Gathland State Park: A Visitors Guide

Gathland State Park is unique and often overlooked park that protects a large monument dedicated to the memory of journalists killed during the Civil War. The park is an easy drive from both Frederick and Hagerstown, Maryland. It could also easily be a day trip from Washington D.C. or Baltimore. 

I visited on a moody mid-summer afternoon. It was hot and humid, and periodically, rain would pour for about 15 minutes here and there. The parking lot was basically empty when we got there.  We did not know much about the park, just that it was on our way home so we might as well stop and check it out. I am sure happy we did, it has a fascinating history. 

Gathland State Park History

Gathland State Park was the former estate of George Alfred Townsend, a journalist and novelist who worked under the pen name Gath. During the Civil War, war correspondents traveled with the Armies as the public was desperate for any news involving the war. Gath was one of the youngest war correspondents during the war. This experience would be his coming of age; however, he gained real fame and fortune with his coverage of President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. His reporting, beginning on April 14th with “The Murder” and ending on July 7th with “The Executions,” was widely read and would be the basis for his popular 1865 book, The Life, Crime, and Capture of John Wilkes Booth.

In 1884, Townsend traveled to Western Maryland to research settings for a romance novel based on the Civil War. He purchased 100 acres and built an estate on South Mountain he would name Gapland. The property was the site of the Battle of Crampton’s Gap, which took place on September 14, 1862. This was part of the larger Battle of South Mountain. 

War Correspondents’ Memorial Arch

 In 1896, he built the War Correspondents’ Memorial Arch. This was the first monument and tribute to war journalists. 

Townsend described the monument as such: 

“In appearance the monument is quite odd. It is fifty feet high and forty feet broad. Above a Moorish arch sixteen feet high built of Hummelstown purple stone are super-imposed three Roman arches. These are flanked on one side with a square crenellated tower, producing a bizarre and picturesque effect. Niches in different places shelter the carving of two horses’ heads, and symbolic terra cotta statuettes of Mercury, Electricity and Poetry. Tables under the horses’ heads bear the suggestive words “Speed” and “Heed”; the heads are over the Roman arches. The three Roman arches are made of limestone from Creek Battlefield, Virginia, and each is nine feet high and six feet wide. These arches represent Description, Depiction and Photography. The aforementioned tower contains a statue of the Greek god Hermes (Roman god Mercury), the messenger of the gods, identifiable by the winged cap on his head.[6] with the traditional pipes, and he is either half drawing or sheathing a Roman sword. Over a small turret on the opposite side of the tower is a gold vane of a pen bending a sword. At various places on the monument are quotations appropriate to the art of war correspondence. These are from a great variety of sources beginning with Old Testament verses. Perhaps the most striking feature of all are the tablets inscribed with the names of 157 correspondents and war artists who saw and described in narrative and picture almost all the events of the tour years of the war.”

The monument is located right next to the main parking area. 

Appalachian Trail

Once we had checked out the monument, we decided to take the Appalachian Trail, which runs directly through the park. We spent about 45 minutes hiking on the AT before returning to the parking area.  

Before we left, we walked around a bit more. We saw the ruins of the former estate and his empty tomb. Townsend built a mausoleum for himself on the property about ten years before he died in 1814. He had long wanted to be buried on his Maryland property. That would not be the case. By his death, he did not have much money remaining. He would ultimately be buried in Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.  After Townsend’s death, his estate was purchased by the State of Maryland and became Gathland State Park.

Where is Gathland State Park located?

Gathland State Park is near Frederick and Hagerstown, Maryland. It’s also an easy drive from Baltimore and Washington, D.C. 

How long does it take to visit?

We spent about two hours exploring the park and hiking along the Appalachian Trail. 

Other things to do nearby?

South Mountain Battlefield and South Mountain State Park are close to the park. While you are in the area make sure to check out Washington Monument State Park, which is the first monument dedicated to George Washington. 

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park is also close, as well as Swallow Falls State Park.