Historic Downtown Frederick, MD
Bell and History Days 2010
Ring in the New Museum Season with Bell and History Days
April 10 & 11, 2010
Saturday - Free Entry and Activities at 25 Frederick County Museums and Historic Sites
Bell and History Days, the annual opening weekend for local museums and historic sites, features numerous activities throughout the City of Frederick and Frederick County on April 10 and 11, 2010. Bells will sound across the county at 10 a.m. on Saturday to kickoff the celebration. On Saturday, enjoy FREE entry and activities at the twenty-five museums and historic sites in Frederick County. During the weekend, explore the museums of your choice, ride a motorized trolley for a guided tour of historic Frederick, hear over 100 ringers at the Handbell Festival, and partake of the many opportunities to get better acquainted with the area’s history.
“Bell and History Days is a great way to experience Frederick County’s rich history,” says Historic Sites Consortium Coordinator Elizabeth Scott Shatto. “The event is designed to be easily incorporated into any busy family’s weekend – a stop at a museum between baseball games or during a break from gardening chores – or an entire weekend of museum discovery,” Shatto adds.
Museum and historic sites programs are primarily offered on April 10, although a few sites will also be open on Sunday, April 11. The Bell and History Days program guide, available at the Frederick Visitor Center and local museums, includes details about the free programs at each of 25 locations. This year, four new sites join Bell and History Days for the first time since the event revival in 2006. They include Frederick’s City Hall, the Evangelical Reformed United Church of Christ featuring Barbara Fritchie and Helen L. Smith displays, the National Park Service Historic Preservation Training Center, and The Visitation Academy.
The Bell and History program guide includes a Passport to History, where visitors collect stamps as they visit museums and historic sites. Those who collect at least four passport stamps will be awarded a small souvenir bell at the last site visited (or the Frederick Visitor Center), and may compete for a prize drawing. Prizes include totebags filled with games, books, treats, and Frederick-related souvenirs and goodies, as well as gift certificates for overnights at the Historic Frederick Best Western. The prize drawing will be held April 14 and winners will be notified by phone.
“We’re especially excited about two special tours offered this year, the trolley tours of Downtown Frederick and the African American heritage tours,” says Shatto. This year, Bell and History Days also feature special programming in Downtown Frederick to recognize several notable milestone anniversaries. These include the 20th Anniversary of the Downtown Frederick Partnership, the 65th Anniversary of the creation of the Seal of the City of Frederick depicting the clustered spires by artist Helen L. Smith, and African American Milestones: 140th Anniversary of the 15th Amendment, 55th Rosa Parks Anniversary.
Bell & History Days Schedule of Events
Saturday
10 a.m.
Simultaneous bell ringing all over the city and county, three minutes
10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
FREE-Museums, historic sites and other program sites open free of charge; Passport to History passports stamped and collected by participating sites.
10:00 a.m. – 3 p.m.
FREE-Trolley tours of downtown Frederick begin and depart on the hour from the Museum of Frederick County History, 24 E. Church Street, Frederick. Tours are about 40 minutes long.
11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
FREE-African American heritage tours depart from the Roger Brooke Taney House, 121 South Bentz Street, Frederick.
11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
FREE-Helen L. Smith illustrated talks at City Hall, 101 N. Court Street, Frederick
Sunday
Museums that do open on this day will stamp and collect passport. Some admission fees will be in place. Passports will be stamped and collected at open locations.
5:00 p.m.
FREE-Bell and History Days Handbell Festival at the Basilica of the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, 333 South Seton Avenue, Emmitsburg, MD. Featuring eight local handbell choirs, 100 ringers, hundreds of bells and chimes. Solo and mass-ring musical selections.
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Frederick’s clustered spires have been the iconic representation of the city since 1863 when John Greenleaf Whittier wrote, “The clustered spires of Frederick stand, green-walled by the hills of Maryland.” In 1945, famed Frederick artist Helen L. Smith created the city seal featuring the spires, affirming the importance of these bell towers. Frederick City Hall, the Hood College Museum, and several other locations will display artwork by Helen L. Smith.
20th Anniversary – Downtown Frederick Partnership
Throughout Downtown Frederick, peer into merchant windows and doorways to learn more about the past residents of downtown’s beautiful historic buildings. Inquire within as some shops and restaurants will have additional history to share. Founded in 1990, the Downtown Frederick Partnership is charged with enhancing, promoting and preserving the vitality of Downtown Frederick.
