A knock on the door on September 16, 1862 forever changed the lives of Philip and Elizabeth Pry, who had prospered for almost twenty years on this 140 acre farm along Antietam Creek while raising six children. With Confederate forces gathering on the other side of the Antietam, Gen. George McClellan gathered the Union Army on this side and selected the Pry home as his headquarters. Thousands of soldiers and horses descended on the farm, fences were knocked down, crops were trampled, hay was used, livestock was taken to feed the army, and the house and barn served as field hospitals. The Union Army stayed in the area for two months, adding to the hardships experienced by the Prys and other local families. After the battle, Phillip Pry filed numerous claims with the War Department seeking payment for the damage done to the farm. Portions of the claims were paid, other charges were disputed, and there was an investigation of overpayment. The financial burden proved too much, and in 1874 the Prys sold their home and moved to Tennessee.
