(1/6) The Emmitsburg Twn Council approved four, newly proposed historical waysides conceived as part of a series of waysides commemorating Emmitsburg history, and to create an historical walking tour of the town.

Town Clerk Madeline Shaw, in providing a brief introduction of the proposal for the new waysides, stated that the town received another round of grant funding from the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority (MHAA), the latest being in the amount of $12,000.

Shaw said the MHAA grant approved is for four waysides, which will highlight the histories of: the St. Joseph House, the William Cochran's ‘Volunteers’ glass-etching, the Emmitsburg Railroad, and Emmitsburg’s Long Rifle maker, John Armstrong.

The St. Joseph House wayside will be located along South Seton Avenue, and 50-percent of the cost will be provided by the Daughters of Charity, while the ‘Volunteers’ glass-etching wayside will be located in front of the Emmitsburg Community Center, and 50-percent of the cost will be provided by the Frederick County Fire & Rescue Museum.

The Emmitsburg Railroad wayside will be located along South Seton Avenue, and the John Armstrong wayside will be located along East Main Street.

Ruth Bielobock the sign’s graphic designer said the St. Joseph House placard was approved by the staff at the Seton Shrine. Scott Grove, interpretive planner and writer for Ion Design, stated that the focus for the wayside pertains the arrival of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton and the establishment of the ‘White House,’ which was the original location of what would become St. Joseph’s Academy and Free School (and St. Joseph’s College for women). Information is also included on the site’s cemetery and mortuary.

Grove said the ‘Volunteers’ mural placard focuses why it was created … how it was created … and its subsequent relocation to Emmitsburg from its prior location at the Independent Hose Co. building at 12 W. Church St. in Frederick.

The interpretive planner told the commissioners, “Ruth and I had a really good time with this one because it offers a glimpse of … a major, public utility in many ways for the Town of Emmitsburg that no longer is really visible at all.” The placard includes several period photographs and a map of the rail-line from Emmitsburg to its terminus in Rocky Ridge.

Regarding the John Armstrong placard, Grove stated there are no known images of Armstrong, and the exact location of his house is not known. “We were struggling with this one a little bit,” he said. The placard features a photograph of one of the rifles … and details the significance of the rifle.

Commissioner Joseph Ritz stated that Armstrong owned several lots in Emmitsburg, but it is believed his home was located on East Main Street in the area of where Granny’s Attic Store and a reddish house nearby. Mayor Don Briggs stated the wayside would be located in that vicinity.