The Frederick County Guide Spring 2017 | Page 72

SECTION FREDERICK HEADER COUNTY \\ TOWNS \\

BURKITTSVILLE

Burkittsville is a virtually unchanged example of an American townscape of the late 18th and early 19th centuries , when the town was a service center for the rural area around it . Today , Main Street ’ s buildings are still bordered by fields of crops and dairy farms , although there are no longer any commercial establishments in the town . Burkittsville became closely involved with the Civil War when forces of the Union and Confederate armies engaged in the Battle of Crampton ’ s Gap , a bloody prelude to the Battle of Antietam .

Emmitsburg , a quiet town nestled at the foot of the mountains , offers peace and tranquility . Incorporated in the early 1800s , Emmitsburg was the home of St . Elizabeth Ann Seton . She established the first Catholic school in the U . S ., that grew into St . Joseph ’ s College . The property is now home to the National Fire Academy and Homeland Security . A short drive away is Mount Saint Mary ’ s University . In Emmitsburg you can relax but still be within driving distance to major cities such as Washington , D . C ., Baltimore and Harrisburg . You are just a few miles from the Gettysburg Battlefield , Ski Liberty Resort and numerous golf courses .