Emmitsburg is a town in

Frederick County, Maryland Frederick County is located in Maryland, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the population was 271,717. The county seat is Frederick, Maryland, Frederick. The county is part of the Washington metropolitan area, ...

, United States, south of the Mason-Dixon line separating Maryland from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. Founded in 1785, Emmitsburg is the home of Mount St. Mary's University. The town has two Catholic pilgrimage sites: the National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, which is on the campus of Mount St. Mary's, and the Basilica and National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, who was the first native-born United States citizen to be canonized as a saint. The Seton Shrine is one of the top eight Catholic pilgrimage destinations in the United States. The National Emergency Training Center (NETC) campus is in Emmitsburg, located on the former campus of Saint Joseph College. The campus includes the Emergency Management Institute, the National Fire Academy and the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial. The population as of the 2020 United States census was 2,776. The current mayor of Emmitsburg is Frank Davis. The current commissioners are Amy Boehman-Pollitt, Jim Hoover, Valerie Turnquist, Kevin Hagan, and Cliff Sweeney. The terms of the mayor and all members of the council, excepting Boehman-Politt, expire in October 2027. Boehman-Politt's term will end in October 2025.

History

Emmitsburg was named for its founder, William Emmit, in 1785. However, a settlement (named first "Silver Fancy" and later "Poplar Fields") preceded the town, particularly since British authorities restricted colonists' expansion during and after the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

. In 1757 Lutherans led by pastor George Bager built a church, which they shared with a German Reformed congregation until 1798. After the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, Catholic missionary Rev. Jean Dubois established a mission church, then a seminary, at Emmitsburg. Later

Elizabeth Ann Seton Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton (August 28, 1774 – January 4, 1821) was an American Catholic Church, Catholic religious and educator, known as a founder of the country's parochial school system. Born in New York and reared as an Episcopalian, she ...

established a convent, with a school and hospital. Soon, the number of Methodists in Emmitsburg led to the formation of a circuit around town, rather than share a minister with Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The Union fortified Emmitsburg to stop the Confederate invasion of the Union territory in June 1863 during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. Half the town was burned to the ground in a mysterious fire on the night of June 23. Folklore has it that "The Great Fire", as it was known, was started by a Union sympathizer to prevent advancing Confederates from taking supplies from the town. However fate spared the town a battle between the opposing forces, which instead took place 12 miles north of it in Pennsylvania near the town of Gettysburg. The town was briefly held by the retreating Confederates on July 4.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , all land.

Climate

Emmitsburg has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(Köppen ''Dfa'') with hot, humid summers and moderately cold winters. It is known for being located near the base of

Catoctin Mountain Catoctin Mountain, along with the geologically associated Bull Run Mountains, forms the easternmost mountain ridge of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are in turn a part of the Appalachian Mountains range. The ridge runs northeast–southwest for ...

Transportation

The primary method of travel to and from Emmitsburg is by road. U.S. Route 15 is the main highway serving Emmitsburg, providing connections northward to Gettysburg,

and southward to Frederick. U.S. Route 15 Business follows the old alignment of US 15 through the center of Emmitsburg, with the main highway now following a bypass on the east side of town. Maryland Route 140 is the other main highway traversing the town, which provides connections eastward towards

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

and eventually

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

. To the west, MD 140 crosses into Pennsylvania and becomes Pennsylvania Route 16.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 2,814 people, 997 households, and 670 families living in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 1,070 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 95.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 2.0%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 2.5% of the population. There were 997 households, of which 38.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.8% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.8% were non-families. Of all households, 26.6% were made up of individuals, and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.22. The median age in the town was 39.5 years. 26% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.4% were from 25 to 44; 25.1% were from 45 to 64; and 16.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 47.3% male and 52.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,290 people, 811 households, and 553 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 862 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.16%

, 0.87%

, 0.04% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.04% from other races, and 1.57% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.44% of the population. There were 811 households, out of which 38.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were

living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. Of all households, 26.8% were made up of individuals, and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.03. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.4% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 16.6% from 45 to 64, and 20.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 76.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 70.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $38,710, and the median income for a family was $46,328. Males had a median income of $32,578 versus $23,235 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $16,216. About 4.2% of families and 12.9% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 4.1% of those under age 18 and 44.4% of those age 65 or over.

Media

The town has two newspapers: the ''Emmitsburg News-Journal'', and ''The Catoctin Banner'',''The Catoctin Banner''
/ref> both of which are published monthly,

References

External links

Emmitsburg.net
��Emmitsburg's non-profit community Web site
Emmitsburg Historical Society's Web site

Mount St. Mary's University

''Emmitsburg News-Journal''
��Emmitsburg's community newspaper {{authority control 1785 establishments in Maryland Catholic Church in Maryland Catholic pilgrimage sites Populated places established in 1785 Towns in Frederick County, Maryland Towns in Maryland