African American Milestones – 140th Anniversary of the 15th Amendment, 55th Anniversary of Rosa Parks
The 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibited the denial of voting rights based on race, color, or previous status as a slave. Rosa Parks’ 1955 refusal to give up her seat on a bus to a white man catalyzed civil rights activity in the 20th century. While these milestones were nationally significant, they reverberated here in Frederick County. Several programs – including walking tours departing from the Roger Brooke Taney House, special exhibits at the several locations and an appearance by Harriet Tubman at Rose Hill Manor Park – will highlight aspects of African American history.
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Sites joining Bell and History Days for the first time since the event revival in 2006
National Park Service Historic Preservation Training Center shop location at the historic Jenkins Cannery at 5 Commerce Street in Downtown Frederick.
Here is where preservation craftsmen are trained to carryout preservation of the thousands of historic structures within the National Park System. Visitors of all ages may try their hand at stone carving a bell design using an air chisel.
The Visitation Academy, at 200 East Second Street in Downtown Frederick.
More than forty years repair of the bell tower at this historic school was part of the impetus for the first Bell and History Days. This year, hands on history activities, tours of the campus, and an introduction to the role of the school during the Civil War will be featured.
Return to Top
Program Information for Visitors:
The Bell & History Days Program Guide is available at the Frederick Visitor Center, 19 East Church Street, Frederick, MD 21701.
Frederick Visitor Center Phone: 301-600-4047
Web: www.fredericktourism.org
Social Media – Keep Updated
Get Bell & History Days updates via Twitter by following @tourfrederickmd (http://twitter.com/tourfrederickmd)
Join or follow the conversation on Twitter by using hashtag #FredBell
Contacts
Elizabeth Scott ShattoCoordinator, Frederick Historic Sites Consortium
301-600-4042
April 10 & 11, 2010
| Saturday Activities Sunday Activities/Handbell Choir Schedule of Events Featured Anniversary Celebrations New Sites in 2010 Contact/Social Media Info Additional Photos Download Brochure |
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Saturday - Free Entry and Activities at 25 Frederick County Museums and Historic Sites
Bell and History Days, the annual opening weekend for local museums and historic sites, features numerous activities throughout the City of Frederick and Frederick County on April 10 and 11, 2010. Bells will sound across the county at 10 a.m. on Saturday to kickoff the celebration. On Saturday, enjoy FREE entry and activities at the twenty-five museums and historic sites in Frederick County. During the weekend, explore the museums of your choice, ride a motorized trolley for a guided tour of historic Frederick, hear over 100 ringers at the Handbell Festival, and partake of the many opportunities to get better acquainted with the area’s history.
“Bell and History Days is a great way to experience Frederick County’s rich history,” says Historic Sites Consortium Coordinator Elizabeth Scott Shatto. “The event is designed to be easily incorporated into any busy family’s weekend – a stop at a museum between baseball games or during a break from gardening chores – or an entire weekend of museum discovery,” Shatto adds.
Museum and historic sites programs are primarily offered on April 10, although a few sites will also be open on Sunday, April 11. The Bell and History Days program guide, available at the Frederick Visitor Center and local museums, includes details about the free programs at each of 25 locations. This year, four new sites join Bell and History Days for the first time since the event revival in 2006. They include Frederick’s City Hall, the Evangelical Reformed United Church of Christ featuring Barbara Fritchie and Helen L. Smith displays, the National Park Service Historic Preservation Training Center, and The Visitation Academy.
The Bell and History program guide includes a Passport to History, where visitors collect stamps as they visit museums and historic sites. Those who collect at least four passport stamps will be awarded a small souvenir bell at the last site visited (or the Frederick Visitor Center), and may compete for a prize drawing. Prizes include totebags filled with games, books, treats, and Frederick-related souvenirs and goodies, as well as gift certificates for overnights at the Historic Frederick Best Western. The prize drawing will be held April 14 and winners will be notified by phone.
“We’re especially excited about two special tours offered this year, the trolley tours of Downtown Frederick and the African American heritage tours,” says Shatto. This year, Bell and History Days also feature special programming in Downtown Frederick to recognize several notable milestone anniversaries. These include the 20th Anniversary of the Downtown Frederick Partnership, the 65th Anniversary of the creation of the Seal of the City of Frederick depicting the clustered spires by artist Helen L. Smith, and African American Milestones: 140th Anniversary of the 15th Amendment, 55th Rosa Parks Anniversary.
