News Release

Monocacy National Battlefield Historic House Series: Rescheduled Worthington Farm Open House, September 7, 2019

The Worthington Farm Open House is rescheduled due to hazardous weather conditions.

NPS Photo

News Release Date: July 17, 2019

Contact: Jana Friesen McCabe, 301-471-0322

FREDERICK, Md. – Due to the forecast for extreme heat this weekend, the National Park Service is rescheduling the tour of the historic Worthington House at Monocacy National Battlefield to September 7, 2019. “Visitor and staff safety are our highest priority at Monocacy National Battlefield,” stated Superintendent Christopher J. Stubbs. “Due to the extreme heat predicted this weekend, we are rescheduling the Worthington Farm open house to September 7.” Current forecasts call for temperatures around 100 degrees and high humidity on Saturday with a combined heat index the National Weather Service categorizes as dangerous.

Instead of the open house, the National Park Service invites visitors to explore the Worthington House online. A new, enhanced virtual tour of the Worthington House at https://go.nps.gov/1brmnp includes areas that are not be accessible during the open house.

During the Battle of Monocacy, the Worthington Farm became a staging area for the Confederate Army to attack Union forces defending the roads leading to Washington D.C., and Baltimore, Md. Six-year old Glenn Worthington watched the battle from the cellar window. He wrote about the battle in Fighting for Time, a book that played a role in the preservation of the battlefield. The National Park Service is currently seeking funding to rehabilitate the house.

On August 17, 2019 the National Park Service will offer a special tour of the Thomas House from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Today the Thomas House serves as the battlefield’s headquarters, during the battle it witnessed some of the fiercest fighting and sustained significant damage. Some of the scars are still visible.

All programs and events are FREE. The Worthington House is at 4235 Baker Valley Road, Frederick, Md. (GPS location). The Thomas House is at 4632 Araby Church Road, Frederick, Md.

www.nps.gov

Monocacy National Battlefield preserves, protects and commemorates the landscape, historic structures, archeological sites and monuments that contribute to the national significance of the Battle of Monocacy. The park also provides opportunities for visitors to understand and appreciate the significance of the Battle of Monocacy within the full context of the Civil War and American History. For more information, visit www.nps.gov/mono.