You're invited to take a journey through the Maryland's Heart of the Civil War.
The Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area (HCWHA) is an area rich in history, covering portions of Carroll, Frederick and Washington Counties. It is located just below the Mason-Dixon Line, generally viewed as the dividing line between North and South, and above the Potomac River. With one foot in the north, and one foot in the south, the story of the Civil War can be told nowhere better than in this part of Maryland.
No state experienced the Civil War quite like Maryland. Residents of this border state contributed significant resources to both sides of the war effort. Although large portions of the state’s economy relied upon slavery, Maryland lawmakers did not vote to secede from the Union at the outset of the war—though many did not have the opportunity to vote, as they were detained by the federal government because of suspected Confederate sympathies.
Between 1861 and 1865, the Civil War impacted nearly every Maryland resident. Some families faced financial ruin after troops ravaged their land. Thousands of fathers, sons and brothers became casualties of war. For enslaved Marylanders, the conflict ultimately brought about freedom as the new state constitution of November 1864 abolished the practice.
Marylanders witnessed three major military movements during the Civil War: the Maryland (also known as Antietam) Campaign in the fall of 1862, the Gettysburg Campaign in the summer of 1863, and the march to Washington led by Jubal Early in the summer of 1864. Geocachers can visit significant sites from each of these three operations on the Heart of the Civil War GeoTrail.
The mission of the Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area is to promote the stewardship of our historic, cultural, and natural Civil War resources; encourage superior visitor experiences; and stimulate tourism, economic prosperity, and educational development, thereby improving the quality of life in our community for the benefit of both residents and visitors.
The Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area Geotrail launched October 1st, 2016 with 15 geocaches within Maryland's Carroll, Frederick, and Washington Counties. A trackable geocoin will be awarded to the first 200 geocachers, (while supplies last), who find the locations of at least 13 HCWHA caches. To be eligible for the coin, geocachers must download a passport from the Heart of the Civil War website, and record the code word from at least 13 HCWHA geocaches. Geocachers may have their passports validated in person at the Newcomer House at Antietam National Battlefield or at the Visitor Centers in Westminster, Frederick, or Hagerstown. Please refer to the passport for Visitor Center hours and complete validation instructions.
Please note following change. A free prize will still be given to a geocacher who goes to at least 13 HCWHA geocaches and records the code in each of the geocaches on their passport. In addition, geocachers may purchase a trackable Geocoin for $10 at one of the following locations: Frederick Visitor Center, Hagerstown-Washington County Visitor Welcome Center, or Antietam Museum Store. Each of these locations will verify passports by mail and send a coin for a modest handling fee. Call for more information.
Participating in the HCWHA geotrail is fun and we hope that many people join in. However, it is not a requirement for logging your find on this cache once you find the container.
The Mount Olivet Cemetery Company formed in 1852 to address a pressing concern for Frederick residents: an alarming lack of burial space. The churchyards in town were reaching their capacity a century after Frederick Town’s founding. The 32-acre property on the outskirts of town followed the “garden cemetery” model popularized in the United States starting in the 1830s. Americans sought pastoral beauty and Romantic aesthetics during this era. Cemeteries like Mount Olivet offered residents not just a final resting place for loved ones, but beautifully landscaped grounds for strolling and enjoying fresh air. The first internment at the cemetery, Mrs. Ann Crawford, took place in May 1854. Mount Olivet contains nearly 40,000 graves today, including some of Frederick’s most influential civic leaders and residents.
Among the many noteworthy monuments in Mount Olivet are three related to the Civil War: the U.S. Civil War Children’s Memorial (erected 1881), the Monument to the Unknown Confederate Soldiers (1881), and the Barbara Fritchie Memorial (1914). The Monument to the Unknown Confederate Soldiers honors the over 400 men killed in the battles of South Mountain, Antietam and Monocacy and interred here without identification. The Ladies’ Memorial Association of Frederick County formed in 1879 and raised the funds for the 15’ Carrara marble and granite sculpture. Part of the inscription reads, “Soldiers rest, thy warfare o’ver, Sleep the sleep that knows not breaking, Dream of battle-fields no more, Days of danger, nights of waking.” A tablet honoring Confederate veterans from Frederick County was dedicated in 1933.
In the years following the Civil War, another battle was waged across America—for the collective memory of this great conflict. Municipalities, civic organizations, fraternities, veterans’ groups and ladies’ associations planned, funded, and dedicated thousands of memorials and monuments in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These physical interpretations of Civil War memory tell us less about the facts of war and more about how Americans thought about the war in the generations that followed it. Monuments honoring both Union and Confederate veterans painted the men as heroic, honorable, and dignified in their efforts. Historian David Blight argues that a “reconciliationist” approach to Civil War memory emerged in the decades following the war. Civic boosters sought to unify Northerners and Southerners at the expense of black Americans, whose contributions to war efforts were largely forgotten.
The Geocache
This geocache is an on-site puzzle cache. At the given coordinates, [N39 24.353 W077 24.932], you will find the confederate row historical marker. From this marker add 035 to the North Coordinates final three digits, and subtract 022 to the West Coordinates final three digits. The geocache is a green match case container. The gates to enter the cemetery are usually open from sunrise to sunset. Please be respectful when on the grounds of Mount Olivet Cemetery.
Thanks to the following members of the Maryland Geocaching Society in placing the hides for this Geotrail: deepdish23, GeoAPPs, lpyankeefan, Phos4s, and ZombieHNTR.