Packhorse Ford, also known historically as Pack Horse Ford, Blackford's Ford and Boteler's Ford, is a historic crossing point of the

Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augu ...

. It is located about east of downtown

Shepherdstown, West Virginia Shepherdstown is a town in Jefferson County, West Virginia, United States, located in the lower Shenandoah Valley along the Potomac River. Home to Shepherd University, the town's population was 1,734 at the time of the 2010 census. History 18 ...

, and south of

Sharpsburg, Maryland Sharpsburg is a town in Washington County, Maryland. The town is approximately south of Hagerstown. Its population was 705 at the 2010 census. During the American Civil War, the Battle of Antietam, sometimes referred to as the Battle of Sharpsb ...

, USA. The crossing was a Native American crossing site and eventually became a major crossing point in colonial times. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, it was used by military forces involved in the 1862 Battle of Antietam. The site of the ford is marked by a commemorative marker on the West Virginia side of the river, at the junction of River and Trough Roads. The ford was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 2015.

References

Archaeological sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Maryland Transportation in Washington County, Maryland Potomac River National Register of Historic Places in Washington County, Maryland {{WashingtonCountyMD-NRHP-stub

See also

References