Mumma Farmstead

During the Battle of Antietam the Mumma Farmstead was the only civilian property that was intentionally damaged

On September 15, 1862, as the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia moved into the Sharpsburg area, Samuel and Elizabeth Mumma took their thirteen children and evacuated their home. They spent several days in a church a few miles north of the battlefield.

About two hours into the Battle of Antietam, Confederate soldiers received orders to burn the buildings on the Mumma property to prevent their use by Union sharpshooters. The house, barn and most outbuildings were subsequently burned. This was the only intentional destruction of civilian property during the battle. A stone springhouse was the only original structure to survive the battle, although the wooden upper story was destroyed.

With the loss of their home, the Mummas spent the winter at the Sherrick farm located near Burnside Bridge. In 1863 they rebuilt their home. After the war the U.S. government compensated local residents for damages committed by Union soldiers, but the Mummas received no compensation since their property had been destroyed by the Confederates. In 1906 a former member of the Third North Carolina Infantry wrote to the postmaster of Sharpsburg, seeking information about how to contact the family whose house members of his regiment had burned. The postmaster was Samuel Mumma, Jr., who replied that although his family had lost everything in the battle, they understood that the soldiers were only obeying orders when they burned the house.