.
Funck’s Town – Funkstown
The first post office was established in Funck’s Town on December 24, 1816.
In 1823 the Old National Pike was built through Funck’s Town and the first of two stone arch bridges was constructed over the Antietam Creek. The first was built in 1823 by James Lloyd to allow traffic on the Old National Pike to pass over the creek on its way toward the Allegheny Mountains
The Town was incorporated as “Funkstown” in 1840.
The Civil War
Battle of Funkstown
took place July 10, 1863, during the Gettysburg Campaign
as Robert E. Lee
's Army of Northern Virginia
retreated toward Virginia
in the week following the Battle of Gettysburg
.
Union forces of the Army of the Potomac attacked the rear guard of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia during its retreat from Pennsylvania following the Battle of Gettysburg.
A strong Confederate presence at Funkstown threatened any Union advance against Gen. Robert E. Lee’s position near Williamsport and the Potomac River as he retreated to Virginia after the Battle of Gettysburg. Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart’s cavalry, posted at Funkstown, posed a serious risk to the Federal right and rear if the Union army lunged west from Boonsboro. Stuart, meanwhile, determined to wage a spirited defense to ensure Lee time to complete fortifications protecting his army and his avenue of retreat.
As Brig. Gen. John Buford’s Federal cavalry division cautiously approached Funkstown via the National Road on Friday morning July 10, 1863, it encountered Stuart’s crescent-shaped, three-mile-long battle line. It was Stuart’s first defensive battle since reentering Maryland. The high ground constituted Stuart’s extreme right, held by Preston Chew’s horse artillery. A nearby stone barn and barnyard wall proved a superb defensive position for the 34th Virginia Battalion’s dismounted cavalry.
Col. Thomas C. Devin’s dismounted Union cavalry brigade attacked about 8:00 a.m. By mid-afternoon, with Buford’s cavalrymen running low on ammunition and gaining little ground, Col. Lewis A. Grant’s First Vermont Brigade of infantry arrived and jabbed at the Confederate center less than one mile away. Unbeknownst to the Vermonters, Gen. George T. Anderson’s Confederate brigade now faced them, the first time opposing infantry had clashed since the Battle of Gettysburg. By early evening, the Union Army began withdrawing south towards Beaver Creek. Stuart had kept the Federals at bay for yet another day. The day-long battle east of the road resulted in 479 casualties. The Chaney house served as a hospital. At the Keller home, Confederate Major Henry D. McDaniel, later the governor of Georgia, survived his wounds. Joseph Stonebreaker, a resident of Funkstown and witness of the event wrote:
“The wounded were brought into town and Mrs. Chaney’s large dwelling was taken for a hospital. The Surgeons had a table in the yard under some trees and amputated arms and legs like sawing limbs from a tree. It was a terrible sight.”
Soldiers from both sides were treated by residents of the town. Funkstown continued to grow in the twentieth century. However with the coming of railroads, the once bustling community of inns and mills became a quiet residential town. In 1919 J.C. Weisner began efforts to create a memorial for World War I casualties. In 1921, the Funkstown Memorial was erected at the main square. The western Maryland Community still reflects the charm and beauty that attracted the early German settlers. Many of the original historic houses and buildings are still in use as private homes, public buildings, quaint shops and businesses.
.. the first electric lights were turned on in the old Methodist Church in the year 1899?
.. the first automobile of the town was owned by Theo. McCoy, and the first pipeless furnace was installed in the Lutheran Church?
.. the first Burgess was Winfred (Daddy) Glass and the first lamp lighter was John Kindle?
.. the first radio with tube and speaker was owned by Glenn Williams?
.. the first Charter for an organized Fire Department was granted to Funkstown By the Maryland Legislature on February 20, 1827? (This Charter was never dissolved.)
.. the present Fire Company was organized on May 22, 1930?
.. the first macadam road built in America was between Funkstown and Boonsboro in 1823. The paving consisted of stones broken by hand to a size so small that they could be passed through a three inch ring and weighing no more than four ounces. The stones were graded to a depth of nine inches and a width of twenty feet.
.. the Funkstown Post Office was established ob December 24, 1816 with Henry Ohr as Postmaster?
.. the Methodist Church was built on the corner of Antietam and Chestnut Streets in 1840?
.. Cinderella born September 1832 and died June 26, 1852 is buried in the East side for the Funkstown Cemetery?
.. the Union Reformed and Lutheran Church was located on Cemetery Street in 1771. The Lutheran Congregation built a new church on Baltimore Street in 1850. The German Reformed Church was forced to relocate when Their building was destroyed by fire on August 3, 1859. They also relocated on Baltimore Street. The Civil War delayed completion of their structure until 1864.
