Frederick Maryland: Rich in History

Historic Frederick

Frederick Town, originally laid out in 1745 and settled by German immigrants, is rich in Colonial and Civil War History.   The city served as a major crossroads from colonial times.

It served as a place to house Hessian soldiers in the War for Independence.  British General Braddock marched through Frederick on the way to Fort Duquesne to what would be the fateful ambush during the French and Indian War. To control the important crossroads during the War for Independence the British brought Hession soldiers and quartered them in Frederick. The Hession Barracks are located today on Clarke Ave.  Afterward, with no way to return to their homes, the soldiers stayed on and married into the families of the town.

During the Civil War, the many downtown churches became hospitals for the wounded soldiers from several battles surrounding Frederick. The Civil War Medicine Museum in downtown Frederick tells the story. Frederick was the site of a speech given by President Lincoln during the Civil War.  The speech took place at what was then the train depot of the modern intersection of South and Market Streets, commemorated by a plaque.

From these beginnings, Frederick grew to an important market town, and Mining became an important industry in the 19th Century. With the first wave of Irish refugees from the potato famine in 1846, the English language was introduced to Frederick residents.  Up until that time the language had been German.

Frederick was know for its religious diversity, and a drive along Church Street confirms it. The main Catholic Church, St. John’s was built in 1800 and rebuilt in 1837.  This and the half dozen other churches with their spires dominated the scenic town, and set against the mountains as a background, were the immortalized in John Greenleaf Whittier’s poem of Barbara Fritchie:  “The clustered spires of Frederick stand — greenwalled in the hills of Maryland”.

Former Slave Quarters

Read more about Frederick History at Journey Through Hallowed Ground.

Historic Sites in the City of Frederick

Museum of Frederick County History:  24 E. Church Street, Frederick. 301-663-1188

National Museum of Civil War Medicine:  48 East Patrick Street, Frederick 301 695-1864

The Children’s Museum of Rose Hill Manor Park:  1161 N. Market Street, Frederick 301-600-1646

Schifferstadt Architectural Museum: 1110 Rosemont Ave., Frederick 301-663-3885

The Maryland Room, C. Burr Artz Library:  110 East Patrick Street, Frederick 301-600-1630

The Steiner House:  368 E. Patrick Street, Frederick

Roger Brooke Taney House:  121 S. Bentz Street, Frederick

Hessian Barracks:  Maryland School for the Deaf, 101 Clark Place, Frederick 301-663-8687

Bjorlee Museum:  Maryland School for the Deaf, 101 Clark Place, Frederick 301-360-2011

Barbara Fritchie House:  154 W. Patrick Street, Frederick 301-600-4047

Historic Preservation Training Center (HPTC) U.S. National Park Service:  5 Commerce Street, Frederick 301-663-8206

Historic Sites in Frederick County

National Shrine of St. Elzabeth Ann Seton:  333 S. Seton Ave., Emmitsburg

Cunningham Falls State Park Visitor Center and the Catoctin Furnace:  14039 Catoctin Hollow Road, Thurmont 301-663-9388

Middletown Valley Historical Society:  305 W. main Street, Middletown 301-371-7582

Monocacy National Battlefield:  5201 Urbana Pike, Frederick 301-662-3515

South Mountain Heritage Society:  3 E. Main Street, Burkittsville 301-834-6892

Brunswick Railroad Museum :  40 W. Potomac Street, Brunswick 301-834-7100

C&O Canal Visitor Center:  40 W. Potomac Street, Brunswick 301-834-7100