A Historical Tour of Downtown Sykesville
From fire and floods to fame and fortune
Welcome to Downtown Sykesville!
Sykesville is home to a vibrant community, a thriving downtown, over 30 fantastic and eclectic businesses, and numerous attractions for the whole family. A state and nationally designated Main Street Community - administered by the Downtown Sykesville Connection , historic Sykesville has plenty to offer its residents, business owners, and visitors. Come explore and find out why Sykesville was named the Coolest Small Town in America in 2016 and the Best Main Street in America in 2020 !
The B&O Station, in 1973 and 2018
Sykesville and the Civil War
The Sykesville Raid
General Robert E. Lee ordered General J.E.B Stuart, commander of the Confederate Cavalry, to use his troops as a screen for the infantry and destroy communications and rail lines along his route from Cooksville to Gettysburg via Westminster. To that effort, Stuart dispatched General Fitzhugh Lee's brigade to tear up railroad tracks, cut telegraph lines and destroy bridges between Hood's Mill and Sykesville.
General J.E.B Stuart's chief of staff, Major H.B. McClellan remembered, "Fitz Lee's brigade was moved northward towards Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, which it soon reached after daylight on the morning of the 29th of June. Much time was consumed in tearing up the track at Hood's Mill, in burning the bridge at Sykesville, and in destroying the telegraph line; but this work was effectively accomplished, and the last means of communication between General Meade's army and Washington was destroyed."
Fitzhugh Lee succeeded in all of his objectives during the dawn hours of June 29th. He burned the small bridges crossing the Patapsco River and Piney Run Creek and served railroad and telegraph communications, hindering Union Army commander General George G. Meade's ability to contact Washington.
Sykesville is a proud partner of the Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area
Special thanks to Megan Forbes for lending her voice to this story.
The DSC expresses its deepest gratitude to the Community Media Center for the use of their studio and the work of Mike Fell for the preparation and finalization of the audio files.