, south of Hagerstown
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²), all of it land. Antietam Creek
flows to the south within the city limits.
of 2000, there were 983 people, 441 households, and 253 families residing in the town. The population density
was 2,880.3 people per square mile (1,116.3/km²). There were 464 housing units at an average density of 1,359.6 per square mile (526.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.76% White, 0.61% African American, 0.31% Asian, 0.51% Pacific Islander, 0.71% from other races
, and 0.10% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.71% of the population.
There were 441 households out of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% were married couples
living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.6% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.81.
In the town the population was spread out with 19.8% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $35,278, and the median income for a family was $45,197. Males had a median income of $30,438 versus $21,000 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $17,544. About 8.4% of families and 10.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.7% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.
Washington County, Maryland
Washington County is a county located in the western part of the U.S. state of Maryland, bordering southern Pennsylvania to the north, northern Virginia to the south, and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia to the south and west. As of the 2010 Census, its population is 147,430...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 983 at the 2000 census.
History
Originally 88 acres (356,123.7 m²) were sold to Henry Funk by Frederick Calvert in 1754 and settled as Jerusalem.Funck’s Jerusalem Town
The plan for a village named “Jerusalem,” bounded on three sides by the Antietam Creek, was unveiled by Jacob Funck in 1767. The town boasted 177 lots, each being 82 feet 6 inches wide and 231 feet in length with one exception, lot #43 which by necessity was smaller. Shortly afterwards, lots were for sale and the town soon had fifteen log houses. Early residents referred to it as ‘Funck’s Jerusalem Town’ which became part of Washington County in 1776.
Work on a comfortable stone house of the proprietor of Jerusalem Town was completed in 1769. Jacob Funck, his wife Ann, and their family of four girls and two boys moved into their new residence on lot #165, now designated as 35 West Baltimore Street.
Since its very beginning, Funkstown was known for its mills. Their first mill was built in 1762. It was flourmill operated by Henry Funck. By 1785 Jerusalem was home for an iron furnace, brickyard, powder factory, grist and woolen mills and a host of inns and shops. The last mill built in 1859 was a flourmill which burned in September 1929. It was run by the Antietam Mill Company.
Jacob Funck was a Washington County Representative to the Maryland House of Delegates, 1785-1787. He divested himself of all land holdings in Washington County in 1791. That year, he and his family moved to Jefferson County, Kentucky where they lived until his death at the age of 67 in 1794.
Dr. Christian Borestler settled in Jerusalem around 1784. He brought with him 70 German families that settled in the community. Needless to say, German was the predominant language spoken.
Catawba, Delaware, Cherokee and Powhatan Indians lived in and traveled through this area hunting, fishing and farming. Antietam Creek is named after these Native Americans.
Funck’s Town – Funkstown
The first post office was established in Funck’s Town on December 24, 1816.
In 1823 the Old National Pike was built through Funck’s Town and the first of two stone arch bridges was constructed over the Antietam Creek. The first was built in 1823 by James Lloyd to allow traffic on the Old National Pike to pass over the creek on its way toward the Allegheny Mountains
The Town was incorporated as “Funkstown” in 1840.
The Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
Battle of Funkstown
Battle of Funkstown
The Second Battle of Funkstown took place near Funkstown, Maryland, on July 10, 1863, during the Gettysburg Campaign of the American Civil War...
took place July 10, 1863, during the Gettysburg Campaign
Gettysburg Campaign
The Gettysburg Campaign was a series of battles fought in June and July 1863, during the American Civil War. After his victory in the Battle of Chancellorsville, Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia moved north for offensive operations in Maryland and Pennsylvania. The...
as Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
's Army of Northern Virginia
Army of Northern Virginia
The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, as well as the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed against the Union Army of the Potomac...
retreated toward Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
in the week following the Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
.
Union forces of the Army of the Potomac attacked the rear guard of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia during its retreat from Pennsylvania following the Battle of Gettysburg.
A strong Confederate presence at Funkstown threatened any Union advance against Gen. Robert E. Lee’s position near Williamsport and the Potomac River as he retreated to Virginia after the Battle of Gettysburg. Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart’s cavalry, posted at Funkstown, posed a serious risk to the Federal right and rear if the Union army lunged west from Boonsboro. Stuart, meanwhile, determined to wage a spirited defense to ensure Lee time to complete fortifications protecting his army and his avenue of retreat.
As Brig. Gen. John Buford’s Federal cavalry division cautiously approached Funkstown via the National Road on Friday morning July 10, 1863, it encountered Stuart’s crescent-shaped, three-mile-long battle line. It was Stuart’s first defensive battle since reentering Maryland. The high ground constituted Stuart’s extreme right, held by Preston Chew’s horse artillery. A nearby stone barn and barnyard wall proved a superb defensive position for the 34th Virginia Battalion’s dismounted cavalry.
