Gathland State Park
Encyclopedia
Gathland State Park is a small state park
located near Burkittsville, Maryland
, in the United States
. The park is composed of the remains of the estate of George Alfred Townsend
(1841-1914), a correspondent
during the American Civil War
who wrote under the pen name "Gath". Several buildings remain on the estate, including the War Correspondents Memorial Arch, and the Appalachian trail
passes through the grounds.
, which saw fighting during the Battle of South Mountain
, one of the first battles of the Maryland Campaign
during the American Civil War
. In 1884, Townsend, now a successful journalist, purchased the land as a retreat and began work on what would become Gathland, his estate. His first project was Gapland Hall, an eleven room house built in 1885. This was followed that same year by Gapland Lodge, a stone servants' quarters
. In 1890 a large building was erected to house a study, a library, and ten bedrooms.
Townsend's most famous and longest-lasting project was completed in 1896: The War Correspondents Memorial Arch. It is claimed that the arch is the only monument
in the world dedicated to journalists killed in combat. However, a tree in Arlington National Cemetery
was also dedicated as a war correspondents' memorial in 1986.
The book George Alfred Townsend describes the monument:
This account errs in that the statue of Pan is actually a zinc copy of Bertel Thorvaldsen
's Mercury About to Kill Argos created by the J.W. Fiske Company.
The plaque on the monument reads:
SPEED - HEED
Sept. 14 - 62 - 96
To the Army Correspondents
and
Artists 1861-65
Whose toils cheered the fireside
Educated provinces of rustics into
a bright nation
of
readers
and gave incentive to narrate
distant wars and explore dark lands.
Erected by subscriptions
1896
O wondrous youth
Through this grand ruth
Runs my boy's life, its thread
The General's fame, the battle's name
The rolls of maimed and dead
I bear with my thrilled soul astir
And lonely thoughts and fears
And am but history's courier
To bind the conquering years
A battle's ray, through ages gray
To light the deeds sublime
And flash the lustre of my day
Down all the aisles of time
War Correspondent Ballad - 1865
Also in the park grounds is the remains of a mausoleum
built for Townsend in 1895 but never used. Originally topped with the figure of a large bronze dog, only the chamber remains, with a marble lintel inscribed, "Good Night Gath". Although Townsend retained ownership of the property until his death in 1914, maintenance of the monument itself was entrusted to the ational Park Service]- then the War Department - ] in 1904.
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State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
located near Burkittsville, Maryland
Burkittsville, Maryland
Burkittsville is a town in Frederick County, Maryland, United States. The population was 171 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Burkittsville is located at ....
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The park is composed of the remains of the estate of George Alfred Townsend
George Alfred Townsend
George Alfred Townsend , was a noted war correspondent during the American Civil War, and a later novelist. Townsend wrote under the pen name "Gath", which was derived by adding an "H" to his initials, and inspired by the biblical passage II Samuel 1:20, "Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the...
(1841-1914), a correspondent
War correspondent
A war correspondent is a journalist who covers stories firsthand from a war zone. In the 19th century they were also called Special Correspondents.-Methods:...
during the American 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...
who wrote under the pen name "Gath". Several buildings remain on the estate, including the War Correspondents Memorial Arch, and the Appalachian trail
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the AT, is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is approximately long...
passes through the grounds.
History
The area of the current park includes Crampton's GapCrampton's Gap
Crampton's Gap, also known as Crampton Gap, is a wind gap on South Mountain in Maryland.The gap connects Burkittsville in the Middletown Valley to the east with Gapland and Rohrersville in the Pleasant Valley to the west....
, which saw fighting during the Battle of South Mountain
Battle of Crampton's Gap
The Battle of Crampton's Gap or Battle of Burkittsville was a battle fought between forces under Confederate Brig. Gen. Howell Cobb and Union Maj. Gen. William B...
, one of the first battles of the Maryland Campaign
Maryland Campaign
The Maryland Campaign, or the Antietam Campaign is widely considered one of the major turning points of the American Civil War. Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's first invasion of the North was repulsed by Maj. Gen. George B...
during the American 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...
. In 1884, Townsend, now a successful journalist, purchased the land as a retreat and began work on what would become Gathland, his estate. His first project was Gapland Hall, an eleven room house built in 1885. This was followed that same year by Gapland Lodge, a stone servants' quarters
Servants' quarters
Servants' quarters are those parts of a building, traditionally in a private house, which contain the domestic offices and staff accommodation. From the late 17th century until the early 20th century they were a common feature in all large houses...
