Historic Downtown Frederick, MD
Top 5 Events, Attractions and Commemorations for Visitors to Frederick County in 2012
Frederick
County, Maryland, is less than one hour from Washington, D.C., Baltimore and
just minutes from Gettysburg, Antietam, and Harpers Ferry. Here visitors can
find shopping, dining, and historic cities and towns. Scenic byways lead to
wineries, orchards, and the Civil War heritage and history that our area has to
offer.
2012 marks a year of anniversary commemorations, special exhibits, events and more in Frederick County. From the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War to Frederick's iconic heroes, Barbara Fritchie and Francis Scott Key, 2012 is a year of remembering and celebrating the area's rich history that has ties to the very beginning of the nation's birth.
As you plan for the New Year, let this be your guide to the top five special events, attractions, and commemorations for visitors in 2012. For information about more things to see and do in Frederick County, explore this site or call 1-800-999-3613.
#1 - The Civil War 150th Commemoration of the Maryland Campaign
Frederick County is renowned for its rich Civil War history and 2012 marks the 150th anniversary of Gen. Robert E. Lee's 1862 Maryland Campaign. The American Bus Association announced that the Civil War 150th Commemoration of the Maryland Campaign is one of the Top 100 Events in North America for 2012. The commemoration explores the impact of Lee's first advance of the Confederate army into the north, beginning with crossing the Potomac River into Maryland, the Battles of South Mountain and Antietam, and concluding with Abraham Lincoln issuing the Emancipation Proclamation. Throughout this period, a number of partners are joining together to commemorate these important historical events. Reenactments, living history demonstrations, lectures, concerts, special exhibits, commemorative church services and more will take place from August through October 2012, with key battle anniversaries falling in September.
Highlights of the Maryland Campaign commemorations in Frederick County include:
Many more events are planned in Frederick County and the surrounding area for the Maryland Campaign commemorations. Frederick's close proximity to the battlefields and historic sites, its central location in Maryland's "Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area," as well as the city's amenities like shopping and dining, make it a perfect "base camp" for Civil War exploration. Anytime during 2012 is ideal for visiting year-round Civil War sites like Monocacy National Battlefield, South Mountain State Park, and the National Museum of Civil War Medicine or exploring the Civil War Trails which link major battlefields and historic sites with human interest stories. For additional information on anniversary commemorations or to plan your stay, visit www.FrederickTourism.org.
#2 - The Legend of Barbara Fritchie Celebrates 150 Years
During the 1862 Maryland Campaign, Confederate troops marched through Downtown Frederick along West Patrick Street on their way to what would be known as the battles of South Mountain and Antietam. Legend has it that Frederick native Barbara Fritchie, in her 90's, waved the Union flag out her window as the Confederate soldiers marched through town. The famed John Greenleaf Whitter ballad, Barbara Frietchie, was originally published in the October 1863 issue of Atlantic magazine. The poem recounted how Fritchie was threatened by a Confederate soldier as she waved the flag, and defiantly retorted, "'Shoot, if you must, this old gray head, but spare your country's flag...'" The poem's popularity eventually bolstered Frederick's Fritchie to American heroine status. It was this poem that also coined the popular phrase "clustered spires," used to this day to describe Frederick's skyline of church steeples and towers.
While historians doubt that this exchange happened as written, the people of Frederick have no reservations about claiming this American patriot as their own. In 2012, two exhibitions will commemorate her story and explore the events that transpired in the city of clustered spires.
#3 - Frederick Prepares for Star-Spangled 200 Commemorations
2012 marks the bicentennial of the beginning of the War of 1812, and Frederick County plays a very important role within the commemorations. Frederick's Mt. Olivet Cemetery is the final resting place of Star-Spangled Banner author Francis Scott Key, and the cemetery also has a monument dedicated to Key. Key was aboard a ship near Baltimore Harbor during the bombardment of Fort McHenry on September 13-14, 1814 when he wrote the famous poem. Key was born in 1779 at Terra Rubra in the part of Frederick County that later became part of Carroll County, and he began his law career and married life in Frederick in the early 1800s.
The Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission has a variety of Star-Spangled 200 commemorative events planned over the next several years in Maryland. "The 1812 commemoration calls for additional improvements to the visitor experience," explains Chris Haugh, Scenic Byway & Special Projects Manager for the Tourism Council of Frederick County. In December of 2011, a 12-panel brochure for visitors highlighting Francis Scott Key's life was unveiled in anticipation of the increased visitation of Mt. Olivet Cemetery. "This brochure is a great start to telling the story of Key's ties to Frederick and the area's connection to the War of 1812, but we have more plans in the works," Haugh explained. Plans are currently underway to provide even more visitor experiences on Key and the War of 1812 in Frederick in preparation for visitors during the anniversary years. These include interpretive panels at sites with ties to Francis Scott Key or the War of 1812, including Mt. Olivet Cemetery, the Hessian Barracks, and Harry Grove Stadium.
#4 - Frederick Celebrates the 150th Great Frederick Fair in 2012
On May 23 and 24, 1822, the Cattle Show and Fair was the first of its kind held in Frederick County. Premiums were paid to those exhibitors and competitors who successfully exhibited their livestock and other entries. After many years and name-changes, this event eventually evolved into today's Great Frederick Fair. In the early years the fair wasn't always held annually, so 2012 marks the 150th fair event in Frederick County. Today, the Great Frederick Fair is Frederick County's single largest event and features approximately 18,000 competitive exhibits ranging from livestock to home arts to 4-H and FFA exhibits.
In celebration of the 150th fair in Frederick County in 2012, the Great Frederick Fair is hosting a tribute to the fair's early years during the weekend of May 19-20, 2012. During the weekend, the Frederick Fairgrounds will interpret the agricultural fairs of the past, and will resemble a fair held in Frederick County in the mid-1800s. Heritage breeds of animals, agricultural implements of the period, food, and early artisan crafts of the period will be featured.
#5 - Smithsonian Institution Exhibit Tour, Journey Stories, Comes to Brunswick, MD
August 31, 2012 - October 12, 2012
Kaplon Building, 102 West Potomac Street, Brunswick, Maryland 21716
The Maryland Humanities Council (MHC) announced that Brunswick, Maryland will be one of the five sites to host Journey Stories, a national Smithsonian exhibit, in 2012. The exhibit will travel throughout Maryland from May 2012 to January 2013, and will be in Brunswick, Maryland August 31, 2012 - October 12, 2012. This exhibit is hosted locally by the Brunswick Railroad Museum and the Brunswick Public Library, a branch of the Frederick County Public Libraries.
Curated by William Withuhn, curator of transportation for the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, Journey Stories explores tales of how our ancestors came to America. Brunswick will add its local aspect to this subject matter, including stories, programs and artifacts that explore transportation, travel and migration in the Brunswick area. The exhibit will be housed in the historic Kaplon Building in downtown Brunswick, which was built by one of the first Jewish settlers to the region, and served as the area's main department store for decades. Journey Stories uses engaging images, audio, and artifacts to tell the individual stories that illustrate the critical roles travel and movement have played in building our diverse American society.
More 2012 Highlights
In 2012, the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) Futures Tour will return to Maryland for the first time since 2007 with The Challenge at Musket Ridge tournament. The Challenge at Musket Ridge will be held August 20-26, 2012, in Myersville, Maryland at the Musket Ridge Golf Club. The LPGA Futures Tour will partner with the Frederick County Commission for Women (FCCW) to run the event, which will help support local women's and children's charities.
Popular ongoing and annual events for 2012 include monthly First Saturday events, Frederick Restaurant Week (March 5-11, 2012), Bell and History Day (March 31, 2012), Museums by Candlelight (December 8, 2012), and the Candlelight Tour of Historic Houses of Worship (December 26, 2012). For information about these or other 2012 events in Frederick County, visit the online events calendar or call 1-800-999-3613.
