Sykesville: Capturing Joe Hooker

History: Confederate Gen. J. E. B. Stuart's cavalry rode north through Sykesville and Marriottsville in June 1863. Soon, Stuart learned that Union Gen. Joseph Hooker had been relieved of his command of the Army of the Potomac in Frederick and might return to Washington on a special train that day. The Confederates burned a wooden bridge over Piney Branch east of Hood's Mill and tore up sections of track to stop the train and capture Hooker. Their plan was thwarted. An alert engineer on an earlier train spotted them and backed up to Frederick to warn Hooker.

More to Explore: Sykesville's former train station is now known as Baldwin's Station, a delightful restaurant with a concert and theater wing, hosting musical performers from the folk, acoustical and singer-songwriter genre. The venue also presents murder mystery dinner theater and children's theater. While reminiscing about Sykesville history, stop by the Sykesville Gate House Museum to discover the story of the rise of this small agricultural railroad town. Sykesville offers several options for dining: several eateries are located in nearby historic buildings.

Photo Credits:

1. "Sykesville." Courtesy of the Historical Society of Carroll County
2. "General Joseph Hooker, who barely escaped a plot to capture him."
3. "General Fitzhugh Lee." Photos courtesy of Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
4. "This 1860's tintype shows the Sykes Hotel, which was destroyed when the Patapsco River flooded in 1868." Courtesy of the Collection of the Sykesville Gate House Museum of History
5. "Stuarts Cavalry cutting telegraph wires."