Voting Station

Burkittsville, Maryland

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Location

The Resume

    (1824- )
    Town in Frederick County, Maryland
    Total area of 0.45 square miles
    Population of 155 (as of the 2012 census)
    Established by Henry Burkett (or Burkitt) and his colleague, Joshua Harley
    Best known as the filming location of 'The Blair Witch Project' (1999)
    Home of the legendary 'Blair Witch' and the spirit of Elly Kedward; (allegedly) founded on the site of the village of Blair
    We all know it: 'In October of 1994, three student filmmakers disappeared in the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland while shooting a documentary. A year later their footage was found.'

Why Burkittsville, Maryland might be annoying:

    After Salem, it is the most popular destination for witchcraft cultists.
    Its population decreased dramatically post 1999.
    It gained unwanted publicity as the site of a 'found-footage' horror movie many mistook to be real.
    Its town welcome sign was repeatedly stolen by souvenir seekers (it appears briefly at the start of the film).
    This despite the fact that, not only had the fictitious 'legends' been conjured up by the filmmakers, but the majority of it was shot outside of the town.
    Nonetheless, it was overrun with Blair Witch 'groupies,' who wandered through the woods, trying to find the 'real' places where the events took place (or hoping to get lost - God knows why).
    In fact, denial that any witchcraft ever took place only served to fuel curiosity; leading some to conclude that a conspiracy had been designed to hide 'the truth.'
    This isn't to say that there aren't local residents susceptible to believing, or trying to profit from, the stories themselves - because there are (storeowners falsely advertising that scenes from the film were shot at their location, teenagers showing tourists where Josh's car was parked and claiming that the Rustin Parr character was real, etc.)

Why Burkittsville, Maryland might not be annoying:

    It originated as a local post office.
    The legends associated with it are so enthralling one might as well wish they were true.
    Even before the film's release, a group of concerned citizens came together to form 'the Witches of Burkittsville,' a website designed to refute the historical inaccuracies promoted in the film (instead promoting its history as a prominent location during the Civil War).
    Almost the entire town is a historic district, listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 20, 1975.
    Forces of the Union and Confederate armies engaged in the Battle of Crampton´s Gap, which has been credited as the trigger for the brutal Battle of Antietam, while the village residents fled for safety in the surrounding territory (September 13-14, 1862).
    The Reformed and Lutheran churches and adjacent schoolhouse were used as hospitals for the more than 300 wounded of both sides.
    In an effort to deter thieves, the sign was radically redesigned to feature white letters and red stars against a blue background, so as not to resemble the sign as seen in the movie.
    Considering how much trouble the film caused the town, its probably due for some kind of compensation/financial reparations from the filmmakers (grossed $248,639,099 worldwide, with a budget of less than $500,000 - it is one of the most profitable films ever made).

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 5 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 11 Votes: 81.82% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 7 Votes: 28.57% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 116 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 8 Votes: 37.50% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 4 Votes: 25.00% Annoying