Located in southern Washington County, Maryland, 13 miles south of Hagerstown and 3 miles from the Potomac River, sits the small town of Sharpsburg. While small compared to other towns in the region, Sharpsburg is rich in history.
From England to Maryland: The Chapline Family
Like most colonial towns, Sharpsburg traces its history back to England. Isaac Chapline was born in England in 1585 and grew up to become a Captain in the Royal Navy. In 1606, he married Mary Calvert, daughter of Leonard Calvert (the founding family of Maryland). In 1622, Isaac and Mary immigrated to America, settling in what is now Southern Maryland on the Patuxent River near Cedar Branch.
Settling the Western Lands
By the early 1700’s, the population was already shifting to the west. Fertile farming lands were found west of the Blue Ridge mountains and settlers were eager to move into and explore that region. In 1730, William Chapline, then living along the Potomac just south of present-day Washington D.C., joined the migration and moved westward, settling on 465 acres just 4 miles upstream from Shepherdstown, Virginia.
The first American of European descent to own land in what would become Sharpsburg was trader Edmund Cartledge. By the time Cartledge surveyed his “Hickory Tavern” land tract in 1737, the Great Philadelphia Wagon Road was established over the path that would become Sharpsburg’s main street. Cartledge chose his land wisely, as thousands of immigrants would use the Philadelphia Wagon Road to travel south from Pennsylvania as far as the Carolinas.
Joseph Chapline and “Mt. Pleasant”
Shortly after moving to the area, William Chapline’s son Joseph received a grant of 2175 acres from Lord Baltimore to establish his own estate. This was to be along the Potomac, 2 miles downstream from his father’s Virginia estate, but on the Maryland side of the river.
Joseph Chapline began construction of his estate, “Mt. Pleasant”, in 1739, moving there in 1740. (“Mt. Pleasant” is located in the area of Snyder’s Landing, just one mile from Sharpsburg). After moving to “Mt. Pleasant”, Joseph’s fortunes soared. He was a part owner of the Ohio Company, which traded the Indians manufactured goods for furs, and built a two-story log storehouse at Wills Creek on the Virginia shore. He served as Justice of the Peace, and also as elected representative of Frederick County to the General Assembly in Annapolis.
Service in the French and Indian War
When the French and Indian War broke out, Joseph raised and organized troops, financed the war effort, and helped build Ft. Cumberland and Ft. Frederick along the frontier. For his war efforts, Joseph Chapline received an additional 11,000 acres of land from Gov. Horatio Sharpe of Maryland and 645 acres from Lord Fairfax of Virginia.
George Washington on the Frontier
In 1754, during the French and Indian War, a young George Washington, then a major in the Virginia Militia, came close to the future town while mapping the Potomac River near the future site of Harper’s Ferry (17 miles away). He was seeking a river route into the interior of the Ohio Valley to support and supply English troops.
On May 1, 1755, the Wagon Road was used by Major General Edward Braddock, Horatio Sharpe, the Proprietary Governor of the Province of Maryland, and several of Braddock’s staff officers, including George Washington, to reach Winchester, Virginia.
The Founding of Sharpsburg (1763)
Following the restoration of peace in 1763, Joseph Chapline took a 300-acre parcel of his land, originally named Joe’s Lot, surrounding a large constant spring, surveyed 187 lots, and on July 9th, 1763 founded the town of Sharpesburgh, naming it for his good friend Gov. Horatio Sharpe. That spring can be found in Sharpsburg to this day. Each lot was 103 by 206 feet and initially was sold for 2 pounds, 10 shillings. By the time of his death in 1769, Joseph had sold 84 lots, mostly to speculators, but a few houses had also been built.
Joseph Chapline II Carries On
Joseph Chapline II was born in 1746 at “Mt. Pleasant”. After his father’s death he took over the development of Sharps Burgh, and built the first stone house in 1769. (229 W. Chapline St.). In 1770 he married Mary Ann Christian Abigail Ferguson, of Frederick Towne. Like his father before him he was appointed Justice of the Peace for Frederick County. When the American Revolution started, he was appointed Captain and organized a group of volunteers, “The Sharpsburg Select Militia”. Joseph and Mary Ann Chapline did not have any children.
