Thomas Farm: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Monocacy National Battlefield, National Park Service

Temkin, Martha

Thomas Farm, also known as “Araby,” is a component landscape of Monocacy National Battlefield (NB). It is located about 3 miles south of Frederick, Maryland, on the southwest side of MD Rt. 355 and on the east side of the Monocacy River.Thomas Farm is bounded on the north side by the Monocacy River, on the south by Baker Valley Rd., on the west by US Int. 270, and on the east by Araby Church Rd. The property consists of nearly all of the land associated with the Thomas Farm as it existed at the time of the Battle of Monocacy, on July 9, 1864. The Thomas Farm landscape is a National Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register as significant in the areas of architecture, industry, social history, military history, agriculture and commemoration.The foremost among these is the property’s military history, due to its role in the Battle of Monocacy during the Civil War.The farm is also significant for its commemorative value, represented by the construction of the 1915 Vermont Monument as part of a larger 20th century movement to memorialize the events of the Civil War. The Thomas Farm, along with the rest of Monocacy National Battlefield, is also significant as the site of a transportation network that began with the early colonial road and ferry that connected Frederick County to Georgetown.The use of this area as a crossroads was what led to its strategic importance during the Civil War, and eventually to the battle of July 9, 1864. The agricultural landscape of Monocacy National Battlefield served as the stage for what has been termed “The Battle that Saved Washington.” While the entire battlefield landscape is over 1,000 acres, the 240-acre Thomas Farm stood at its center. It was here that some of the heaviest fighting occurred, in the fields bordering the Worthington Farm and in and around the Thomas house and yard. Today, the property exhibits a high degree of integrity to its period of significance (1724 to 1915). At least two 18th-century structures remain, including the main house and the stone tenant house. Most of the agricultural field patterns remain 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 NPS. The farm buildings and circulation patterns also continue to reflect their arrangement and use from the period of significance. The Vermont Monument remains in its original 1915 position and is in good condition. On June 21, 1934 Congress approved an act to establish a national battlefield at Monocacy, but no apparatus was set up to allow for the acquisition or maintenance of property. Most of Monocacy remained in private hands and was actively farmed. Eventually, the 1,500 acre battlefield was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. The first National Register documentation was completed in 1975 with updates in 2000 and 2008. The battlefield became a designated NPS unit in 1976. Monocacy National Battlefield as a whole is listed on the National Register under Criterion A, for its architecture, industry, social history, agriculture, military history and commemoration, and under Criteria C and D. The period of significance for the battlefield is listed as 1724-1964. The period of significance for the Thomas Farm component landscape is 1724 to 1915. These dates represent the original settlement of the property, and extend through the important events of the Civil War. The period ends with the construction of the Vermont Monument in 1915. The Thomas Farm cultural landscape overall retains a high degree of integrity for its period of significance and is in good condition. While there have been some changes to the property and the loss of a few features, it still invokes the historic significance of the landscape through the integrity of all seven aspects.

Thomas Farm: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Monocacy National Battlefield, National Park Service

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