Antietam National Cemetery, Shepherdstown Pike (State Route 34), Sharpsburg, Washington County, MD
Summary
Significance: On September 17, 1862, over 23,000 men and boys were killed or wounded during the Battle of Antietam near Sharpsburg, Maryland. In early 1864, Maryland State Senator Lewis P. Frey introduced legislation to establish a state and national cemetery in which these soldiers could be laid to their final rest. After passage of the resolution, land for the Antietam Cemetery was contracted to be purchased on April 25, 1864, at the cost of $100.00 per acre. An 11-1/4 acre tract was bought from the Robert F. Kennedy Farm, but the final transfer of property did not take place until August 1865. The cemetery was built with contribution totaling $70,000.00 from 18 Union states. Buried within are 4,776 Union soldiers; of whom 1,836 are unknown. Also buried in the cemetery are 200 soldiers from the Spanish American War, World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. The cemetery was closed to future burials in 1953.
Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: FN-135
Survey number: HABS MD-936
Building/structure dates: 1865 Initial Construction
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