Based within the 1740s, the Metropolis of Frederick, Maryland and Frederick County have been on the coronary heart of great historic occasions from the Colonial interval, the American Revolution, the Civil Warfare, the Industrial Revolution, and effectively into the 20th century. The county’s landscapes and waterways have been witness to and formed by these occasions, making it a area the place historical past and nature intertwine seamlessly, and the place outside recreation is a lifestyle.
The Roots of Recreation
Earlier than colonial settlement, the Tuscarora and Piscataway Nations inhabited Frederick County, using its pure sources like rhyolite from Catoctin Mountain and fish from the Monocacy and Potomac rivers. Their footpaths grew to become roads utilized by settlers and at the moment are a part of Frederick’s fashionable community. Guests can study these early inhabitants whereas recreating at websites like Catoctin Mountain Park and Monocacy Nationwide Battlefield.
Frederick County’s greatest mountaineering and biking trails mirror its wealthy historical past. The C&O Canal Towpath within the C&O Canal Nationwide Historic Park runs alongside the Potomac River, following the previous mule towpath that pulled canal barges from the 1830s into the twentieth century. This 184-mile path, in style with bikers, hikers, and walkers, stretches from Washington, DC, to Cumberland, Maryland. The Appalachian Path additionally traverses Frederick County, winding atop South Mountain and South Mountain State Battlefield, website of a vital Union victory throughout the Civil Warfare. Hikers on this path move by the Warfare Correspondents Memorial Arch in Gathland State Park, the nation’s solely monument to journalists overlaying battle zones.
Conservation and Preservation
Efforts proceed to protect and shield these pure sources because the area develops and grows. Guests to Frederick County can effortlessly transition from bustling Major Streets to mountaineering mountain summits, with numerous outside adventures in between. This being mentioned, Frederick County additionally affords a wealth of museums and historic websites to discover throughout the area.
The Nationwide Museum of Civil Warfare Drugs in Downtown Frederick tells the story of medical practitioners throughout the Civil Warfare. The Nationwide Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg honors America’s first canonized saint and her contributions to training. The Catoctin Furnace in northern Frederick County reveals the area’s iron trade historical past. The positioning includes a blacksmith store, an organization retailer, mountaineering trails, and the Forgeman’s Home, an 1820s employee’s home out there for in a single day stays.
The Catoctin Furnace Historic Society preserves the corporate city and tells the tales of enslaved staff by means of the Museum of the Ironworker and the African American Cemetery Path. For additional perception, the AARCH Society affords occasions and excursions that spotlight the numerous influence of African People on the area’s historical past.
Claire McCardell, a Frederick native and style innovator generally known as the creator of American sportswear, is honored with a monument in Carroll Creek Park. Her story could be explored by means of a self-guided tour of Frederick. Moreover, the Schifferstadt Architectural Museum in Baker Park highlights the county’s colonial historical past and German roots, showcasing the tales of the area’s earliest European residents.
Extra to Discover
- The Monocacy Aqueduct: Praised as one of many best canal constructions within the nation, was constructed from Sugarloaf Mountain granite. Building started in 1828 and completed in 1850, making it the most important aqueduct over the C&O Canal, and a well-liked cease for hikers and bikers on the trail.
- Lined Bridges: Northern Frederick County options three historic lined bridges—Utica Mills, Loy’s Station, and Roddy Street—every listed on the Nationwide Register of Historic Locations. Take pleasure in their magnificence and structural selection on a scenic driving tour by means of the Maryland countryside.
