General and Detailed Site Description:

GENERAL SITE DESCRIPTION
There is a tendency, when thinking of National Parks, to imagine locations of sublime natural beauty; extraordinary and rugged landscapes such as Yosemite, Grand Teton, or Yellowstone come to mind. The Monocacy National Battlefield contrasts with this heroic picture of a national park. There is nothing particularly extraordinary or excessively rugged about the site. In many respects, the site is an ordinary everyday landscape that retains its significance not because of great natural beauty, but because of the extraordinary events that took place there.

On July 9, 1864, Confederate and Union forces transformed the rural landscape bordering the Monocacy River at Frederick Junction into sacred ground. Never before or since the Civil War have Americans been so divided as to systematically wage a violent war against one another. On that day in 1864, those inhabiting the rural landscape surrounding the Monocacy River were witness to the turmoil that claimed the lives of 2,100 soldiers. Unlike Gettysburg, Fredericksburg, or some of the better-known Civil War sites, Monocacy is a bit hard to grasp at first glance. The rolling landscape, meandering river, numerous stands of trees serving as wind breaks between farms, overlay of roads, railways, and trails all contribute to a difficult gestalt. At the conclusion of the Civil War, several monuments were erected to honor the war dead. To record the deeds of the 14th Regiment New Jersey, a handsome granite shaft capped by a likeness of a Union infantryman was placed near the site of the bloody skirmish with General Early's forces. Likewise, Vermonters sponsored a marker adjacent to a pastoral field commemorating the actions of the 10th Vermont Infantry. Not to be outdone, the 67th Pennsylvania Volunteers hoisted aloft a Doric column surmounted by a granite sphere at the site where their brothers had fallen. Overlooking the Best family farm portion of the battlefield, alongside Maryland Route 355, stands a marker erected by the Daughters of the Confederacy marking the actions of southern soldiers on that day. These are the testimonials to the events of the day that are to be found at Monocacy. But for these scattered monuments, Monocacy would appear as an ordinary rural landscape. Today modest dwellings and heroic granite markers stand side by side. Everyday life is inextricably interwoven with a landscape that yearns to tell a story.

To understand the significance of the site in contemporary terms, one must consider its location between Frederick, Maryland to the north and new exurban developments to the south that ring the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Frederick, a city of some 50,000 inhabitants today, was an important commercial center during the Civil War. Over the years and particularly since the Second World War, Frederick began to grow outwards from its core eventually creating a parasitical environment of suburban sprawl at the periphery of the old town. Today, only a short distance north of the visitor center site on Maryland Route 355, this area once rich in farmland has been reduced to a placeless landscape of "big box" retailers, fast food pad sites, shopping malls, and speculative office developments. The subtle characteristics and qualities of 18th, 19th, and 20th century agrarian culture have been erased by earthmoving equipment, entombed by asphalt, and overwhelmed by over-scaled buildings. Had Monocacy not been acquired by act of Congress in 1928 and subsequently stewarded by the NPS, it is abundantly clear that development would have obliterated the site and eradicated any trace of the events that took place here.

A few miles to the south, Urbana, Maryland, a hamlet consisting of a several homes, a small school, a handful of tiny businesses, a church or two, and the beautiful 1754 Stanicoff (Landon) House, is joining the ranks of exurban developments that lie just outside of suburban Washington, DC. Farmland that was once integral to the life of this hamlet is rapidly being converted into a gargantuan pseudo-New Urbanist development (the developers have embraced some of the tenets of New Urbanism, but have dismissed other critical principals). As Urbana develops into "Exurbana" one can only wonder how long it will take for development to devour the landscape to the north along Maryland Route 355 up to the edges of the battlefield site.

As a consequence of history and the site's present predicament, the visitor center at the Monocacy must tell multiple stories. It must embrace the history of the site and illuminate the events of July 1864, but it must also recognize that the site embodies both pre and post-Civil War histories. In an immediate sense, that history includes the advance of sprawl up to the boundaries of the site. The visitor center will serve as a bulwark in the battle against this type of wasteful land use.


DETAILED SITE DESCRIPTION
Several documents providing information about the site include:

These documents combined with the following information should provide a comprehensive understanding of site conditions.

Ownership
The Monocacy National Battlefield is owned by the United States Government and is managed by the National Park Service (NPS), a branch of the Department of Interior. A superintendent oversees the daily activities, manages the site in compliance with NPS policy, and is responsible for guiding the strategic initiatives concerning the conservation of physical, cultural, and natural resources on site. Portions of the battlefield are leased to farmers. The area of land managed by the NPS is approximately 1,533 acres.
(source: www.nps.gov/mono/pphtml/facts.html)

Access
Access to the site is from Maryland Route 355.

