Sunrise at Antietam National Battlefield

Calendar of Events

Porch Program - Music on the Porch Day

Ongoing Opportunities

  • Saturday, August 31 at 11:30 AM

  • Newcomer House on the Antietam National Battlefield

    18422 Shepherdstown Pike
    Keedysville, MD 21756

  • Website
    240-308-1740

The sounds of fifes and drums will once again resound at the Antietam National Battlefield from the porch of the historic Newcomer House on Saturday, August 31, 2024 at 11:30 a.m.   

The music of fifes and drums would no doubt have been heard by the Newcomer family in the days leading up to the September 17, 1862 Battle of Antietam as tens of thousands of U.S. and Confederate soldiers marched past their house on the Shepherdstown Pike following the September 14, 1862 Battle of South Mountain. 

In celebration of “Music on the Porch Day,” the Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area will host Monocacy Field Music, a group of volunteer fife and drum musicians based at the Monocacy National Battlefield Park in Frederick, MD. The group provides music for park programs and events. They portray Civil War-era Union Army musicians at the park, as well as perform at historic sites, parades, and Civil War battlefield parks around the region. The Monocacy Field Music appeared in the 2022 Civil War-era movie “I Heard the Bells.”  

The Newcomer House will be open from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Volunteer docents will be available to share knowledge about the Newcomer House and offer assistance to visitors to the three county Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area.

This program is free to the public.