Return to Top
Sunday - Hundreds of Bells and Chimes to Ring at Handbell Festival
About 100 handbell ringers, and several hundred bells and chimes, will perform together in the fourth annual Bell and History Days Handbell Festival on Sunday, April 11 at 5:00 p.m. as the finale to Bell and History Days. The festival will take place at the Basilica of the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, 333 S. Seton Avenue in Emmitsburg, Maryland. There is no charge, no reservations are necessary, and the public is invited.
Eight local handbell ensembles will play en masse and with solo selections for this year’s festival. The mass selections will be directed by Joche Wilmot, Director of Music for Calvary United Methodist Church in Frederick, Maryland, and Nancy Doll, Director of the Coventry Handbell Choir of Evangelical Reformed United Church of Christ in Frederick. For the mass-ring selections, Mr. Wilmot will direct Proclamation by Kevin McChesney and Ms. Doll will direct With Joy and Gladness by Douglas E. Wagner.
In addition to the mass selections, each participating group will play a solo selection. A diverse repertoire will be presented, including secular and sacred music. Choirs from the following churches will participate: Calvary United Methodist Church (Frederick), Evangelical Reformed United Church of Christ (Frederick), Frederick Presbyterian Church, Glade United Church of Christ (Walkersville), Graceham Moravian Church (Thurmont), Middletown United Methodist Church and Evangelical Lutheran Church - Zion (Middletown). The size of the groups varies but includes several large choirs playing four or five octaves of handbells and up to three octaves of handchimes. Alpha4, a small, independent four-in-hand ensemble, will also perform. This group demonstrates the interlocking handbell technique that allows each member to play with two to three bells in each hand, meaning that each person is holding and ringing anywhere from four to six bells at any given time.
Sunday - Hundreds of Bells and Chimes to Ring at Handbell Festival
About 100 handbell ringers, and several hundred bells and chimes, will perform together in the fourth annual Bell and History Days Handbell Festival on Sunday, April 11 at 5:00 p.m. as the finale to Bell and History Days. The festival will take place at the Basilica of the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, 333 S. Seton Avenue in Emmitsburg, Maryland. There is no charge, no reservations are necessary, and the public is invited.
Eight local handbell ensembles will play en masse and with solo selections for this year’s festival. The mass selections will be directed by Joche Wilmot, Director of Music for Calvary United Methodist Church in Frederick, Maryland, and Nancy Doll, Director of the Coventry Handbell Choir of Evangelical Reformed United Church of Christ in Frederick. For the mass-ring selections, Mr. Wilmot will direct Proclamation by Kevin McChesney and Ms. Doll will direct With Joy and Gladness by Douglas E. Wagner.
In addition to the mass selections, each participating group will play a solo selection. A diverse repertoire will be presented, including secular and sacred music. Choirs from the following churches will participate: Calvary United Methodist Church (Frederick), Evangelical Reformed United Church of Christ (Frederick), Frederick Presbyterian Church, Glade United Church of Christ (Walkersville), Graceham Moravian Church (Thurmont), Middletown United Methodist Church and Evangelical Lutheran Church - Zion (Middletown). The size of the groups varies but includes several large choirs playing four or five octaves of handbells and up to three octaves of handchimes. Alpha4, a small, independent four-in-hand ensemble, will also perform. This group demonstrates the interlocking handbell technique that allows each member to play with two to three bells in each hand, meaning that each person is holding and ringing anywhere from four to six bells at any given time.
Thanks to the media sponsorship of WTHU (1450 am/1520 am), the concert will be broadcast live over the worldwide web and will be downloadable from http://1450thesource.com.
Bell and History Days is the start of the museum season in Frederick County, Maryland, which continues through the annual Museums by Candlelight event on December 11, 2010. For more information, contact the Frederick Visitor Center at (301) 600-4047 or visit www.fredericktourism.org.
Bell & History Days Schedule of Events
Saturday
10 a.m.
Simultaneous bell ringing all over the city and county, three minutes
10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
FREE-Museums, historic sites and other program sites open free of charge; Passport to History passports stamped and collected by participating sites.
10:00 a.m. – 3 p.m.
FREE-Trolley tours of downtown Frederick begin and depart on the hour from the Museum of Frederick County History, 24 E. Church Street, Frederick. Tours are about 40 minutes long.
