Burkittsville, Maryland
| Burkittsville, Maryland | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
| Town of Burkittsville | |
Main Street in Burkittsville
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 Location of Burkittsville, Maryland |
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| Coordinates: 39°23.5′N 77°37.6′W / 39.3917°N 77.6267°WCoordinates: 39°23.5′N 77°37.6′W / 39.3917°N 77.6267°W | |
| Country |  United States of America |
| State |
 Maryland
|
| County |
 Frederick
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| Area | |
| • Total | 0.45 sq mi (1.17 km2) |
| • Land | 0.45 sq mi (1.17 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 587 ft (179 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 151 |
| • Estimate (2012) | 155 |
| • Density | 335.6/sq mi (129.6/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 21718 |
| Area code(s) | 301 |
| FIPS code | 24-11400 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0589853 |
Burkittsville is a town in Frederick County, Maryland, United States. The population was 151 at the 2010 census, a decline of 20 people from 2000.
Burkittsville is located at 39°23.5′N 77°37.6′W / 39.3917°N 77.6267°W (39.3915, -77.6271).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.45 square miles (1.17 km2), all of it land.
English settlement in this region began in the early 18th century. Land was being surveyed and patented in the south-western portion of the Middletown Valley beginning in the 1720s. The first land tract to be patented within the present boundaries of Burkittsville was "Dawson's Purchase," dated May 14, 1741. The Harley/Arnold Farm, located on the western border of the village at the base of South Mountain, stands on the "Dawson's Purchase" tract.
Burkittsville was first founded by two property owners: Major Joshua Harley and Henry Burkitt. The western half was first founded as "Harley's Post Office" in 1824. After Harley's passing in 1828, Burkitt renamed it Burkittsville. Over the next thirty years it grew as a community with stores, shops, blacksmiths, a schoolhouse, and a tannery.
On September 13, 1862, Confederate cavalry under command of Colonel Thomas Munford (under General J.E.B. Stuart) occupied Burkittsville. On Sunday, September 14, the forces of the Union and Confederate armies engaged in the Battle of Crampton's Gap, a bloody prelude to the Battle of Antietam. The Reformed and Lutheran churches and adjacent schoolhouse were used as hospitals for the more than 300 wounded of both sides. These buildings still stand today.
Routinely characterized as the trigger to Antietam, victory at Crampton's Gap embodied Union Gen. George B. McClellan’s strategic reaction to his acquiring the legendary “Lost Order” at Frederick which disclosed Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s campaign movements. It was McClellan’s intention to “cut the enemy in two and beat him in detail”.
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