The Hidden Saber

Jan 21, 2020

First and fore most, I need to let you know that I have linked my photos to either Picfair, Pinterest, or Amazon. I’ve linked Spirits of Frederick to Amazon books in this post, since I didn’t include any of my own photos … each photo will lead you to a different link, depending on what it is!

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Hope you enjoy!

This story, or legend, comes from the book Spirits of Frederick by Alyce T. Weinberg.

“A ghost in an officer’s full-dress uniform rushes up the front stairs at a house on North Market Street (Frederick MD) when the occupants return home.”

John Best was a well known citizen of the county and was killed in the Civil War. He owned the property on the edge of town, which was once an estate of many acres with the main house on a hill. It is covered in stucco now and seems like an old house on the corner…

Residents have said that they would see Best on occasion and were able to describe him in detail. They mostly see him charging up the stairs with his shining sword at the ready, “like Teddy Roosevelt at San Juan Hill”. In the book, it says that some have given chase, but he disappears at the top of the stairs.

There are stories of suspected prowlers, police being called, people running out of the house after startling experiences, never to return. New owners have even sold the house at a loss.

When the flooring was repaired in the attic, a gleaming silver saber was found…all wrapped up like a prized possession in a yellowed, silk scarf. It was untarnished… John Best carried that saber! It was engraved with his name.

** I looked up “John Best civil war” and came up with the Best House, on the Monacacy Battlefield. Not sure if this is the same house as in the story I just told…but I doubt it. The way it’s described in the book, it doesn’t sound like it. In the book, the house is described as “Just another house on the corner in a built up neighborhood”. According to the article on the web, John Best took over the home on the battlefield from his father in 1864. My thoughts are that John’s father had the farm, while John lived in the house in town. I will definitely have to do some more research on this – if I can find anything!

You can read more about the Best farm here

Hope you have a great day!
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