How Emmitsburg Is Embracing Modern Living

(1/17) Emmitsburg is a place filled with history. It was, after all, settled by England in 1733 and has since had hundreds of years filled with stories and history. Its early history is rife with strife and violence between settlers, the French and English, and America's Indigenous people, and later on, between Americans.

Of course, in more recent history, the bloodshed has ended, and the area is home to just under 3,000 people. It's become a picturesque town that invites visitors to explore America's history and natural scenery.

Emmitsburg's proximity to Gettysburg, where the Battle of Gettysburg took place during the American Civil War, has been one of the big draws for the town. But, as locals know, there's more to the town than this.

All the current tourist spots and town highlights are centered around historic buildings and monuments like the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, National Fallen Firefighters Memorial, Historic Battlefield Bed and Breakfast Inn, and Mansion House 1757 (which has been operating since 1757).

But can a place so instilled with the stories of yesterday find a way to embrace modern living as we know it in 2024?

The answer is yes, it can-and it's already begun! Below, we'll delve into how this small, historic town is keeping pace with the modern world.

Emmitsburg Steps Into Modern Living

Emmitsburg has embraced modern living in a few key ways, ranging from its energy sources to its public services and moves toward sustainability.

Solar Power

Emmitsburg Glass Company is a well-known community business that employs almost 100 people in the area, but more than that, it's a trailblazing business that operates on solar power. When it comes to powering its operations, Emmitsburg Glass is not only entirely self-reliant but is actually contributing energy to the grid for Emmitsburg. The company has even gotten the community involved by offering a 40-foot-high lift to look at the panels from the sky—creating a fun adventure exploring the ins and outs of solar energy production.

This company's solar power isn't the only way Emmitsburg has added the natural energy source to its grid; the town itself also has two solar fields that generate over 200,000 KWh each month.

Public Services

Libraries have long been community hubs where people can find information and support for all sorts of questions. Today, the library system is no different in Emmitsburg, though the services and options offered to the community are much more all-encompassing and digital than they would have been a hundred years ago. The Emmitsburg library branch provides free Wi-Fi to the community, helping everyone access this essential modern-day tool. It offers this while holding true to being a community hub with activities and events for every age group and interest.

However, the library isn't the only system to have modernized for the Emmitsburg community; the town itself has made big strides. These strides include an online transaction system for everything from paying your bills to paying for parking.

The town, just like many of us, acknowledges the importance of going digital and having an active online presence. From helping us pay bills to letting us play Bally on casinos.com, the online world has added to the ease and quality of our everyday lives.

Adding to the ease and quality of everyday life is the town's approach to inclusive design for the health and wellness of its inhabitants. Emmitsburg created a fully accessible playground for children so that no matter their physical ability, all kids in the community have a place to play.

Sustainability Certification

This small town has made some big sustainability moves by becoming bronze-certified by Sustainable Maryland. This took a great deal of planning and initiative by town officials and community members.

A few key elements of reaching this bronze-level certification include how the town cares for its natural resources, like its watershed. In the process of becoming more sustainable, it switched to eco-friendly methods of algae control within the watershed for the community and has worked to encourage community inhabitants to use rain barrels.

The town has also encouraged electric vehicle use by strategically placing four charging stations at town hubs to make them convenient and easy to use. It has even adopted electric vehicles by purchasing one for bylaw enforcement.

Other stand-out features that earned Emmitsburg this certification include green education, a green action plan, a Sustainability Resource Center, a community-based food system, community gardens, and the development of a green purchasing policy for town officials.

In addition to this certification, the town also has an active environmental stewardship organization, Strawberry Hill, which has advocated for the environment in the area since the mid-1980s. They host regular programs for people of all ages and even offer special programs for events like birthday parties.

Higher Education

In the heart of Emmitsburg, you'll find Mount St. Mary's University, a post-secondary school with contemporary undergraduate programs like cybersecurity, environmental sciences, computer science, and more.

This school has brought elements of modern living to its students and the greater Emmitsburg community. This includes a state-of-the-art sports facility that promotes and teaches the importance of active living and offers fitness equipment and classes.

A Town Whose History Is Still Underway