
We are sad to announce that the Jacob Rohrbach Inn will no longer be hosting the Summer Lecture Series. Nine years ago we started the series as a community service and a way to provide guests with a unique Civil War experience. It was also a venue for local historians, guides, and volunteers to present outstanding programs on topics they are passionate about and to raise money to support the Save Historic Antietam Foundation. The program grew every year as word spread and more folks attended to hear these excellent talks. Last year, thanks to our friends at St. Paul’s Episcopal church, we were able to move indoors and attendance soared even more as the venue is perfect. Over the last decade we have had forty-seven amazing guest speakers, hundreds of attendees, and have raised over $4,000 in donations to SHAF.
At some point in the (distant) future, we will sell the bed and breakfast and move on to retirement and we would hate to see this wonderful community activity cease under the new owners. Therefore, we have asked the Antietam Institute to take over the program. Hosting education programs is one of the Institute’s objectives, as is supporting other nonprofit organizations, like SHAF. Over the last four years the Antietam Institute has grown into an impressive organization with strong community partners and 400 members. The Institute is the perfect organization to continue our legacy.
We want to thank all the speakers we’ve had who presented truly excellent lectures. A sincere “Thank You” to everyone that attended the programs, donated to our fundraising efforts, and supported our program. We could never have done this without you. You are the best and we will not forget your generosity.
As founding members of the Antietam Institute, we will continue to play active roles in the lecture series, the community, and the Institute. We look forward to seeing you this summer. Be sure to book a stay at our Sharpsburg Bed and Breakfast to attend one of these outstanding programs.
The Antietam Institute Summer Lecture Series is held in McKinley Hall at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Sharpsburg, MD every Monday evening at 7:00 pm. The program starts on June 2nd and runs through August 25th. No advance registration is required and the lectures are free and open to the public. The church is located at 209 West Main Street with a small parking area off the alley. More parking is available on Main and Hall Streets. Each week there is a drawing for an autographed book or a Civil War print. Here is the amazing lineup of historians and scholars discussing their latest works and research about the Maryland Campaign and the Civil War.
2025 Lecture Schedule
June 2 – Robert M. Dunkerly The Final Attack at Antietam
June 16 – Sarah Kay Bierle “Directed to Take Command”: Winfield S. Hancock & Antietam’s Sunken Road
June 30 – Darin Wipperman “I Am Bullet Proof:” The Last Four Months of a Fifth Corps Soldier
July 7 – Dr. Alex Rossino Before September: The Origin of the 1862 Maryland Campaign
July 14 – Dr. Brad Gottfried Texas Brigade at Antietam
July 21 Tom McMillan “Little-Known Antietam: Henry Winters and ‘Mystery and Murder at the Lodge'”
July 28 – Jim Rosebrock Organization of the Federal Artillery in the Civil War
August 11 – Steve Stotelmyer Little Mac at the Front
August 4 – Tracey McIntire The Fate of Antietam’s Wounded
August 18 – Dr. Jen Murray Meade at War: General George Meade and the Army of the Potomac, 1861-1865
August 25 – John Schildt Frederick, the Crossroads of the Civil War
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