. In 1890 a large building was erected to house a study, a library, and ten bedrooms.
Townsend's most famous and longest-lasting project was completed in 1896: The War Correspondents Memorial Arch. It is claimed that the arch is the only monument
Monument
A monument is a type of structure either explicitly created to commemorate a person or important event or which has become important to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, or simply as an example of historic architecture...
in the world dedicated to journalists killed in combat. However, a tree in Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
was also dedicated as a war correspondents' memorial in 1986.
In appearance the monument is quite odd. It is fifty feet high and forty feet broad. Above a Moorish arch sixteen feet high built of HummelstownHummelstown brownstoneHummelstown brownstone is a medium-grain, dense sandstone quarried near Hummelstown in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, USA. It is a dark brownstone with reddish to purplish hues, and was once widely used as a building stone in the United States....
purple stone are super-imposed three Roman arches. These are flanked on one side with a square crenellated tower, producing a bizarre and picturesque effect. Niches in different places shelter the carving of two horses' heads, and symbolic terra cotta statuettes of Mercury, Electricity and Poetry. Tables under the horses' heads bear the suggestive words "Speed" and "Heed"; the heads are over the Roman arches. The three Roman arches are made of limestone from Creek Battlefield, Virginia, and each is nine feet high and six feet wide. These arches represent Description, Depiction and Photography.
The aforementioned tower contains a statue of Pan with the traditional pipes, and he is either half drawing or sheathing a Roman sword. Over a small turret on the opposite side of the tower is a gold vane of a pen bending a sword. At various places on the monument are quotations appropriate to the art of war correspondence. These are from a great variety of sources beginning with Old Testament verses. Perhaps the most striking feature of all are the tablets inscribed with the names of 157 correspondents and war artists who saw and described in narrative and picture almost all the events of the tour years of the war.
This account errs in that the statue of Pan is actually a zinc copy of Bertel Thorvaldsen
Bertel Thorvaldsen
Bertel Thorvaldsen was a Danish-Icelandic sculptor of international fame, who spent most of his life in Italy . Thorvaldsen was born in Copenhagen into a Danish/Icelandic family of humble means, and was accepted to the Royal Academy of Arts when he was eleven years old...
's Mercury About to Kill Argos created by the J.W. Fiske Company.
The plaque on the monument reads:
Sept. 14 - 62 - 96
To the Army Correspondents
and
Artists 1861-65
Whose toils cheered the fireside
Educated provinces of rustics into
a bright nation
of
readers
and gave incentive to narrate
distant wars and explore dark lands.
Erected by subscriptions
1896
O wondrous youth
Through this grand ruth
Runs my boy's life, its thread
The General's fame, the battle's name
The rolls of maimed and dead
I bear with my thrilled soul astir
And lonely thoughts and fears
And am but history's courier
To bind the conquering years
A battle's ray, through ages gray
To light the deeds sublime
And flash the lustre of my day
Down all the aisles of time
War Correspondent Ballad - 1865
Also in the park grounds is the remains of a mausoleum
Mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A monument without the interment is a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the...
built for Townsend in 1895 but never used. Originally topped with the figure of a large bronze dog, only the chamber remains, with a marble lintel inscribed, "Good Night Gath". Although Townsend retained ownership of the property until his death in 1914, maintenance of the monument itself was entrusted to the ational Park Service]- then the War Department - ] in 1904.
Controversy
The monument's plaques lists 157 names which are sometimes assumed to be all war correspondents. In the late 1990s, local historian Timothy J. Reese publicly criticized Townsend's biases in choosing the names listed. Reese asserted that only 135 can claim to be war correspondents or artists, and 33 of those are not identifiable in the historical record. Furthermore, many names are misstated and several important names are missing.Conservation
After Townsend's death, Gathland changed hands three times before being acquired by the Department of Forests and Parks and named a state park in 1949. Gapland Hall was renovated in 1958 and now houses a visitors' center. Gapland Lodge was converted into the George Townsend Museum. The site is currently undergoing renovation of the Visitor Center and Museum. (2011) Most of the other buildings are gone, but the foundations of the barn and the crypt remain. .Features
In addition to the monument, the historic buildings, and the museum, the park hosts Civil War reenactments and an interactive "living history" weekend with demonstrations of 19th century life.External links
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