Historic Images of Antietam and Its Centennial Anniversary

By antietamguides on February 18, 2019

Antietam Battlefield Guide Gary Rohrer recently found some of these historic images of Antietam in the Western Maryland Room at the Washington County Free Library. We post them here for all of you to see, as well as Gary’s memories of the Centennial Anniversary of the Battle of Antietam in 1962:

Gary’s 1962 Badge and a 1962 Centennial Program

“I’ve told the tired old stories of my Boy Scout days at Antietam National Battlefield and my enthusiastic participation at the Centennial Celebration lasting from Aug 31 to Sept 17, 1962. It would be the last reenactment to take place on the battlefield. Not long ago, I was going through some boyhood trinkets that I found in a box and much to my surprise was the concessions badge (left) that I was required to wear while passing out Official Programs in front of the Dunker Church. Last year, I was able to track down an original copy of the program from a dealer in Gettysburg (left).

I remember the reconstruction and dedication of the Dunker Church, the Clara Barton Monument, and finding the Texas monument on Cornfield Avenue when I came home on Christmas break from my first year in college. I remember driving over Burnside bridge just before it closed to vehicular traffic and the countless times in my youth that we drove over the bridge with the monuments on the corners. Of course, I’ve mentioned many times about my Boy Scout experiences camping in the area of the Final Attack and hearing great stories by E. Russell Hicks while sitting around the bonfires with several hundred Boy Scouts. That, along with a similar experience at Crampton’s Gap (needless to say) ignited my interest in the 1862 Maryland Campaign.”