ABOUT - The Tourism Council of Frederick County (TCFC) is the recognized Destination Marketing Organization for Frederick City and Frederick County, Maryland. It operates the Frederick Visitor Center and related programs that include Destination Marketing, Group Tour Marketing, Frederick Historic Sites Consortium, and more. For information about more things to see and do in Frederick County, visit www.FrederickTourism.org or call 1-800-999-3613.
2012 marks a year of anniversary commemorations, special exhibits, events and more in Frederick County. From the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War to Frederick's iconic heroes, Barbara Fritchie and Francis Scott Key, 2012 is a year of remembering and celebrating the area's rich history that has ties to the very beginning of the nation's birth.
As you plan for the New Year, let this be your guide to the top five special events, attractions, and commemorations for visitors in 2012. For information about more things to see and do in Frederick County, explore this site or call 1-800-999-3613.
Top 5 Events, Attractions and Commemorations for
Visitors to Frederick County in 2012
Visitors to Frederick County in 2012
- The Civil War 150th Commemoration of the Maryland Campaign
- The Legend of Barbara Fritchie Celebrates 150 Years
- Frederick Prepares for Star-Spangled 200 Commemorations
- Frederick Celebrates the 150th Great Frederick Fair in 2012
- Smithsonian Institution Exhibit Tour, Journey Stories, Comes to Brunswick, MD
- More 2012 Highlights
#1 - The Civil War 150th Commemoration of the Maryland Campaign
Frederick County is renowned for its rich Civil War history and 2012 marks the 150th anniversary of Gen. Robert E. Lee's 1862 Maryland Campaign. The American Bus Association announced that the Civil War 150th Commemoration of the Maryland Campaign is one of the Top 100 Events in North America for 2012. The commemoration explores the impact of Lee's first advance of the Confederate army into the north, beginning with crossing the Potomac River into Maryland, the Battles of South Mountain and Antietam, and concluding with Abraham Lincoln issuing the Emancipation Proclamation. Throughout this period, a number of partners are joining together to commemorate these important historical events. Reenactments, living history demonstrations, lectures, concerts, special exhibits, commemorative church services and more will take place from August through October 2012, with key battle anniversaries falling in September.
Highlights of the Maryland Campaign commemorations in Frederick County include:
- "The Return of Special Orders 191" - From August through October, 2012, Monocacy National Battlefield will display Lee's famous "Lost Order," Special Orders #191, on loan from the Library of Congress. These Confederate orders were found by Union soldiers on land that is now part of the Monocacy Battlefield, and some historians believe the discovery directly impacted the outcome of Antietam. August 4, 2012 marks the grand opening of "The Return of Special Orders 191" exhibit.
- Local premier, "Heart of the Civil War" film - On the evening of September 4, 2012, the Maryland Public Television documentary film, "Heart of the Civil War," will premiere at the Weinberg Center for the Arts in Frederick, MD. The film went into production in 2011 in anticipation of the anniversary of the Maryland Campaign, and is sponsored by the National Scenic Byway Program, the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, and the Tourism Council of Frederick County.
- 150th Anniversary of the Battle of South Mountain - September 14-15, 2012 includes living history presentations, demonstrations, special exhibits, concerts, and more. Opening ceremonies begin on September 14 at 10:00 a.m. Special programs will also be hosted in Middletown and Burkittsville.
- Frederick - One Vast Hospital - The aftermath of the battles of South Mountain and Antietam transformed Frederick into one vast hospital center as the sick, wounded, and dying needed care. In coordination with the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, Frederick's churches and structures that served as Civil War hospitals, such as the Visitation Academy and the Hessian Barracks, will open their doors for tours on select dates in September.
Many more events are planned in Frederick County and the surrounding area for the Maryland Campaign commemorations. Frederick's close proximity to the battlefields and historic sites, its central location in Maryland's "Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area," as well as the city's amenities like shopping and dining, make it a perfect "base camp" for Civil War exploration. Anytime during 2012 is ideal for visiting year-round Civil War sites like Monocacy National Battlefield, South Mountain State Park, and the National Museum of Civil War Medicine or exploring the Civil War Trails which link major battlefields and historic sites with human interest stories. For additional information on anniversary commemorations or to plan your stay, visit www.FrederickTourism.org.
