Weird Western Maryland

Photo courtesy Dana M.Bridges. In my first post, a few days ago , I shared the official, university-approved, one-page summary of my Weird Western Maryland sabbatical project. I will spare you the entirety of the complete five-page, 2,400-word proposal that wound its way through the coils and recesses of Frostburg State University , but I do want to share its final paragraph: When this project is published, I hope to dedicate it to the memory of one of my former Frostburg State students, Dave Knotts, who was 30 when he died in a hunting accident in January 2020. He loved talking to me about this sort of thing, and I vividly remember his telling me, with great animation, about a supposedly ever-fresh bloodstain on the centuries-old floor of the Tomlinson Inn in Garrett County, which he was shown as a teenager. Dave himself thought it was probably groundwater seepage, but as he warmed to his story, he almost convinced himself otherwise. I hope these topics energize my future students ...

Previously, I listed the five Washington County locations covered by Atlas Obscura . The site has six locations in Frederick County. Frederick: National Museum of Civil War Medicine . “A Civil War Museum with some notable medical antiques.” Also at Roadside America . Frederick: One-Million-Liter Test Sphere . “This four-story steel sphere in Maryland was used to test biological weapons.” Jefferson: War Correspondents Memorial . “One of the only memorials dedicated to journalists who died in combat.” Middletown: The (First) Washington Monument . “Built by the patriotic residents of Boonsboro in a single day.” Thurmont: Lawyer’s Farm . “This Maryland farm is known for its amazing corn mazes and its 30-foot junkbots.” Also at Roadside America . Thurmont: Catoctin Furnace . “A pre-Industrial Age iron furnace and the site of a nearly-forgotten piece of Black history.” Next: A project dedication!    

Previously, I listed the sole Garrett County location covered by Atlas Obscura . The site has five locations in Washington County. Never fear, Washington, we will do better than that! Big Pool: Fort Frederick . “A star fort along the C&O Canal in western Maryland that protected America in three wars.” Boonsboro: Crystal Grottoes Caverns . “Bizarre Cavern.” Knoxville: The Sign Above the Tunnel . “This advertisement for talcum powder was painted on the rock face and has since defied removal.” Sharpsburg: Killiansburg Cave . “A cave on the Maryland border where civilians took refuge during the bloodiest battle of the Civil War.” Smithsburg: Abandoned Hang-Gliding Launch Pad . “A labor of love built by local hang-gliding enthusiasts, this ideal launch spot was outlawed by the authorities and has since been largely abandoned.” Next: Frederick County in Atlas Obscura!