Indian Springs, Maryland
Encyclopedia
Indian Springs is an unincorporated community
in western Washington County
, Maryland
, United States
.
and Maryland Route 56
between Clear Spring
and Hancock
; it is located north of Fort Frederick State Park
. The community is approximately 20 miles (32.2 km) west of Hagerstown
and is officially designated a part of the Hagerstown Metropolitan Area
(Hagerstown-Martinsburg, Maryland-West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area).
The area is traditionally defined as encompassing the narrow tract of land north of U.S. Route 40 between Fairview Mountain and the Licking Creek.
Terrain in the area is generally rugged with elevations between 600 and 1900 feet (579.1 m) above sea level, the landscape being primarily wooded. The terrain here differs greatly from the neighboring Hagerstown Valley
, where elevations average less than 650' and is characterized by fertile, gently rolling hills. While land for farming is not as readily available in the Springs area, orchards have been a source of local livelihood for centuries.
The Indian Springs watershed is serviced by four primary runs: Lanes, Rabble, Rattle, and Indian Springs. These runs are tributaries of nearby Licking Creek. The Indian Springs for which the area was named have their headwaters on the west flank of Fairview Mountain.
Two solutional caves are also reported to exist in this area. Revell's and Darby Caves are both said to be developed in the Tonoloway Formation, a thin-bedded dolomitic limestone of the upper Silurian.
Much of the land not held by private individuals is part of the Indian Springs State Wildlife Preserve and is open to the public. A local sportsman's club also owns land adjoining the preserve. Several companies and institutions maintain equipment located atop the larger hills, including Johns Hopkins University, Verizon, and local radio stations; trespassing is strictly prohibited.
Camping is also common in campgrounds such as Indian Springs Kampgrounds, Maryland, McCoys Ferry Campground, and Little Pool Campground.
In the mountains surrounding Hagerstown Valley, spring is a popular season for gathering the coveted morel
mushroom. Visitors flock to the area yearly to seek the prized fungus, which is said to favor abandoned orchards, birch forests, and land recently cleared by fire. While visitors are usually unable to find these specimens, locals are said to know of secret locations and are often seen carrying these and other mushrooms out of the woods by the bagful.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in western Washington County
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...
.
Geography
Indian Springs lies along U.S. Route 40U.S. Route 40
U.S. Route 40 is an east–west United States highway. As with most routes whose numbers end in a zero, U.S. 40 once traversed the entire United States. It is one of the original 1920s U.S. Highways, and its first termini were San Francisco, California, and Atlantic City, New Jersey...
and Maryland Route 56
Maryland Route 56
Maryland Route 56 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as Big Pool Road, the state highway runs from Interstate 70 in Big Pool east to MD 68 near Pinesburg in western Washington County. MD 56, which features a pair of one-lane bridges, provides access to Fort Frederick State...
between Clear Spring
Clear Spring, Maryland
Clear Spring is a town in Washington County, Maryland, United States. The population was 461 as of the 2008 United States Census Bureau estimates.-Geography:Clear Spring is located at ....
and Hancock
Hancock, Maryland
Hancock is a town in Washington County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,725 at the 2000 census. The Western Maryland community is notable for being located at the narrowest part of the state...
; it is located north of Fort Frederick State Park
Fort Frederick State Park
Fort Frederick State Park is a Maryland state park surrounding the restored Fort Frederick, a fort from the French and Indian War and American Revolutionary War. The park is south of the town of Big Pool on the Potomac River; the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal runs through the park grounds...
. The community is approximately 20 miles (32.2 km) west 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...
and is officially designated a part of the Hagerstown Metropolitan Area
Hagerstown Metropolitan Area
The Hagerstown-Martinsburg Metropolitan Area, officially designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as Hagerstown-Martinsburg, Maryland-West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area , constitutes the primary cities of Hagerstown, Maryland, Martinsburg, West Virginia, and...
(Hagerstown-Martinsburg, Maryland-West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area).
The area is traditionally defined as encompassing the narrow tract of land north of U.S. Route 40 between Fairview Mountain and the Licking Creek.
Terrain in the area is generally rugged with elevations between 600 and 1900 feet (579.1 m) above sea level, the landscape being primarily wooded. The terrain here differs greatly from the neighboring Hagerstown Valley
Hagerstown Valley
Hagerstown Valley is located in Maryland in the United States. It is part of the Great Appalachian Valley, which continues northward as Cumberland Valley in Pennsylvania, and southward as Shenandoah Valley in West Virginia and Virginia....
, where elevations average less than 650' and is characterized by fertile, gently rolling hills. While land for farming is not as readily available in the Springs area, orchards have been a source of local livelihood for centuries.
The Indian Springs watershed is serviced by four primary runs: Lanes, Rabble, Rattle, and Indian Springs. These runs are tributaries of nearby Licking Creek. The Indian Springs for which the area was named have their headwaters on the west flank of Fairview Mountain.
Two solutional caves are also reported to exist in this area. Revell's and Darby Caves are both said to be developed in the Tonoloway Formation, a thin-bedded dolomitic limestone of the upper Silurian.
Much of the land not held by private individuals is part of the Indian Springs State Wildlife Preserve and is open to the public. A local sportsman's club also owns land adjoining the preserve. Several companies and institutions maintain equipment located atop the larger hills, including Johns Hopkins University, Verizon, and local radio stations; trespassing is strictly prohibited.
Tourism
Indian Springs is located near the state-run Indian Springs Wildlife Management Area, a 6400 acres (25.9 km²) tract of forestry that draws tourists for fishing, hiking, and hunting. Fishing is popular at Blair's Valley Lake and hunting deer is famous in the wooded areas. Fairview Mountain, located in the WMA, once served as a Civil War military signal post.Camping is also common in campgrounds such as Indian Springs Kampgrounds, Maryland, McCoys Ferry Campground, and Little Pool Campground.
In the mountains surrounding Hagerstown Valley, spring is a popular season for gathering the coveted morel
Morel
Morchella, the true morels, is a genus of edible mushrooms closely related to anatomically simpler cup fungi. These distinctive mushrooms appear honeycomb-like in that the upper portion is composed of a network of ridges with pits between them....
mushroom. Visitors flock to the area yearly to seek the prized fungus, which is said to favor abandoned orchards, birch forests, and land recently cleared by fire. While visitors are usually unable to find these specimens, locals are said to know of secret locations and are often seen carrying these and other mushrooms out of the woods by the bagful.