| Burkittsville, Maryland | |
|---|---|
| — Town — | |
| Main Street in Burkittsville | |
| Location of Burkittsville, Maryland | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Maryland |
| County | Frederick |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.4 sq mi (1.1 km2) |
| • Land | 0.4 sq mi (1.1 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 587 ft (179 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 171 |
| • Density | 415.8/sq mi (160.6/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 21718 |
| Area code(s) | 301 |
| FIPS code | 24-11400 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0589853 |
Burkittsville is a town in Frederick County, Maryland, United States. The population was 151 at the 2010 census, a decline of 20 people from 2000.
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Burkittsville is located at (39.391459, -77.627099)[1].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.4 square miles (1.0 km2), all of it land.
Burkittsville was first founded by two property owners: Major Joshua Harley and Henry Burkitt. The western half was first founded as "Harley's Post Office" in 1824. After Harley's passing in 1828, Burkitt renamed it Burkittsville. Over the next thirty years it grew as a community with stores, shops, blacksmiths, a schoolhouse, and a tannery.
On September 13, 1862, Confederate cavalry under command of Colonel Thomas Munford (under General J.E.B. Stuart) occupied Burkittsville. On Sunday, September 14, the forces of the Union and Confederate armies engaged in the Battle of Crampton's Gap, a bloody prelude to the Battle of Antietam. The Reformed and Lutheran churches and adjacent schoolhouse were used as hospitals for the more than 300 wounded of both sides. These buildings still stand today.
Routinely characterized as the trigger to Antietam, victory at Crampton’s Gap embodied Union Gen. George B. McClellan’s strategic reaction to his acquiring the legendary “Lost Order” at Frederick which disclosed Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s campaign movements. It was McClellan’s intention to “cut the enemy in two and beat him in detail”.
After seizing Crampton’s Gap Gen. William B. Franklin failed to relieve the besieged Union garrison at Harpers Ferry, and more importantly to prevent Confederate generals James Longstreet and “Stonewall” Jackson from reuniting at Sharpsburg. There Lee hastily stood his ground in the mammoth battle of Antietam, the war’s bloodiest day. President Abraham Lincoln then used the marginal Union victory at Antietam as a springboard to his Emancipation Proclamation which changed war aims. Without the fall of Crampton’s Gap there would have been no Antietam.
Nearly all of Burkittsville is a historic district, listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 20, 1975. The 300 acres (120 ha) district includes about 70 contributing structures.[2] The Burkittsville Historic District is itself part of the larger Crampton's Gap Historic District, which comprises the southern portion of the lands involved in the Battle of South Mountain, extending from the western side of Crampton's Gap, over South Mountain and about a mile to the east of Burkittsville.[2]
Burkittsville gained notoriety with the 1999 release of the film The Blair Witch Project, and its follow-ups: a film sequel (Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2), a series of video games, a Showtime special (The Burkittsville 7),[3] and many Internet fan sites. "The poor town of Burkittsville suddenly found itself overrun with Blair Witch groupies, wandering around in the woods, trying to find the 'real' places where the story had happened."[4] Contrary to popular belief, however, the majority of the film was not filmed in Burkittsville, but rather in Maryland's Seneca Creek State Park, about 25 miles (40 km) away,[5][6] and the events depicted in the film and the legend of the Blair Witch itself were entirely fabricated by the producers themselves.[7] Furthermore, other potentially identifiable landmarks from the Blair Witch story - Coffin Rock, the Black Hills, Black Rock Road, and the local convenience store - are not found in the real Burkittsville or the immediately surrounding area. A Black Rock Road, Black Hills, and the "Blair High School" the interviewed girl mentioned can, however, all be found in Montgomery County, Maryland, which is very possibly not a coincidence as Blair Witch filmmaker Eduardo Sanchez grew up there[8] and is an alumnus of Montgomery College.[9]
Souvenir seekers repeatedly stole the Burkittsville town welcome sign, which appeared briefly in the film, and which featured cursive script with black and white coloring. In an effort to deter thieves, the sign was radically redesigned to feature white letters and red stars against a blue background.[10] The new sign also notes that the town has fewer than 200 people, was established in 1824, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[5]
As of the census[11] of 2000, there were 171 people, 72 households, and 49 families residing in the town. The population density was 415.8 people per square mile (161.0/km²). There were 76 housing units at an average density of 184.8 per square mile (71.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.74% White, 1.17% African American and 4.09% Asian. 1.8 percent of the population is Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 72 households out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.1% were married couples living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the town the population was spread out with 22.8% under the age of 18, 2.3% from 18 to 24, 38.6% from 25 to 44, 28.1% from 45 to 64, and 8.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 85.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $50,313, and the median income for a family was $53,125. Males had a median income of $45,833 versus $30,417 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,919. About 4.1% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under the age of eighteen and 5.6% of those sixty five or over.
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