More News

Seneca Creek State Park launches a history series at 4:30 p.m. today. At the Black Rock Mill, 16500 Black Rock Road in Germantown, residents will hear how prosperous grist and saw mills of the 18th and 19th centuries operated.

The following week, talks return to the Seneca Creek State Park Visitor Center, 11950 Clopper Road, Gaithersburg. At 4:30 p.m. July 8 and July 22, rangers will cover history of the Civil War and its effects on the area and its residents. Discussions will delve into lore about a headless Confederate soldier, whose ghost is rumored to haunt Clopper Road and Confederate Private William D. Scott, whose grave is outside St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church.

Scott, a member of an advance cavalry sent following the Battle of the Monocacy, stopped by the home of Joseph A. Taney asking for supper, according to church historian Gene Domalski. Union forces began firing at the house and Scott escaped, but union forces shot him in the side. Legend has it that Scott made his way to "the Woodlands," the home of Gaithersburg's Clopper and Hutton families, and asked if he could die on the porch.

The two families — and 19th century daily life — are the focus of talks at 4:30 p.m. on July 12, 19 and 26 at the center. Admission is free. For details, contact Katie Wong at 301-924-2127 or e-mail SCSPNAturalist@gmail.com.