Newcomer House Visitor Center
Visit the Newcomer House
The historic Newcomer House at Antietam National Battlefield is the site of the Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area Exhibit and Visitor Center. Built in the 1780s as part of a prosperous mill complex, the house is one of the few original homes on the battlefield that is open to the public.
During its open season, the house is staffed by knowledgeable National Park Service volunteers and offers printed resources to help plan your visit to Maryland’s Washington, Frederick, and Carroll counties. An orientation video gives visitors a glimpse at all there is to see and do in the region.
The Newcomer House’s Southeast Parlor exhibit features historic furnishings that evoke how the room may have looked at the time of the battle and an immersive soundscape includes domestic sounds that may have been familiar to the Newcomer family, as well as the noises heralding the impending battle.
The Newcomer House Visitor Center is made possible by a cooperative agreement between the National Park Service and the Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Porch Programs take place at Newcomer House each month during the open season.
Check out our calendar of events for a complete listing of these free, family-friendly programs on various Civil War-related topics
Location & Hours
18422 Shepherdstown Pike, Keedysville, MD 21756.
The Newcomer House is located approximately ½ mile east of Sharpsburg along Maryland Route 34 (Shepherdstown Pike) on the western edge of the Antietam Creek.
- The Newcomer House is open 10 am - 4 pm.
- Open daily June through September.
- Weekends only in April, May, October and November.
- Closed December through March.
- Phone: 301-432-6402
VOLUNTEER
Help us keep the Newcomer House open! Volunteers welcome visitors to one of the only historic homes open on Antietam National Battlefield. Contact Rachel Nichols at [email protected] for more information.
History
The Newcomer House was built by Christopher Orndorff in the late 1780s as part of a thriving mill complex and farm astride the Boonsboro Pike where the Middle Bridge spans Antietam Creek. The house gets its present day name from Joshua Newcomer who owned the property during the 1862 Battle of Antietam.
No major fighting took place on the Newcomer property during the battle but it did witness some skirmishing, long range artillery, and counter-battery firing. After the battle, Alexander Gardner took numerous photographs around the Middle Bridge which show various parts of the Newcomer property. The mill and house, as well as the barn and outbuildings, were used as makeshift hospitals for the Federal army in the days and weeks after the battle. Joshua Newcomer was never able to financially recover from the damage to his property. He sold the property and business a few years later.
The Newcomer House remained under private ownership until it was purchased by Antietam National Battlefield in 2007. In 2000, the Newcomer House was restored to Secretary of the Interior standards. The Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area opened an Exhibit and Visitor Center at the Newcomer House in 2010, made possible through a unique partnership between Antietam National Battlefield and the Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Travel Packet
Request a mailed travel packet to learn more about visiting the area