Existing comment:
The War Correspondents' Arch:
In the early 1890s, George Alfred Townsend decided to sponsor a memorial to Civil War correspondents. He donated two-tenths of an acre of his Gapland estate, near the highest point of Crampton's Pass, and began a popular subscription drive to raise money to build a memorial arch. Contributors included Thomas Edison, J. Pierpont Morgan, George Pullman, Joseph Pulitzer, and John Wanamaker.
Townsend started designing the arch in November 1895. Architect John L. Smithmeyer volunteered his services, preparing detailed drawings and overseeing construction. The memorial was dedicated on October 16, 1896, by Maryland Governor Lloyd Lowndes, in a grand ceremony that included a U.S. Army drummer and bugler and closed with the singing of "Tenting on the Old Camp Ground."
In 1904, Townsend deeded the memorial to the U.S. War Department. It was transferred to the National Park Service in 1933. In 1946, its 50th anniversary, it was rededicated to the correspondents of all wars. In 1958, the land surrounding it was dedicated as Gathland State Park. In 1974, XXX', The Society of Professional Journalists, designated it a notable site. The National Park Service maintains it today as a national monument within Gathland State Park. |