A Flourishing Community
The early residents of Sharps Burgh in the 1760s were primarily of English and German extraction. Settlers continued to locate there throughout the remainder of the 18th century, establishing a flourishing commercial community. By 1820 the population was 650; the growth continued until about 1880, when the population was approximately 1260.
The Mills of Antietam Creek
Near the growing town of Sharpsburg lies the Antietam Creek. In 1762, as the French and Indian War was ending, Christian Orndorff, a millwright who was from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, arrived in the area. Now that the region was safe and open for settlement, Orndorff was looking for a suitable site to build a grist mill, and he found it along the Antietam Creek. Christian Orndorff purchased approximately 514 acres of property near the Antietam Creek and built a large house of logs and sheathed it with weatherboard siding. Just in front of the house and along the creek, he constructed a large barn, a grist mill, a saw mill, and a workshop. The mills were powered by water diverted from the creek through a mill race that Orndorff built.
A new road built along the property and over the Antietam Creek provided access for farmers to bring their grains to the mill, as well as a route for Orndorff to get the milled grain to market. Orndorff’s business prospered, and he expanded his land holdings toward Sharpsburg and helped with the construction of other mills along the Antietam Creek. Besides the grist mill and sawmill, Christian established a plaster mill, a cooper shop, and other tooling shops, which turned his crossing point on the Antietam into a substantial industrial complex.
The Orndorffs in the Revolution
During the American Revolution, Christian Orndorff served as a Major in the Washington County militia. All three of his sons would serve in the army during the war. His oldest son, Christopher, served as a Captain helping supply the Continental Army with flour and grain. His second son, Christian III, was taken prisoner on Manhattan Island in November 1776 and was held in New York until exchanged in November 1780. His third son, Henry Orndorff, also served as a captain. In 1781, Christian would return home at the request of General George Washington to operate his flour mill and furnish supplies to the Continental Army.
A Milling Legacy
In the 1780’s, Christian II hired a miller to assist with the operations and constructed a house on the east side of the Antietam Creek for the miller and his family. With the war over, Christopher followed in his father’s footsteps and took over the milling operation. Christopher would build a new dwelling house next to his father’s. It is this house that is known today by its 1862 owner, Jacob Newcomer. With Christopher now running the mill, Christian built a new house just to the northwest of the mill on a piece of his property, which is known today as the Samuel Mumma farm.
A Site Fit for a Capital
A growing town drew interest. When George Washington became President in 1789, he looked at the area between Sharpsburg and Shepherdstown (then Virginia), just 4 miles away, as a possible site for the permanent location of the U.S. Capitol. It would have occupied both sides of the Potomac River, much like the site he eventually chose near Georgetown, which was closer to his home.
German Settlers and the Growth of Farming
In 1796, Jacob Mumma purchased 324 1/4 acres from Christopher Orndorff for £5500. The Mummas arrived in Philadelphia in 1732 and settled in Lancaster County. Like other Germans settling in the area, the Mumma family traveled down the Wagon Road to Sharpsburg. They were accompanied by Joseph Sherrick, Sr., and his family. Sherrick would also purchase property along the Antietam from the Orndorffs. Farming would continue to grow north of Sharpsburg, fueled by the emerging industry to process the farming crops and the transportation network to move the crops to market.
Canals, Rails, and a Path West
George Washington believed that Harper’s Ferry, which sat at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, was the gateway to the western United States. These rivers created one of the few easy passageways through the Appalachian Mountains to the fertile valleys to the west. The only problem was the rapids and a series of falls along the river that made commercial movement on the river difficult. To bypass the canals and open the interior to commercial travel, Washington formed and presided over the Patowmack Company. Marred by labor shortages, lack of equipment and technology, the company eventually failed. But it fostered the theory that a canal could be constructed, with a series of locks, to bypass the falls and rapids. Inspired by the success of the Erie Canal, construction of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal began at Georgetown in the District of Columbia in 1828 and reached Sharpsburg around 1836. Working on the canal then became a welcome employment opportunity for many of the townspeople. The construction of the Baltimore and Ohio rail line near the canal brought additional employment opportunities and commerce to the region.