#2 - The Legend of Barbara Fritchie Celebrates 150 Years
During the 1862 Maryland Campaign, Confederate troops marched through Downtown Frederick along West Patrick Street on their way to what would be known as the battles of South Mountain and Antietam. Legend has it that Frederick native Barbara Fritchie, in her 90's, waved the Union flag out her window as the Confederate soldiers marched through town. The famed John Greenleaf Whitter ballad, Barbara Frietchie, was originally published in the October 1863 issue of Atlantic magazine. The poem recounted how Fritchie was threatened by a Confederate soldier as she waved the flag, and defiantly retorted, "'Shoot, if you must, this old gray head, but spare your country's flag...'" The poem's popularity eventually bolstered Frederick's Fritchie to American heroine status. It was this poem that also coined the popular phrase "clustered spires," used to this day to describe Frederick's skyline of church steeples and towers.
While historians doubt that this exchange happened as written, the people of Frederick have no reservations about claiming this American patriot as their own. In 2012, two exhibitions will commemorate her story and explore the events that transpired in the city of clustered spires.
-
Special Exhibit - The Fritchie
Phenomena: Barbara Fritchie in Popular Culture
Exhibit opens June 1, 2012 and runs through December 31, 2012
Museum of Frederick County History, 24 East Church St., Frederick, MD
This exhibit at the Museum of Frederick County History will examine the marketing of Barbara Fritchie and the use of her name and image (real and imagined) to promote consumer products from the 1920s through 2000. The Whittier poem, a combination of actual events and "poetic license," was intended to rally the morale of Union sympathizers during the Civil War. After the war ended, little attention was paid to the poem or the alleged "event" described in it. In 1927, local Frederick-area citizens created a partnership to rebuild Barbara Fritchie's house as a tourist attraction along the National Road. It was then that Barbara Fritchie took on another life. Souvenirs, businesses, events and consumer products, from women's hosiery to hams and candy, used Fritchie's name to capitalize on the patriotic popularity of the poem's heroine. She showed up in films, plays and music, often portrayed as a young lady instead of the elderly woman that she was in 1862. This exhibit explores the marketing of Barbara Fritchie and the use of her name and image to promote products. -
Public Art Project: Frederick
inSPIRES
2012 marks the 150th anniversary of events described in the Whittier poem that first coined the term "The Clustered Spires of Frederick." In 2012, the Frederick Arts Council will launch the new temporary public art project, Frederick inSPIRES. Large fiberglass images of spires, representing the City of Frederick's skyline, will be embellished by artists and displayed publicly throughout Frederick's Arts & Entertainment district. Similar to the popular Keys of Frederick project in 2007, the works of art will be auctioned at a gala to benefit the arts in Frederick County. Tentative public display dates for the Frederick inSPIRES public art project are spring through fall 2012. For two years straight, AmericanStyle Magazine named Frederick a Top 25 Small Art Cities in the United States.
#3 - Frederick Prepares for Star-Spangled 200 Commemorations
2012 marks the bicentennial of the beginning of the War of 1812, and Frederick County plays a very important role within the commemorations. Frederick's Mt. Olivet Cemetery is the final resting place of Star-Spangled Banner author Francis Scott Key, and the cemetery also has a monument dedicated to Key. Key was aboard a ship near Baltimore Harbor during the bombardment of Fort McHenry on September 13-14, 1814 when he wrote the famous poem. Key was born in 1779 at Terra Rubra in the part of Frederick County that later became part of Carroll County, and he began his law career and married life in Frederick in the early 1800s.
