Analysis of the Visible Landscape, Antietam National Battlefield
Kuykendall N, Ochsner J, Brown S, Rambur R. 1988. Analysis of the Visible Landscape, Antietam National Battlefield. Cultural Landscape Report. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Denver, CO
This report presents an analysis of the visible landscape from selected historic and interpretive sites within Antietam National Battlefield in Washington County, Maryland. The maps and accompanying information have been developed to assist the South County Advisory Commission and county and state planners in land use planning and efforts to protect the scenic integrity of the battlefield. Antietam National Battlefield was originally established in 1890 to commemorate the battle of September 17, 1862 by marking battlelines and command positions on the landscape. It was not until 1962 that the landscape itself was officially recognized as an important cultural resource for the battle’s interpretation. Federal legislation that year authorized the acquisition of lands to restore and maintain the battlefield in a semblance of its 1862 condition and to protect views of the battle site for the public. That legislation and subsequent acts have dealt with protecting lands within an authorized boundary where actual combat occurred. Recently, residents and state and local administrators have become concerned that the rural character and lifestyle of south Washington County, including Antietam National Battlefield, are being eroded by poorly planned suburban development in the surrounding area. The National Park Service shares this concern because of the potential threat to the agricultural setting, critical to the historic scene at Antietam. During the summer of 1987, the Maryland Department of State Planning contacted Antietam Superintendent Richard Rambur requesting NPS assistance with the South County Study for land use planning. Specifically, the state sought information on which areas contribute to the scenic quality of the battlefield. This report has been prepared in response to that request. This report provides a brief history of the battle, a description of existing conditions, and the results of the landscape study. The report and associated maps do not constitute zoning or ordinance recommendations. Matters of zoning and design ordinances in Washington County are the prerogative of the county, municipalities, and the state. Rather, the report identifies locations visible from the battlefield where those agencies may wish to review existing land use regulations.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Kuykendall, Nat; Ochsner, John; Brown, Sharon; Rambur, Richard
- Date of Issue
- 1988-09
- Publisher
- U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
- Units
- ANTI , NCR
- Keywords
- Antietam Creek, Battle, battlelines, campaign, Civil War, Confederate, cultural landscape report, development, Federal Army of the Potomac, General George B. McClellan, General Robert E. Lee, GIS mapping, Maryland, Potomac River, ravines, recruits, Ridgeline, rural character, scenic integrity, Soldiers, stone outcroppings, supplies, union, view, viewpoint, vista, visual resources management, Washington County, woodland
- Subjects
- CRIS-CL: 600029: Antietam National Battlefield