11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
FREE-African American heritage tours depart from the Roger Brooke Taney House, 121 South Bentz Street, Frederick.
11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
FREE-Helen L. Smith illustrated talks at City Hall, 101 N. Court Street, Frederick
Sunday
Museums that do open on this day will stamp and collect passport. Some admission fees will be in place. Passports will be stamped and collected at open locations.
5:00 p.m.
FREE-Bell and History Days Handbell Festival at the Basilica of the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, 333 South Seton Avenue, Emmitsburg, MD. Featuring eight local handbell choirs, 100 ringers, hundreds of bells and chimes. Solo and mass-ring musical selections.
Return to Top
Anniversary Celebrations During Bell and History Days
65th Anniversary – Helen L. Smith’s Design of the City of Frederick SealFrederick’s clustered spires have been the iconic representation of the city since 1863 when John Greenleaf Whittier wrote, “The clustered spires of Frederick stand, green-walled by the hills of Maryland.” In 1945, famed Frederick artist Helen L. Smith created the city seal featuring the spires, affirming the importance of these bell towers. Frederick City Hall, the Hood College Museum, and several other locations will display artwork by Helen L. Smith.
20th Anniversary – Downtown Frederick Partnership
Throughout Downtown Frederick, peer into merchant windows and doorways to learn more about the past residents of downtown’s beautiful historic buildings. Inquire within as some shops and restaurants will have additional history to share. Founded in 1990, the Downtown Frederick Partnership is charged with enhancing, promoting and preserving the vitality of Downtown Frederick.
African American Milestones – 140th Anniversary of the 15th Amendment, 55th Anniversary of Rosa Parks
The 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prohibited the denial of voting rights based on race, color, or previous status as a slave. Rosa Parks’ 1955 refusal to give up her seat on a bus to a white man catalyzed civil rights activity in the 20th century. While these milestones were nationally significant, they reverberated here in Frederick County. Several programs – including walking tours departing from the Roger Brooke Taney House, special exhibits at the several locations and an appearance by Harriet Tubman at Rose Hill Manor Park – will highlight aspects of African American history.
Return to Top
Sites joining Bell and History Days for the first time since the event revival in 2006
City Hall, 101 N. Court Street in Downtown Frederick.
Come learn about this beautiful structure’s history and see the historic and artistic collections that few have a chance to view during the routine workday. Informal tours are available throughout the day. Members of the Helen L. Smith book committee will give talks at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. While here, visitors may also read the recently installed interpretive plaque dedicated to Harriet and Dred Scott, and view the bust of U.S. Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney, author of the infamous Dred Scott decision, who once called Frederick home.
Barbara Fritchie and Helen Smith displays at Evangelical Reformed United Church of Christ, 15 W. Church Street, Frederick.
Built in 1848, on the site of an early church schoolhouse, this Greek Revival-style church is where Barbara Fritchie worshipped regularly. Dame Fritchie’s patriotism was described in John Greenleaf Whittier’s 1863 ballad, in which the term “clustered spires” was first used to describe the Frederick skyline. Check out the Barbara Fritchie artifacts, as well as rarely seen Helen L. Smith art on view here in the Thomas Room.
National Park Service Historic Preservation Training Center shop location at the historic Jenkins Cannery at 5 Commerce Street in Downtown Frederick.
Here is where preservation craftsmen are trained to carryout preservation of the thousands of historic structures within the National Park System. Visitors of all ages may try their hand at stone carving a bell design using an air chisel.
The Visitation Academy, at 200 East Second Street in Downtown Frederick.
More than forty years repair of the bell tower at this historic school was part of the impetus for the first Bell and History Days. This year, hands on history activities, tours of the campus, and an introduction to the role of the school during the Civil War will be featured.
Return to Top
Program Information for Visitors:
The Bell & History Days Program Guide is available at the Frederick Visitor Center, 19 East Church Street, Frederick, MD 21701.
Frederick Visitor Center Phone: 301-600-4047
Web: www.fredericktourism.org
Social Media – Keep Updated
Get Bell & History Days updates via Twitter by following @tourfrederickmd (http://twitter.com/tourfrederickmd)
Join or follow the conversation on Twitter by using hashtag #FredBell
Become a Fan of Frederick Tourism on Facebook.
Contacts
Elizabeth Scott ShattoCoordinator, Frederick Historic Sites Consortium
301-600-4042
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