Antietam Newcomer House To Open As Visitor Center
SHARPSBURG, Md. — The historic Newcomer House at Antietam National Battlefield will open as a visitor center on Sept. 14. The new, and first, Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area Welcome and Exhibit Center is a collaboration between the park, headed by Superintendent John Howard, and Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau, led by President and CEO Tom Riford. The grand opening weekend will be Sept. 17-19. The annual Sharpsburg Heritage Festival is Sept. 18. The new center will be open every day from 11 to 4 from April to November. The heritage area, which encompasses sites in Carroll, Frederick and Washington counties, was offered the Newcomer House by the park two years ago. Riford headed the task force of representatives from Antietam, Monocacy, Harpers Ferry and South Mountain parks and others who developed plans for exhibits. The Newcomer House will have a main visitor center room and three exhibit rooms. Under the cooperative agreement the National Park Service (NPS) will be responsible for house and grounds maintenance. The NPS has provided exterior signage and will help staff the visitor center with volunteers. They will be prepared to greet visitors and give travel information for the battlefields and such other sites as the National Museum of Civil War Medicine and the Pry House Field Hospital Museum. The NPS conducted the training and will provide uniforms. The Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area was recently awarded a $24,000 Maryland Heritage Areas Authority grant to match $24,000 obtained earlier through the National Park Service’s Challenge Cost Share Program. The money will be used for exhibit design and fabrication, furnishings and grand opening festivities. The Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau is acting as the project’s financial entity, coordinating procurement and purchasing. The Newcomer House was built in the 1830s alongside the Boonsboro Pike (Route 34) near Middle Bridge across Antietam Creek outside Sharpsburg. It is within Antietam National Battlefield. The farmhouse and 2.5 acres were purchased from a private in-holder by the NPS in 2007. The 2,000-square-foot house is in good condition, according to the park. Repairs made by the previous owner, who used the house as a small private museum, met the Department of the Interior’s standards. The house is adjacent to a statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee and also near the Pry House. It witnessed the Battle of Antietam on Sept. 17, 1862. The house can be seen in historic photographs taken immediately following the battle. Washington County is part of the Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area (www.heartofthecivilwar.org), and the Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area (http://hallowedground.org).
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