Town History Basics

The Boonsboro Visitor Center should be a place for visitors to be able to learn about the many things our area has to offer.

Area History

On September 6, 1776, our Washington County was formed, the first county in the nation to be named in honor of then-General George Washington.

Boonsboro was founded in 1792 by George and William Boone, distant cousins of Daniel Boone.  Their famous cousin played no part in town history.

The town was built along an existing Frederick to Hagerstown (Fredericktown to Hager’s Town), with the fork for a side road to Sharpsburg serving as the town square.  The brothers named the town “Boone’s Berry”

Over the next several years the town went through several name changes, ultimately settling on Boonesborough, and later the simplified Boonsboro.  It was officially incorporated in 1831.

Originally there were 44 lots, our museums are located just outside of the original town plan.

The road between Boonsboro and Hagerstown became the first road in all of North America to use John Loudon McAdams “Macadamization” process to pave with stone.  This process became a standard for roads for decades to follow.

On July 4, 1827, the people of Boonsboro climbed South Mountain and built a significant portion of what was to be the first monument in the nation completed in honor of George Washington.  The milk jug shaped stone monument was finished later that month, but fell into disrepair several times before being rebuilt to its present state by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.

In 1862, the first battle of the American Civil War to take place on northern land broke out on the mountain overlooking Boonsboro.  The Battle of South Mountain and Battle of Turner’s Gap on September 14th led to the bloody Battle of Antietam in nearby Sharpsburg three days later.  Much of the town became makeshift hospitals after the two battles.

In the early 20th Century, Boonsboro grew into a major shopping district with over 20 different stores.  The town was known for exports of a particularly sweet and large variety of Heart of Gold Cantaloupes as well as raspberries and peaches.

The town was one of many across the country who took up President John F. Kennedy’s call for fitness promotion through running marathons, and today we are the home of the last continually held annual JFK 50k Race.

More detail on these and other parts of the town history can be found in the Boonsboro History courses.