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SHAF Annual Meeting and Activity Updates for 2026
Annual Meeting September 27, 2026 SHAF usually holds its annual meeting in the spring. This year the annual meeting has been moved to Fall to align with and celebrate the 40th anniversary of SHAF’s first meeting. The 2026 Annual Meeting will be held on Sunday, September 27 which coincides with Shepherd University’s annual Civil War seminar and Antietam Institute’s annual
Antietam Institute Makes Donation to SHAF
At their Spring Conference, the Antietam Institute graciously and generously donated $5,822.81 to SHAF for our recent purchase of the property and house on Harpers Ferry Road. The Institute has been very supportive of our efforts and we thank them profusely for their support. Their Fall Conference will take place October 9 – 11 and will focus on the West
SHAF is Hosting a Birthday Bash, in Cooperation with Shepherd University’s Civil War Center
You are Invited! Join Us as We Celebrate 40 Years of Preservation Triumphs SHAF is Co-Hosting a Birthday Bash, in Cooperation with Shepherd University’s Civil War Center September 25-27, 2026 “In great deeds something abides. On great fields something stays”—Joshua Chamberlain, October 3, 1889Dedication of the 20th Maine Monument, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Join us on September 25-27, 2026, for a special gathering to
Proposed Cell Tower Threatens Viewshed of Antietam National Battlefield
The Save Historic Antietam Foundation (SHAF) is urging members and the public to oppose an appeal seeking approval for a 199-foot cell tower in a designated Preservation Zone bordering Antietam National Battlefield. The appeal, Case #AP2025-031, requests a special exception to construct the tower at 5404 Mondell Road, Sharpsburg, just north of town and directly opposite the Reel Farm. The
Update on Construction at Antietam National Battlefield Visitor Center
The construction project to fix the leak in the lower floor of the Antietam National Battlefield Visitor Center is set to start the week of September 29. Staging activity will begin the week of September 22. The period of performance goes through the end of December of this year. During the construction, though the Orientation Room will not be closed
“The Best War Map Ever Made”: Ezra Carman & the Atlas of the Battlefield of Antietam
Our 2013 Dr. Joseph L. Harsh Memorial Scholarship recipient, Jamesina Thatcher, examined the mapping work done by the Antietam Battlefield Board in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Included in this work was a listing of many of the battlefield landmarks identified by Ezra Carman in his study of the Battle of Antietam. Thatcher’s work is included below for use
SHAF 2025 Annual Meeting
We are holding our annual meeting and elections on Saturday April 26 at 12:30 p.m. We are meeting at the Boonsboro Branch Library, (on the western edge of Boonsboro, on Rt. 34. Our program includes John Schildt, Dennis Frye and Tom Clemens discussing the founding of SHAF and our early days. We have created SHAF logo hoodies and have a
Demolition of Poffenberger House
SHAF recently supported efforts to demolish the post-Civil War Poffenberger House across the road from the Antietam National Battlefield Visitor Center. The American Battlefield Trust purchased this property several years ago, and SHAF has held several work days at the property that included tree and meadow clearing and cleaning out the house to prepare it for demolition.
SHAF Spring 2025 Work Day
Our annual Spring Work Day on March 1, 2025, is fast approaching! We will work at East Woods, the same place at Antietam National Battlefield where we worked last fall. We will continue to clear non-native brush to restore the original appearance of the site, which helps our visitors better understand what happened there. Again, this will depend upon the