Col. Thomas C. Devin’s dismounted Union cavalry brigade attacked about 8:00 a.m. By mid-afternoon, with Buford’s cavalrymen running low on ammunition and gaining little ground, Col. Lewis A. Grant’s First Vermont Brigade of infantry arrived and jabbed at the Confederate center less than one mile away. Unbeknownst to the Vermonters, Gen. George T. Anderson’s Confederate brigade now faced them, the first time opposing infantry had clashed since the Battle of Gettysburg. By early evening, the Union Army began withdrawing south towards Beaver Creek. Stuart had kept the Federals at bay for yet another day. The day-long battle east of the road resulted in 479 casualties. The Chaney house served as a hospital. At the Keller home, Confederate Major Henry D. McDaniel, later the governor of Georgia, survived his wounds. Joseph Stonebreaker, a resident of Funkstown and witness of the event wrote:
“The wounded were brought into town and Mrs. Chaney’s large dwelling was taken for a hospital. The Surgeons had a table in the yard under some trees and amputated arms and legs like sawing limbs from a tree. It was a terrible sight.”
Soldiers from both sides were treated by residents of the town. Funkstown continued to grow in the twentieth century. However with the coming of railroads, the once bustling community of inns and mills became a quiet residential town. In 1919 J.C. Weisner began efforts to create a memorial for World War I casualties. In 1921, the Funkstown Memorial was erected at the main square. The western Maryland Community still reflects the charm and beauty that attracted the early German settlers. Many of the original historic houses and buildings are still in use as private homes, public buildings, quaint shops and businesses.
Did You Know That……..
.. the first electric car operated to the Funkstown Bridge was in the year 1898 and the first through Funkstown was in 1901, and that service was discontinued in 1938?.. the first electric lights were turned on in the old Methodist Church in the year 1899?
.. the first automobile of the town was owned by Theo. McCoy, and the first pipeless furnace was installed in the Lutheran Church?
.. the first Burgess was Winfred (Daddy) Glass and the first lamp lighter was John Kindle?
.. the first radio with tube and speaker was owned by Glenn Williams?
.. the first Charter for an organized Fire Department was granted to Funkstown By the Maryland Legislature on February 20, 1827? (This Charter was never dissolved.)
.. the present Fire Company was organized on May 22, 1930?
.. the first macadam road built in America was between Funkstown and Boonsboro in 1823. The paving consisted of stones broken by hand to a size so small that they could be passed through a three inch ring and weighing no more than four ounces. The stones were graded to a depth of nine inches and a width of twenty feet.
.. the Funkstown Post Office was established ob December 24, 1816 with Henry Ohr as Postmaster?
.. the Methodist Church was built on the corner of Antietam and Chestnut Streets in 1840?
.. Cinderella born September 1832 and died June 26, 1852 is buried in the East side for the Funkstown Cemetery?
.. the Union Reformed and Lutheran Church was located on Cemetery Street in 1771. The Lutheran Congregation built a new church on Baltimore Street in 1850. The German Reformed Church was forced to relocate when Their building was destroyed by fire on August 3, 1859. They also relocated on Baltimore Street. The Civil War delayed completion of their structure until 1864.
Geography
Funkstown is located at 39°36′33"N 77°42′27"W (39.609096, -77.707527), on Antietam CreekAntietam Creek
Antietam Creek is a tributary of the Potomac River located in south central Pennsylvania and western Maryland in the United States, a region known as the Hagerstown Valley...
, south of Hagerstown
Hagerstown, Maryland
Hagerstown is a city in northwestern Maryland, United States. It is the county seat of Washington County, and, by many definitions, the largest city in a region known as Western Maryland. The population of Hagerstown city proper at the 2010 census was 39,662, and the population of the...
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 0.3 square mile (0.776996433 km²), all of it land. Antietam Creek
Antietam Creek
Antietam Creek is a tributary of the Potomac River located in south central Pennsylvania and western Maryland in the United States, a region known as the Hagerstown Valley...
flows to the south within the city limits.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 983 people, 441 households, and 253 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 2,880.3 people per square mile (1,116.3/km²). There were 464 housing units at an average density of 1,359.6 per square mile (526.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.76% White, 0.61% African American, 0.31% Asian, 0.51% Pacific Islander, 0.71% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.10% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.71% of the population.
There were 441 households out of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.6% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.81.
In the town the population was spread out with 19.8% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $35,278, and the median income for a family was $45,197. Males had a median income of $30,438 versus $21,000 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $17,544. About 8.4% of families and 10.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.7% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.