Sharpsburg, Maryland
Encyclopedia
Sharpsburg is a town in Washington County
, Maryland
, United States
, approximately 13 miles (20.9 km) south of Hagerstown
. The population was 691 at the 2000 census.
During the American Civil War
, the Battle of Antietam
(or Battle of Sharpsburg) was fought on what is now Antietam National Battlefield
, in the vicinity of Antietam Creek
.
Joseph Chapline was the first to settle in the area, circa
1740. At the end of the French and Indian War
in 1763, Chapline founded a town, naming it in honor of his friend Horatio Sharpe
, the Proprietary Governor
of the Province of Maryland
. Its original settlers were mostly of German or Swiss origin.
Located east of the Potomac River
, Sharpsburg attracted industry in the early 19th century, especially after the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
was extended to Sharpsburg in 1836. The town was incorporated in 1832.
Sharpsburg gained national recognition during the American Civil War
, when Confederate
General Robert E. Lee
invaded Maryland with his Army of Northern Virginia
in the summer of 1862 and was intercepted near the city by Union General George B. McClellan
. The rival armies met on September 17, in the Battle of Antietam
(also called the Battle of Sharpsburg). It would be the bloodiest single day of the Civil War, and in American military annals, with a total of nearly 23,000 casualties to both sides.
The drawn battle is considered a turning point of the war, since it kept the Confederacy
from winning a needed victory on Northern soil, which might have gained it European recognition. Lee's retreat gave Abraham Lincoln
the opportunity he needed to issue his Emancipation Proclamation
, declaring all slaves in Confederate territory to be free. This act made it even less unlikely that Europe would grant diplomatic recognition to the South.
Sharpsburg claims its Memorial Day
commemoration as one of the first in the U.S., having their 144th consecutive celebration in 2011. The city also celebrates an annual Heritage Festival in mid-September.
The town core was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 2008 as the Sharpsburg Historic District
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²), all land.
of 2000, there were 691 people, 286 households, and 193 families residing in the town. The population density
was 3,119.1 per square mile (1,212.7/km²). There were 304 housing units at an average density of 1,372.2 per square mile (533.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.83% White, 0.43% African American, 0.58% Asian, 0.29% Hispanic or Latino, and 1.16% from two or more races.
There were 286 households out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples
living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% were non-families. 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the town the population was spread out with 21.7% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 27.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 103.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $41,786, and the median income for a family was $52,875. Males had a median income of $37,500 versus $22,000 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $20,917. About 1.1% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 5.6% 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...
, approximately 13 miles (20.9 km) 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...
. The population was 691 at the 2000 census.
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...
, the Battle of Antietam
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam , fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000...
(or Battle of Sharpsburg) was fought on what is now Antietam National Battlefield
Antietam National Battlefield
Antietam National Battlefield is a National Park Service protected area along Antietam Creek in Sharpsburg, Maryland which commemorates the American Civil War Battle of Antietam that occurred on September 17, 1862...
, in the vicinity of 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...
.
History
Circa
Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
1740. At the end of the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
in 1763, Chapline founded a town, naming it in honor of his friend Horatio Sharpe
Horatio Sharpe
Horatio Sharpe was the 22nd Proprietary Governor of Maryland from 1753 to 1768 under the Restored Proprietary Government.-Biography:...
, the Proprietary Governor
Proprietary Governor
Proprietary Governors were individuals authorized to govern proprietary colonies. Under the proprietary system, individuals or companies were granted commercial charters by the King of England to establish colonies. These proprietors then selected the governors and other officials in the colony....
of the Province of Maryland
Province of Maryland
The Province of Maryland was an English and later British colony in North America that existed from 1632 until 1776, when it joined the other twelve of the Thirteen Colonies in rebellion against Great Britain and became the U.S...
. Its original settlers were mostly of German or Swiss origin.
Located east of the Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
, Sharpsburg attracted industry in the early 19th century, especially after the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, abbreviated as the C&O Canal, and occasionally referred to as the "Grand Old Ditch," operated from 1831 until 1924 parallel to the Potomac River in Maryland from Cumberland, Maryland to Washington, D.C. The total length of the canal is about . The elevation change of...
was extended to Sharpsburg in 1836. The town was incorporated in 1832.
Sharpsburg gained national recognition 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...
, when Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
General 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....
invaded Maryland with his 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...
in the summer of 1862 and was intercepted near the city by Union General George B. McClellan
George B. McClellan
George Brinton McClellan was a major general during the American Civil War. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly as the general-in-chief of the Union Army. Early in the war, McClellan played an important role in raising a well-trained and organized army for the Union...
. The rival armies met on September 17, in the Battle of Antietam
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam , fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000...
(also called the Battle of Sharpsburg). It would be the bloodiest single day of the Civil War, and in American military annals, with a total of nearly 23,000 casualties to both sides.
The drawn battle is considered a turning point of the war, since it kept the Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
from winning a needed victory on Northern soil, which might have gained it European recognition. Lee's retreat gave Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
the opportunity he needed to issue his Emancipation Proclamation
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation is an executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War using his war powers. It proclaimed the freedom of 3.1 million of the nation's 4 million slaves, and immediately freed 50,000 of them, with nearly...
, declaring all slaves in Confederate territory to be free. This act made it even less unlikely that Europe would grant diplomatic recognition to the South.
Sharpsburg claims its Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...
commemoration as one of the first in the U.S., having their 144th consecutive celebration in 2011. The city also celebrates an annual Heritage Festival in mid-September.
The town core was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 2008 as the Sharpsburg Historic District
Sharpsburg Historic District
Sharpsburg Historic District is a national historic district located at Sharpsburg, Washington County, Maryland.It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.-External links:* at Maryland Historical Trust*, at Maryland Historical Trust...
.
Town Council
Elected by voters to 4-year terms:- Hal Spielman, MayorMayorIn many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
- Bryan Gabriel, Vice Mayor
- Mathew Barnhart
- Darryl Benner
- Cathy Hull
- Brandon Smith
Geography
Sharpsburg is located at 39°27′28"N 77°44′58"W (39.457666, -77.749513).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 0.2 square mile (0.517997622 km²), all land.
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 691 people, 286 households, and 193 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 3,119.1 per square mile (1,212.7/km²). There were 304 housing units at an average density of 1,372.2 per square mile (533.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.83% White, 0.43% African American, 0.58% Asian, 0.29% Hispanic or Latino, and 1.16% from two or more races.
There were 286 households out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% 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, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.5% were non-families. 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the town the population was spread out with 21.7% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 27.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 103.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $41,786, and the median income for a family was $52,875. Males had a median income of $37,500 versus $22,000 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 $20,917. About 1.1% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.