Historic Downtown Frederick, MD
Bell & History
Bell & History Day 2012
Download the 2012 Bell & History Day Program Guide
March 31, 2012 is Frederick County Bell & History Day, the opening of museum season. Across the county, participating museums and historic sites offer complimentary entry along with special events, activities, and living history programs.
Visitors and community members are invited to the Frederick Visitor Center to hear the Frederick County History bell ring at 10 a.m. to kick off Bell & History Day. At this time, bells will ring across the county in unison to kickoff the event. The Frederick Visitor Center is located at 151 S. East Street.
Highlights of the 2012 Bell & History Day includes
Ringing of the Frederick
County History Bell, 151 S. East Street, Frederick: Ring the
Frederick County History Bell! Everyone present is invited to ring the bell,
starting at 10 a.m. Afterwards, stay to
see the exhibits and see the visitor orientation film.
Battle of South
Mountain 150th Anniversary - Many Bell and History Day locations
have exhibits and activities planned to pique visitor interest in upcoming
commemorations of the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of South
Mountain. South Mountain State Battlefield's
Gathland State Park is at Crampton's Gap, one of the key battle locations on
September 14, 1862.
Bells of
Remembrance, a
memorial to the victims of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, will be
located strategically in the City of Frederick, and at several locations in the
county. These trailer-mounted bells are
large, historic instruments that visit parades, festivals and memorial events,
including past appearances at ground-zero in New York, the Pentagon and
Shankesville, Pennsylvania. Visitors are
encouraged to ring these bells!
The Passport to History program encourages
event-goers to collect passport stamps at each location visited. Participants receive a souvenir bell and a
chance for a grand prize. Passports will
be available in early March at the Frederick Visitor Center, 151 S. East Street
in Frederick
FREE Guided
Trolley Tours depart
the Frederick Visitor Center on the hour at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 12 noon, 1 p.m.
(last departure). The tours last about 40 minutes. The free, timed-tickets are available at the Frederick
Visitor Center reception desk on the day of the event.
Bell & History Handbell Festival - Sunday, April 1.jpg){kind=logo}
More on the Bell & History Handbell Festival
The free Bell & History Handbell Festival on Sunday concludes the weekend's festivities. At the concert, hundreds of bells, along with horns, timpani, organ and voice will perform. The concert will be held at the Basilica of the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg, Maryland at 5 p.m. on Sunday, April 1. There is no charge to attend, no reservations are necessary, and the public is invited.
Bell and History Days is hosted by the Frederick Historic Sites Consortium and Tourism Council of Frederick County, and detailed program information, participating sites, and activities can be found below.
Bell and History Day is made possible by presenting sponsor, Frederick County Bank, with additional support from an anonymous sponsor, the Frederick Keys and the Tourism Council of Frederick County. It is presented by the Frederick Historic Sites Consortium, a program of the Tourism Council of Frederick County.
Located on the campus of the Maryland School for the Deaf, the Bjorlee Museum is one of Frederick's newest exhibits. The school opened its doors with 34 students in Sept of 1868 and was housed in two Revolutionary War era stone barracks. The remaining Hessian Barracks is adjacent to the museum. The collection begun in 1872 houses school related artifacts, as well as many items of local interest reflecting aspects of Frederick City's long history. Open Tuesday and Thursday, noon-5pm or by appointment, please call in advance.
101 Clarke Place
Frederick, 21701
(301) 360-2011
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Features huge, interactive HO scale model railroad depicting B&O passenger line from Union Station, DC to Brunswick Freight Classification Yards. Railroad equipment and memorabilia, social history exhibits, photographs, Victorian costumes, furnishings, toy, baseball, and medical history exhibits. C&O Canal Visitor Center and Pete Harper's Children's Hands-On Activity Room located on main floor.
40 W. Potomac St.
Brunswick, 21716
(301) 834-7100
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The Catoctin Mountain offer a wealth of scenery, wildlife, wildflowers, historic buildings, hiking trails, scenic drives, camping, and fly-fishing. Looking for something different? Try spending the night in a historic cabin in Camp Misty Mount; for reservations call (301) 271-3140. Pets, on leashes, are permitted in outdoor areas but not in buildings. Catoctin Mountain Park will be closed Thursday, May 17 - Saturday, May 19, 2012.
6602 Foxville Rd.
Thurmont, 21788
(301) 663-9388
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This non-profit land trust preserves South Mountain Battlefield sites and is restoring two historical structures, the Lamar Center and the Dahlgren Chapel.
200 W. Main St., Ste A
Middletown, 21769
(301) 371-7090
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14039 Catoctin Hollow Rd.
Thurmont, 21788
(301) 271-7574
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We are proud to announce the opening of the Frederick County Fire & Rescue Museum and the National Fire Heritage Center. See displays that highlight apparatus, equipment and pictures of the colorful history of the Frederick County fire and rescue service. Featured units will include a 1939 Ahrens-Fox piston pumper owned by the United Steam Fire Engine Company No. 3 and the "Old Lady" 1821 hand tub pumper that served both Frederick and Libertytown. Learn about plans for the office and research center of the National Fire Heritage Center, a national organization that is in the process of developing a national fire service archive in Emmitsburg.
300 South Seton Avenue
Emmitsburg, 21727
(301) 898-5578
Driving Directions
The new Frederick Visitor Center is on the site of the former Frederick Spoke Factory, which was in active production at the end of the 19th century. The current day building's history can be traced to circa-1899, when it was constructed as a warehouse of the Monocacy Valley Canning Company. The site capitalizes on Frederick's location at the hub of a network of highways that fan out like the spokes of a wheel, connecting many of Frederick County's attractions and natural and cultural resources. Exhibit design elements in the building and exhibits also echo this theme. Guests can see the "big picture" of all Frederick County has to offer when they view the new orientation film, A Turn of the Wheel.
151 S. East Street
Frederick, 21701
(301) 600-4047
(800) 999-3613
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101 Clarke Place
Frederick, 21701
(301) 360-2011
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401 Rosemont Ave.
Frederick, 21701
(301) 696-3803
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The Maryland Room, located on the second floor of the C. Burr Artz Public Library, is Frederick County Public Libraries' local history, genealogy, and government document center. It is a non-circulating research collection of primary and secondary sources. Materials actively collected document all aspects of Maryland's history and culture, the lives and genealogy of Maryland's peoples, and the Civil War. Special emphasis is placed on obtaining resources relating to the peoples, places, communities, and institutions of Frederick County and Frederick City. The Maryland Room is an official partner archive of the Library of Congress Veterans History Project and is the home of the Linton-Holdcraft Obituary Collection, as well as, the George Brigham Civil War Research Collection. The Maryland Room curates changing exhibits in both the lobby of the Artz Library and in the Maryland Room; and also regularly sponsors public programs on a variety of history related topics.
110 E. Patrick St.
Frederick, 21701
(301) 600-1368
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