The stone observatory on the Bloody lane is now finished and ready for visitors. The view from this point alone is worth a visit to the famous Bloody lane as you can take in the entire right to the left nearly four miles. There will be, when all planted, nearly four hundred markers, giving one a good idea of the entire battle field with the advantage of the good roads. Every body ought to visit it and make a study of this great battle.
Side view of Owens Creek Bridge looking east
Submitted by StephenRecker on Fri, 05/31/2013 - 2:10pm
This is a side view of the Owes Creek Bridge looking east. There is a marking on the back of a similar view that says 8-6-79, which I assume means that it was taken on my birthday in the year 1879. This would fit nicely with my deduction that Recher bought his stereo camera in 1878 and that Pen Mar opened in 1877, making this rail line of interest to photographers, due to the tourists that it brought out to Western Maryland. I have not had a chance to check the handwriting to see if it is Recher's, but the fact is that Recher probably handled all of his images before they went out which is why you so often see his writing on the back.
About
Hello. I'm Stephen Recker and welcome to my blog. In it I will be discussing the different projects I am working on related to the American Civil War with a focus on photography related to the battle of Antietam. I am particularly interested in how the battlefield has been interpreted throughout the years. I will be discussing how it was done then and how new technologies can be brought to bear to bring life to those old materials as well as new ones. See the 99 Places Every Antietam Battlefield Guide Should Know.
Sharpsburg Items
Antietam Valley Record
Thursday, September 5, 1895