Temple Hall

Temple Hall was home to a family of ardent Confederate supporters during the war.

Temple Hall was a large farm complex dating from the early 19th century. The main house was built in 1810, and in 1857, it was purchased by Henry Ball. A firm supporter of the Southern cause, he was the only local citizen to take up arms during the 1861 Battle of Ball’s Bluff. His sons took up arms as well, as soldiers in the 6th Virginia Cavalry, and one was mortally wounded at the Battle of Spotsylvania. Ball, who often supplied Confederate soldiers with food and arms at his home, was arrested in 1863 for refusing to take an oath of allegiance to the Union and imprisoned at Fort Delaware. The women of the Ball family were also arrested while trying to smuggle food from Maryland back across the Potomac to Confederate soldiers. During the Monocacy Campaign in 1864, Colonel John Mosby camped nearby and was invited to dinner. While there, he received information about a Federal scouting troop and left quickly to intercept them. Today, the property is Temple Hall Farm Regional Park, a recreational area open to the public. The historic farmhouse still stands, but it is a private residence and not opened to the public.