The Maryland War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission has a variety of Star-Spangled 200 commemorative events planned over the next several years in Maryland. "The 1812 commemoration calls for additional improvements to the visitor experience," explains Chris Haugh, Scenic Byway & Special Projects Manager for the Tourism Council of Frederick County. In December of 2011, a 12-panel brochure for visitors highlighting Francis Scott Key's life was unveiled in anticipation of the increased visitation of Mt. Olivet Cemetery. "This brochure is a great start to telling the story of Key's ties to Frederick and the area's connection to the War of 1812, but we have more plans in the works," Haugh explained. Plans are currently underway to provide even more visitor experiences on Key and the War of 1812 in Frederick in preparation for visitors during the anniversary years. These include interpretive panels at sites with ties to Francis Scott Key or the War of 1812, including Mt. Olivet Cemetery, the Hessian Barracks, and Harry Grove Stadium.
#4 - Frederick Celebrates the 150th Great Frederick Fair in 2012
On May 23 and 24, 1822, the Cattle Show and Fair was the first of its kind held in Frederick County. Premiums were paid to those exhibitors and competitors who successfully exhibited their livestock and other entries. After many years and name-changes, this event eventually evolved into today's Great Frederick Fair. In the early years the fair wasn't always held annually, so 2012 marks the 150th fair event in Frederick County. Today, the Great Frederick Fair is Frederick County's single largest event and features approximately 18,000 competitive exhibits ranging from livestock to home arts to 4-H and FFA exhibits.
In celebration of the 150th fair in Frederick County in 2012, the Great Frederick Fair is hosting a tribute to the fair's early years during the weekend of May 19-20, 2012. During the weekend, the Frederick Fairgrounds will interpret the agricultural fairs of the past, and will resemble a fair held in Frederick County in the mid-1800s. Heritage breeds of animals, agricultural implements of the period, food, and early artisan crafts of the period will be featured.
#5 - Smithsonian Institution Exhibit Tour, Journey Stories, Comes to Brunswick, MD
August 31, 2012 - October 12, 2012
Kaplon Building, 102 West Potomac Street, Brunswick, Maryland 21716
The Maryland Humanities Council (MHC) announced that Brunswick, Maryland will be one of the five sites to host Journey Stories, a national Smithsonian exhibit, in 2012. The exhibit will travel throughout Maryland from May 2012 to January 2013, and will be in Brunswick, Maryland August 31, 2012 - October 12, 2012. This exhibit is hosted locally by the Brunswick Railroad Museum and the Brunswick Public Library, a branch of the Frederick County Public Libraries.
Curated by William Withuhn, curator of transportation for the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, Journey Stories explores tales of how our ancestors came to America. Brunswick will add its local aspect to this subject matter, including stories, programs and artifacts that explore transportation, travel and migration in the Brunswick area. The exhibit will be housed in the historic Kaplon Building in downtown Brunswick, which was built by one of the first Jewish settlers to the region, and served as the area's main department store for decades. Journey Stories uses engaging images, audio, and artifacts to tell the individual stories that illustrate the critical roles travel and movement have played in building our diverse American society.
More 2012 Highlights
In 2012, the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) Futures Tour will return to Maryland for the first time since 2007 with The Challenge at Musket Ridge tournament. The Challenge at Musket Ridge will be held August 20-26, 2012, in Myersville, Maryland at the Musket Ridge Golf Club. The LPGA Futures Tour will partner with the Frederick County Commission for Women (FCCW) to run the event, which will help support local women's and children's charities.
Popular ongoing and annual events for 2012 include monthly First Saturday events, Frederick Restaurant Week (March 5-11, 2012), Bell and History Day (March 31, 2012), Museums by Candlelight (December 8, 2012), and the Candlelight Tour of Historic Houses of Worship (December 26, 2012). For information about these or other 2012 events in Frederick County, visit the online events calendar or call 1-800-999-3613.
ABOUT - The Tourism Council of Frederick County (TCFC) is the recognized Destination Marketing Organization for Frederick City and Frederick County, Maryland. It operates the Frederick Visitor Center and related programs that include Destination Marketing, Group Tour Marketing, Frederick Historic Sites Consortium, and more. For information about more things to see and do in Frederick County, visit www.FrederickTourism.org or call 1-800-999-3613.
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