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Bold Women of Frederick County Tour


Two Days and One Night

Since the early 18th century, when Frederick County was largely wilderness, to the present, bold, brash, and brilliant women have contributed to our heritage. Come along on this tour to hear the stories of our most famous and infamous females.

Day 1

Walking Tour of downtown Frederick, Beatty-Cramer House and Dahlgren Chapel

We will begin with a guided walking tour in Frederick's historic district. This provides an excellent overview of local history and will include points of interest related to women's history, such as the wall mural of "Justice" by Frederick's famed centenarian artist, Helen Smith, the home of legendary Civil War heroine Barbara Fritchie, and mention of the home of Claire McCardell, who was famous for designing comfortable and stylish clothing for independent working women.

Next, at the Historical Society of Frederick County, we'll learn about Ruth Baltzell who was one of the original owners of this early 19th century federal-style mansion. Known for her charitable works, Mrs. Baltzell was particularly involved in support of the Episcopal Orphan House. Also at this location, the Best Bed Chamber is furnished to reflect the bedroom of an upper class couple in Frederick in the 1830’s. Room uses directly related to the women's lives, such as childbirth and household management, are interpreted here.

After a downtown lunch and time for shopping or antiquing, we head to the Beatty-Cramer House, the oldest known and most architecturally unique, standing structure in Frederick County. Plucky pioneer Susannah Beatty purchased the 1,000 acre tract, "Dulaney's Lot," and received the title in 1732. A widow and matriarch of a large family, she traveled here from New York by wagon with eight grown children. Tours of the property include the main house, spring house and smoke house, all being stabilized for preservation and future study. A gem in the rough, Edward Chappell, Director of the Architectural Research Department at Colonial Williamsburg, said this house is "most important as evidence of the diversity of European cultural survival and change in the 18th century colonies."

Finally today, we will visit Dahlgren Chapel, a picturesque gothic-style church atop South Mountain, along the Appalachian Trail. Sarah Madeleine Vinton Dahlgren commissioned its building it in 1881. The widow of a close confident of President Lincoln and inventor of the Dahlgren Gun, she was known as an author and a devout Catholic. At her summer home on South Mountain she immersed herself in missionary work and was especially loved by the local children. After visiting the Chapel, dinner at Mrs. Dahlgren's summer retreat, now the South Mountain Inn, will complete the day.

Day 2

National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Catoctin Mountain National Park and L’Hermitage

The day begins at the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton. The story of her 1809 trek to the wilderness that was Emmitsburg, her leadership in establishing the first new community for religious women in the U.S., and her role as founder of the parochial school movement in America, is inspiring. Self-guided tours of the grounds include a video presentation depicting Elizabeth Seton's life and accomplishments, a tour (with museum docents) of the original 1770’s farmhouse and the colonial-style "White House" (built in 1809) that served as her home as well as a tour of the beautiful basilica dedicated to her memory.

Gritty mountain woman, Bessie Darling, is the focus of our program at Catoctin Mountain National Park, an area administered by the National Park Service. Bessie contributed significantly to the local economy of the area by operating a summer boarding house for the tourist trade. A love affair gone wrong produced tragic results – she was murdered on October 31, 1988. Park Rangers will meet your group and share Bessie's story, intermingled with tales of moonshine and other aspects of depression-era survival in the mountains.

Have lunch in Thurmont before heading south for the Monocacy National Battlefield. There we'll see Maryland's only French-Caribbean plantation, L'Hermitage, and learn about Victoire Vincendiere and her family. Fleeing slave insurrection in St. Domingue, Victoire arrived in Baltimore in 1793 at age 17, with her mother and siblings. A year later she was living in Frederick County where she emerged as head of the family and a wheat-producing plantation with its 750 acres and 90 claves. This teenage girl was the owner of record for the largest tract of land in Frederick County!

Return to downtown, historic Frederick for dinner on your own this evening before continuing on your journey.

 

Please contact the following for tours, prices and operating hours:

For further information, please contact:

Becky Bickerton, Sales Manager, (800) 999-3613 or 301-600-4050 or e-mail at bbickerton@fredco-md.net