Day 325 - Keedysville, MD

(Click any photo to enlarge.)

***Scroll down to see my offer for Red Cross donations.***

Taylor Park

Flag bedecked stoop

"Are you a Keedysvillian?" asked the woman who was scrubbing her wooden fence with a strong scented pine soap. 

"No," I answered.  "I'm a tourist."

"We don't get many tourists in Keedysville," she said. 

And truly, I can understand why.  Tucked away on the "old" road, halfway between Boonsboro and Sharpsburg, the village of Keedysville is well out of sight of the "normal" tourists who are on their way to the Antietam National Battlefield.  The quiet village of today is not usually on anyone's radar, except this intrepid photowalker's.  As is true with many of the old towns I have visited, Keedysville was once a bustling place, with a railroad depot, mills, carriage builder, a creamery, a shoe shop, and more.  Today, however, there was not one commercial establishment along Main Street, unless you can count the post office.

Country Style Patriotism

Another Patriotic Home

I left my mother at the Red Byrd Restaurant, which is located on Rt. 34, also known as the Shepherdstown Pike, so that she could sip a cool drink and read while I did my walk.  I left the restaurant and walked to the area behind it, which connected to Taylor Park, the public park that is located on Main Street.  The park, built in 1940 as a WPA project, has the usual playground and pavilion, but at the front, there are several war memorials. 

Bank turned Town Hall

I walked along Main Street, which goes for quite a distance end to end, passing old brick and stone  homes that line both sides of the street, typical of old pre-Civil War towns.  The sidewalks in town are a mix of new pavement, old broken pavement, large flat limestones, black asphalt, or bricks. 

Former Hotel

At the center of town, the highest point, there was evidence of an old railroad.  A large brick building at the corner by the old railroad suggested it was once a hotel for travelers.  The fence washer confirmed my theory.

There are three churches in town, and the old school house has been turned into a community center.  The old bank is now the town hall.

School turned Community Center

An historical marker in town noted that the German Reformed Church in Keedysville was the headquarters of General McClellan during the Civil War.  After the battle of Antietam, the entire town of Keedysville became a Union hospital for the wounded.  Of the three churches I saw today in Keedysville, none of them looked like the drawing of the German Reformed that I saw on the historical marker, so I suppose it is not still in existence.

As is true with so many of the small Maryland towns I walk in, patriotism is evident everywhere, from the numerous American flags flying on homes, small flags stuck into planter boxes, or bunting hung from porch rails.  Keedysville is proud of its heritage.  Perhaps more tourists should visit.  As the fence washer told me, "We can use all the publicity we can get.  I'd love to see some businesses open again in town."


 Save the date!  Monday, September 2, will be the last day of my year long photo walk project, and I'm planning a big celebration walk with anyone who wants to join me!  September 2 is also Labor Day, so many of you will have the day off.  The walk will be in downtown Frederick, around 9 a.m., followed by a brunch.  More details will be posted on my blog as they get confirmed.  But mark your calendars, grab your cameras, put on your walking shoes, and join me for my final Daily Photo Walk.  Let's jam the streets of Frederick with photo walkers! 

Click on any photo to enlarge it.

*************************************************

Forward me by email any receipt for an online donation made to the Red Cross for disaster relief, and I will send you a 5x7 print of your choice from any of my daily photo walks or from my website.  Offer good until September 2, 2013.

Visit my web site: camscamerashots.zenfolio.com
Follow me on Twitter: @camscamerashots
Email:  cam.miller@comcast.net

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 whatever camera is easy and convenient for walking comfortably; always have a backup camera at the ready in case of mishaps (I use the Nikon Coolpix P7700)
5. no weather excuses
6. walk only where it is safe to do so