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| Burkittsville, MD 21718, USA (Burkittsville, Maryland)
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The Town of Burkittsville
Located 60 miles west of Baltimore, this small town with a population of 171 (according to a 2000 US census) was thrust into the spotlight in 1999 with the film, The Blair Witch Project. Aside from that notoriety, Burkittsville was also the setting for a Civil War battle that served as a prelude to one of the bloodiest battles fought during the war and also the first real victory by the Union army.
Battle of Crampton's Gap
Maryland would mark the first move by General Robert E. Lee and his Confederate army made into invading northern territory. His aim was to drum up foreign support, as well as northern sympathizers, for the Confederate's cause and shake up the Union's economy. Once in Maryland, Lee split his army up into three parts to secure specific targets. Somehow, the plans he drew up that detailed the troop movements were left behind in Frederick, Maryland and were discovered by Union troops. Armed with this potentially devastating information, Union commander George B. McClellan devised a plan to drive a wedge between the separated Confederate troops.
The Battle of Crampton's Gap was one of three battles fought that would become known as The Battle of South Mountain. While Confederate troops held strong at the other two locations, they were completely overwhelmed at Crampton's Gap. The Confederate troops had moved into Burkittsville on September 13, 1862, only to be thrown into battle the next day. While the number of troops involved in somewhat sketchy, it is believed that Union soldiers outnumbered the Confederate soldiers by a ratio of 6 to 1 in Crampton's Gap. The Union troops also traveled with only their rifles, which made easy targets out of the Confederate troops who were trying to push their heavy artillery up the hill.
Despite achieving victory at Crampton's Gap, Union General William B. Franklin would not follow through with his orders to send reinforcements to nearby Harpers Ferry, which was under siege by Confederate troops. As result, Harpers Ferry fell into Confederate hands and allowed Lee to reunite his army. This fatal mistake set up what was to be the bloodiest battle in the Civil War in the Battle of Antietam three days later.
The town of Burkittsville took in casualties from both sides from the Battle of Crampton's Gap and they were taken to several local buildings. It should be no surprise that there are reports of ghosts of the soldiers throughout the town to this day. Not to mention, strange tales of ghosts of Confederate troops pushing cars up a stretch of road that is now known as Spook Hill.
The Blair Witch Project
Burkittsville also served as the central location of the movie The Blair Witch Project. The film involved three filmmakers who disappear under mysterious circumstances while making a documentary on a legend. The legend surrounded a woman named Elly Kedward, who was executed for witchcraft in the town which is now known as Burkittsville. The Blair Witch Project was made on a shoestring budget, but became a smash hit and grossed over $248 million. The combined low budget and box-office earnings still rank the movie as the most profitable film ever made to this day.
While the city of Burkittsville is indeed real, the rest of the mythology from the film was a complete creation of the filmmakers themselves. In fact, only a few scenes from the movie were actually shot inside the town and most were shot in other locations in Maryland. While other scenes purported to be interviews with town residents, the only scenes that were actually filmed in Burkittsville were of the sign and the cemetery.
The Locals
The film's success also brought a surge of tourists to Burkittsville, who either didn't know that the film was not real or just didn't care. While the tourists did provide a small surge to the local economy, they also brought acts of vandalism with them. The city sign was stolen on multiple occassions and there have been reports of vandalism in the cemetery as well. As such, the town isn't entirely thrilled with the notoriety brought on by the film - perhaps even less so since the entire storyline was fabricated.
While it is a beautiful little town with enough of a fascinating history to it without the manufactured legends of The Blair Witch Project, the locals of Burkittsville are understandably apprehensive of tourists. Anyone who is interested in traveling there should be aware that they might not be met with open arms and should go out of their way to respect that. |
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O.T.I.S. (Odd Things I've Seen): Burkittsville, M - From: O.T.I.S. (03/01/09, 08:43 PM UTC)
Article excerpt from OddThingsIveSeen.com:
"[This is] about a miniscule town of no intrinsic notoriety that about a decade ago for sudden, random r...More
Rating: 5/1 (0 Comments) |
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| Related Sites |
Burkittsville, Maryland
The official site of this historic village founded in 1824. Events, history and government contacts. Setting for The Blair Witch Project. |
The Real 'Blair Witch' Ghosts
Site detailing the real ghost stories of Burkittsville, Maryland - the setting for The Blair Witch Project. |
The Blair Witch Project
The official site to The Blair Witch Project. |
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| Similar Destinations |
| Lafayette Park |
| The Hermitage |
| The Blair Witch Project: Rustin Parr's House |
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| See Also on TheCabinet.com |
| Dark Destinations in the News (10/31/07) |
| Blog: The Ghosts (and Witch) of Burkittsville (09/14/08) |
| Blog: The Travels of the Blair Witch (12/22/08) |
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| Available from Amazon.com |
The Blair Witch Project: A Dossier |
Nothing That Is: Millennial Cinema and the 'Blair Witch' Controversies |
The Blair Witch Project |
Blair Witch Project Logo Knit Hat |
Blair Witch Project Black Twill Baseball Cap |
Blair Witch Project (Regular 1-Sheet) Art Print Poster By unknown, 40 " x 27 " |
Blair Witch Project - 1999 - Advance - Original 27x40 Movie Poster - Heather Donahue - Collectible |
THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT - Movie Postcard |
The Blair Witch Project - Movie Poster (Size: 27" x 40") |
Blair Witch Episode 1: Rustin Parr 1941 |
Blair Witch Episode 2: Coffin Rock 1886 |
Blair Witch Episode 3: Elly Kedward 1786 |
The Blair Witch Project: The Official Internet Companion |
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