Fort Ritchie in Cascade, Maryland was a military installation southwest of Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania and southeast of Waynesboro in the area of South Mountain.

The company planned to cut natural ice from a manmade lake and ship it to Baltimore, Washington, and southern markets via the Western Maryland Railroad's Baltimore-Hagerstown line.

A decision in favor of the ice company property was primarily based upon its proximity to the Western Maryland Railroad and the telegraph line.

The property also was attractive to Adjutant General Milton Reckord because its altitude and position in the Blue Ridge Mountains could ward off hot Summer temperatures and mosquitoes, unlike other areas of the state.

One, a male Buddhist Japanese-American from Hawaii, Yoshiaki Fujitani, served in military intelligence in Camp Ritchie during the war.

Following the War, Camp Ritchie was involved with yet another top secret effort known as 'The Hill Project' in which German POWs were responsible for working directly with Allied forces to conduct research on "subjects which will aid in preserving military security in Europe" and "prosecuting the war against Japan" (a goal which proved to be unnecessary following their surrender); additional research was conducted in "improving intelligence organization and techniques and to other selected matters on which important lessons can be gained from studying German methods in detail".

[citation needed] After that, the PenMar board worked to have Fort Ritchie designated as a "sustainable community" by the State of Maryland, which would have qualified the property for tax advantages and grants.

In an attempt to stop the monetary hemorrhaging, several members of the Washington County government travelled to South Korea in connection with a contractor called JGBLI which secured approximately 60 acres of ground on the opposing side of Lake Royer for development.

The manner in which that land was transferred was highly controversial, with many residents and politicians citing violations of Maryland's public meeting laws.

Krumpotich had made statements to the effect that he would like to preserve most of the Fort while making some of the property mixed use development in order to breathe life back into the quiet mountain town.

According to a news article in local newspaper The Herald-Mail, "A Washington County official said Tuesday that resolving litigation affecting the sale of the former Fort Ritchie Army base should be wrapped up within a year, possibly sooner.

The plaque by the tree reads "D-DAY ANNIVERSARY On this day, June 6, in the year 1944 allied forces invaded Normandy - the most massive invasion attempted in history.

Krumpotich has stated that it is a "paramount priority" to rehabilitate the stone structures on site to maintain its historic integrity while bringing each building back to life.