George Alfred Townsend / A Man and his Mountain

History: A noted war correspondent, Townsend was only 20 when the Civil War began and he began covering it for the New York Herald. He also reported on the 1865 assassination of Abraham Lincoln and its aftermath for the New York World. Some of his reports were published in a book primarily about the capture of assassin John Wilkes Booth. Townsend wrote under the pen name "Gath."

More to Explore: Townsend, who died in 1914, constructed an estate on land that incorporates Crampton's Gap, one site that saw particularly heavy fighting during the Battle of South Mountain. The property is now part of the 140-acre Gathland State Park, which includes a 50-foot-tall War Correspondents Memorial Arch built in 1896 as Townsend's tribute to war reporters killed in combat. Two buildings from Townsend's estate have survived and are being used as a museum/visitor's center. The pet-friendly park also provides access to the Appalachian National Scenic Trail.

Photo Credit: “Mark Twain, George Townsend, and David Gray” Courtesy of: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division