Cavetown connects to Smithsburg, a desirable small Maryland town
The mostly residential community of Cavetown extends from Smithsburg, a small town that’s increasingly desirable among homebuyers. A big reason is the community is within 15 minutes of Hagerstown, says Matt Curtis, a Realtor with The Curtis Home Team at Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Homesale Realty. “It’s known for being a quiet, peaceful area,” Curtis says. “It’s nestled with farms all around it, but it has a small-town area too, with restaurants and bars.” The community was once home to a cave and a limestone quarry, but, after the cave collapsed and the quarrying industry died down, Cavetown today is a mix of farms, historic homes and small subdivisions.
Historic homes and midcentury subdivisions
Dozens of homes from the 1800s and early 1900s make up the Cavetown Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These saltbox and Colonial Revival homes were built in the community’s early years, when its economy centered around a limestone quarry. Later, subdivisions of ranch-style houses were developed in the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s. More than 100 houses on roomy lots of an acre or more fill in the rest of Cavetown. Prices typically vary from $280,000 to $450,000.
Cavetown’s CAP Index Crime Score is 1 out of 10, lower than the national average of 4.
Smithsburg schools all awarded B grades or better
Children can start at Smithsburg Elementary, which receives a B-plus from Niche. A-minus-rated Smithsburg Middle was one of only six schools in the state to be named a 2023 National Blue Ribbon School, the highest distinction given out by the U.S. Department of Education. Older students can go to B-graded Smithsburg High.
Local businesses include farm store and orchard stand
Several of Cavetown’s few businesses underscore the community’s agricultural roots. Sunnycrest Farm & Home Center sells livestock feed and crop seeds in addition to hardware. Farms such as Lewis Orchards sell apples, peaches and other seasonal produce. There’s also a Martin’s supermarket. Residents can go out for a slice from Rocky’s New York Pizza and Italian Restaurant or grab a cone at Debbie’s Soft Serve, which sponsors a Smithsburg Little Sluggers team. Locals can find nightlife in Smithsburg at Wolfe’s Den, a bar that draws people with its drinks, wings and music trivia nights.
200 years of community at Christ Reformed United Church of Christ
Christ Reformed United Church of Christ traces its presence in Cavetown to the 1820s. Two hundred years later, the church is an active host for community events. The congregation raises money with its All You Can Eat Spaghetti Dinner and Bake Sale, and it organizes annual gatherings such as the Outdoor Yard and Craft Sale and the Peanut Butter Festival, where attendees can purchase locally made pies, cookies and candy made with peanut butter.
Parks and youth baseball in Smithsburg
Residents can head to the neighboring town of Smithsburg to use its public parks. They include Veterans Park, where mountains surround walking paths and playgrounds. A cluster of baseball fields in the town hosts Smithsburg Little Sluggers youth games. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources stocks Beaver Creek with trout, but there’s no public access along the creek’s path through Cavetown. Instead, anglers can park and fish off Beaver Creek Church Road, south of Cavetown.
I-81, I-70 links Cavetown to Pennsylvania, West Virginia
It’s an 8-mile drive to Hagerstown, home to Meritus Health, as well as on-ramps for Interstate 81 and Interstate 70. The 70-mile drive from Cavetown to Washington, D.C., can take nearly three hours, depending on traffic. An increasing number of people who work in or near the district are relocating to the Hagerstown metro, Curtis says. “What we find is, because it’s a rural area, there are a lot of commuters from the D.C./Interstate 270 corridor who have moved out here to live a quieter, more peaceful life.” Allegiant Air flies three nonstop routes from Hagerstown Regional Airport, and travelers can fly to more destinations from Washington Dulles International Airport, 60 miles away.
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Alex Soderstrom
