Day 126 - Smithsburg, MD

Smithsburg is a small town nestled on the western side of the base of South Mountain.  On my way there, I passed beautiful farms and orchards, both of which are hallmarks of Smithsburg. 

Steeple Reflected

Wrought Iron Rules

During the Civil War, Smithsburg acted as a hospital town after the nearby battles of South Mountain and Antietam.  By 1923, the majority of the structures in town were established, and they have retained their original character.  In this town, a decorative wrought iron salesman must have offered great deals to the residents, because a number of the homes/buildings have scrolly wrought iron railings defining their porches.

There were a couple of churches on Main Street, a couple of places to eat, and a few small shops, all closed on this Sunday afternoon. 

As is true with so many of these small towns, the sidewalks often are sheltered by the roofs of the porches on the homes lining the streets.  It makes me feel like I am trespassing, but it is clearly the sidewalk, so I get an up close and personal view of many of the front entrances to local homes.

Extended gutters over sidewalks

An odd feature on many of the homes in Smithsburg was that the drains for the roof gutters extended out over the sidewalks, well above the heads of those walking below.  This is so that the drains can drip onto the street.  In the photo to the right, you can see two drains in the foreground and another one, unsupported, angled off the roof of the white house across the street.


Right in town is a fairly large company, Hadley Farms.  This is from their website:  "When dawn breaks over the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in the Western Maryland hamlet of Smithsburg, the aroma of freshly baking croissants and sweet rolls, laced with the tang of cinnamon and spices, welcomes the new day."  I did not smell any of this today, but perhaps tomorrow morning it will be true.

It worked.  No one was loitering today.

The "no loitering" sign shown at left was prominently posted on three of the four brick buildings that marked the main intersection on Main Street.  I really can't imagine that they have such a loitering problem in this little town, but perhaps at one time, the problem warranted the warnings.

There is more to Smithsburg than meets the eye, so perhaps I will return again on a day in the spring, so I can enjoy seeing all of the orchards in bloom.

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Cam's rules for the Daily Photo Walk:

1. walk every day
2. the walk must be in addition to any other planned activity for the day
3. post a photo every day
4. use my Nikon P7100 (it is a very convenient size and weight)
5. no weather excuses
6. walk only where it is safe to do so