Parks Farmstead: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Antietam National Battlefield, National Park Service
Temkin M. 2011. Parks Farmstead: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Antietam National Battlefield, National Park Service. Cultural Landscapes Inventory Report. 600047. NPS National Capital Regional Office. National Capital Regional Office/CLI Database
Parks Farmstead, also known as Cunningham Farm, is a component landscape of Antietam National Battlefield. Located approximately 2 miles north of the town of Sharpsburg in Washington County, Maryland, the current property consists of nearly all of the land associated with the Parks Farmstead as it existed at the time of the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), September 17, 1862. The current property, consisting of 166.50 acres, was acquired by the National Park Service on June 24, 1988 and is located within the boundaries of Antietam National Battlefield which encompass a total of 3,263.49 acres. The Parks Farmstead cultural landscape is significant in two areas of history. Its foremost significance, in military history (1861-1865), results from its role in the Battle of Antietam during the American Civil War. The second, 1796-1861, is as a preserved agricultural landscape that has been continuously farmed since the late 18th century and has remained relatively unchanged. The Parks Farmstead cultural landscape overall retains integrity to its periods of significance and is in fair condition. Four 19th-century structures remain; the main house, a log out kitchen, a hand-dug well and the barn. The agricultural field patterns remain almost the same as those that existed during the Civil War period, and are currently maintained through an agricultural special use permit program run by the National Park Service. The farm buildings and circulation patterns also continue to reflect their arrangement and use from the period of significance. While there have been changes to the property and the loss of some features over time, it still invokes the historic significance of the landscape.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Temkin, Martha
- Date of Issue
- 2011-08-25
- Publisher
- NPS National Capital Regional Office
- Units
- ANTI , NCR
- Keywords
- Agriculture, Antietam Creek, Batte Site, Battlefield Preservation, Battles In The North And South, Bunker Hill Farm, Cunningham Farm, defense, farm, Farmhouse, Historic Preservation, historic site, Historic Vernacular Landscape, Log Construction, Lower Farm, Military, plantation, The Civil War, Vernacular