Mary Locher Cabin, Historic Structures Report: Physical History and Condition Assessment, HABS Drawings and Photographs, Antietam National Battlefield
Graham MM, Bond DE, Kapsch RJ, Stevens RL, Brown RH, Burns JA. 2001. Mary Locher Cabin, Historic Structures Report: Physical History and Condition Assessment, HABS Drawings and Photographs, Antietam National Battlefield. Historic Structure Report. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Washington, DC
The Mary Locher Cabin, also known as Alfred Poffenberger's Log House, is a good example of the quintessential American frontier dwelling. The rustic structure is part of a historic farmstead that includes a barn and other outbuildings just north of Sharpsburg, Maryland. The structure pre-dates the Civil War, originally built sometime after Sharpsburg's settlement in 1763. The physical characteristics of the structure and its evolution and use over time characterize both Old World heritage and New World class patterns. Like other properties in the area, this farmstead witnessed one of the most defining battles of the Civil War in 1862. The dwelling's proximity to the concentration of fighting at the West Woods guaranteed the property's role in the battle as a field hospital. The farm was occupied by Confederate troops leading up to the battle, and it was used as an encampment for weeks after. At the time of the battle, title to the property was held by Mary Grove Locher, of a prominent Sharpsburg family. For this report, the contractor and associated consultants researched the site and structure by conducting a review of archival materials, interviews with park staff, review of related scholarly works that document the history and resources of the region, examination and analysis of the structure, and documentation of existing conditions. The results of this process are documented in this report and presented with treatment alternatives for preservation.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Graham, Marianne; Bond, Douglas; Kapsch, Robert; Stevens, Rebecca; Brown, Richard; Burns, John
- Date of Issue
- 2001-01-15
- Publisher
- U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
- Units
- ANTI , NCR
- Keywords
- 17 September 1862, chinking repair, Civil War, Documentation, German, Grove-Locher Poffenberger Farmstead, HABS, Hagerstown, historic fabric analysis, Log and Timber Frame, log cabin, Poffenberger Farm, ruin, rural historic landscape, settlement, Sharpsburg, V-notch, West Woods
- Subjects
- CRIS-HS: 048217: Locher, M. /Poffenberger, A., Property; Log House