Location
The battlefield is located on the southeast periphery of Frederick, Maryland, approximately forty miles northwest of downtown Washington, DC. The approximate latitude and longitude map coordinates of the visitor center site are, 39° 22.61'N, 77° 23.73'W.


Boundaries
The northern boundary of the site adjoins private property containing a lumber retailer. The eastern and southern edges of the site are prescribed by boundaries with CSX Railroad. The western edge of the site parallels Maryland Route 355. The visitor center is to be sited on the northern third of the property (in the area for which contour information is provided (see the Autocad file). The southern two-thirds of the site will remain as active farmland thereby preserving the agricultural heritage of the site.

Views
The battlefield can be seen from the center of the visitor center site looking in a southerly and southwesterly direction (across MD 355). A mature windbreak of deciduous trees and change in grade on the eastern boundary of the site mask the CHX railroad line. Several battlefield markers including a State of Maryland marker, an NPS marker, and a marker provided by the Daughters of the Confederacy are visible (across MD 355) due west of the center of the visitor center site. A suburban speculative office development (Technology Park) is visible northwest of the visitor center site (across MD 355). This area once comprised a portion of the battlefield that is under private ownership and consequently not under NPS control. Views of the office development do not contribute to the experience of the battlefield site. A lumberyard is directly north of the visitor center site. A chain link fence separates the two properties, but permits views into an area of that is used to stage semi-trailers and shipping containers. Screening views into the lumberyard should be strongly considered.

Climate
Extensive climatological data is available from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) at www.noaa.gov/. It suffices to say that January is typically the coldest month with an average temperature of 31ºF (38ºF average high/24ºF average low) and July is typically the warmest month with an average temperature of 71º F (85º F average high/58º F average low). May is the wettest month with 4.3 inches average precipitation. February is usually the driest month with 2.7 inches average precipitation. Summers are characterized by hot and humid weather, while winters are generally mild with a modest amount of snowfall.
(source: countrystudies.us/unitedstates/weather/maryland/frederick.htm)

Geography
Geographically the region in which the site is located is part of the Piedmont Plateau, a zone characterized by a gently rolling landscape, with rich soils supportive of agriculture, populated predominantly with deciduous trees, and a variety of wildlife species. This characteristic of the landscape was suitable for family farming in the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, but presents limitations of scale, topography, and economy in current agricultural practice. The Monocacy River, from which the battlefield gains its name, winds its way through the site flowing in a southerly direction. Ten miles south of the visitor center site, the Monocacy empties into the Potomac River. The Potomac River is a component of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

Soils
The surface soils on site are characterized as prime grade agricultural soils, high in nutrients, and organic materials.
(source:dnrweb.dnr.state.md.us/download/bays/lmon_char_maps12_18.pdf)

Sub-surface Geology
The subsurface geology of the site is mapped as Frederick Limestone, a blue, slabby, thin-bedded limestone and minor shale; contains Upper Cambrian (Trempealeauian) fuanule; thickness approximately 480 feet. (source:geology.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=www.mgs.md.gov/esic/brochures/mdgeology.html)

Native Vegetation
The region is home to a wide variety of native plant and tree species, many of which can be found adjacent to the visitor center site.
(source: www.nps.gov/plants/pubs/nativesMD/info.htm)

Agriculture
The NPS owns and manages several farms that formed the site for the battlefield. These locations are leased to local farmers and are cultivated. The visitor center site is to be located on the northern most part of this cultivated land.

Wildlife
Wildlife inhabiting the site include: native songbirds, white-tailed deer, red backed salamanders, northern copperheads, eastern box turtles, and bald eagles. Large flocks of migratory Canadian geese can be seen periodically throughout the year.
(source: www.nps.gov/mono/pphtml/animals.html)

Site Drainage
The site drains to the south and to the east. Runoff water from the site eventually enters the Monocacy River.

Historic and Regional Architecture
Agrarian architecture predating the 20th century made use of local materials and took advantage of aspects of the land. The Nallin Farm Springhouse and Bank Barn is characteristic of a farm building type found throughout the region, though this particular building is quite extraordinary. The Maryland Historical Trust offers additional information about the architectural heritage of this region.
(source: www.marylandhistoricaltrust.net//nr/NRDBList.asp)

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