Since 1993, South Mountain Heritage Society has been dedicated to preserving and interpreting the history of Burkittsville, a wonderfully-preserved rural village in the scenic Middletown Valley of western Maryland. The heritage society is a non-profit volunteer organization which operates its museum in the former Resurrection Reformed Church, an architectural and historical landmark of the community. The society hosts numerous events and fundraisers each year to support the vital work of collecting, preserving, and sharing the stories that comprise the history of one of Maryland's best-preserved rural communities.
A walk through the historic Main Street and alleys of Burkittsville transports us through nearly two-centuries of history. Examples of vernacular, Federal, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, and Victorian Era architecture comprises the core of our village which was placed in its entirety on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. In the early-19th century, Burkittsville was the location of a tannery, cottage industries, and commercial establishments serving travelers at its crossroads and the surrounding farming community. During the Civil War, United States and Confederate soldiers clashed on South Mountain during the Maryland Campaign in a battle which set the stage for the calamitous battle of Antietam three days later. Whiskey distilleries fueled the economic rebirth of the village after the Civil War, but this era of industrial prosperity came to a sudden end with Prohibition in 1920. Since then, few changes to the built environment had taken place in Burkittsville, resulting in this community being one of Maryland's best-preserved rural villages. Learn more about Burkittsville's remarkable history by exploring our digital collections and visiting the museum!