Downtown Frederick – A Self-Guided Walking Tour


Founded in 1745 by English and German settlers, Frederick has been at the crossroads of American history. Discover this for yourself by taking this abbreviated walking tour of our historic district. Whether you're visiting Downtown Frederick to shop, dine, or simply relax, you'll gain an understanding of the town's national contributions, local legends and cultural amenities on the tour. For more comprehensive guided and self-guided tours, refer to our Guided Tours on page 16 or speak with the staff at the Visitor Center.

Historical Society of Frederick County offers seasonal guided walking tours of the Frederick Historic District. Conducted by certified guides, these tours are guaranteed to make a Frederick's colorful past come alive for you. These tours depart from 24 E. Church St., May through October, Saturdays and Sundays, 1:30 p.m. Groups please call (301) 663-1188.

Please note: A self-guided brochure is available in the Visitors Center, 151 S. East St., for those who are not able to make guided tours on Saturdays and Sundays.

Price: $7 for adults. $6 for Senior Citizens. $5 for children 2 - 12. Infants (2 and under) free.

Your tour begins at the Frederick Visitor Center, 151 S. East Street.

  • 1. Frederick Visitor Center - 151 S. East Street and Historic Preservation Training Center - 5 Commerce Street

    Both the Frederick Visitor Center and the NPS Historic Preservation Training Center (HPTC) shop are housed in structures associated with the canning industry that thrived here in the late 19th and early 20th-centuries, thanks to the rich farmland of Frederick County (the Monocacy Valley Canning Company warehouse and the Jenkins Cannery, respectively). Today, HPTC trains personnel who work to preserve the nation's architectural treasures, while the Visitor Center assists many visitors who enjoy the area's historic districts and preserved towns and villages.

    Exit the front and head left on S. East Street. Make a left on Commerce Street. Pass the Frederick Visitor Center and the Historic Preservation Training Center on your left. Make a right on S. Carroll Street. The Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center is on your right.

  • 2. Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center, 40 South Carroll Street

    This restored building once housed the historic Mountain City Mill. The structure was formerly used as a whiskey rectifying house, a flour mill, and a storage facility. This non-profit arts education facility features art instruction, exhibitions, special events, and a gift shop offering fine art and handcrafted items.

    Continue on S. Carroll Street to the bridge at Carroll Creek. Use one of the ramps, descending to creek level to view the Community Bridge Mural.

  • 3. Community Bridge Mural, Carroll Street between E. Patrick Street and E. All Saints Street

    Local artist William Cochran's award-winning trompe l'oeil mural transformed a plain concrete bridge into the permanent illusion of an old stone and ivy-covered bridge.

    Continue walking west along Carroll Creek. The William O. Lee Unity Bridge is ahead.

  • 4. The William O. Lee Unity Bridge, Carroll Creek, between Carroll Street and S. Market Street

    This suspension bridge symbolically represents the end of Frederick's segregated past. During his 75 years, Mr. Lee held many roles, including school administrator, mentor, historian, alderman for the City of Frederick, and first chair of the African American Resources - Cultural and Heritage Society (AARCH).

    Walk right at the William O. Lee Unity Bridge and continue straight to E. Patrick Street. Make a left on E. Patrick Street. The National Museum of Civil War Medicine is on your left.

  • 5. National Museum of Civil War Medicine, 48 E. Patrick Street

    This engaging museum tells the medical story of the Civil War. The care and healing, courage, and devotion of the caregivers and patients on both sides of the war are explored. This museum is housed in a building where soldiers were embalmed during the war. Open Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 11am-5pm.

    Continue on Patrick Street, crossing over Market Street. The Weinberg Center for the Arts is on your left.

  • 6. Weinberg Center for the Arts, 20 West Patrick Street

    This restored 1926 Art Deco movie palace features year-round performances. Once known as the Tivoli Theatre, the building features the original Wurlitzer pipe organ, a mechanical wonder of its day.

    Continue on Patrick Street, crossing over Court Street. The John Hanson House is on your left.

    Weinbert Center for the Arts Weinberg Center for the Arts
  • 7. John Hanson House, 108 West Patrick Street

    This is the site of John Hanson's home. Prior to the ratification of the United States Constitution in 1788, the original 13 states were governed by the Articles of Confederation, adopted by the Continental Congress in 1781. In that year, Congress elected Fredericktonian John Hanson as President in Congress Assembled. He served a one-year term.

    Continue on Patrick Street. The Barbara Fritchie House is on your left.

  • 8. Barbara Fritchie House, 154 West Patrick Street

    This building is a replica of the home of local resident Barbara Fritchie. She was immortalized in 1863 as the heroine of a popular poem written by John Greenleaf Whittier entitled "Barbara Fritchie." The poem, which describes Fritchie's waving of the United States flag in the face of the Confederate Army, became a best-seller in the north during the Civil War. The complete poem is on the Civil War Trail marker by the house.

    Cross Patrick Street to walk on paved path along Carroll Creek. Make a right on Bentz Street. Baker Park is on your left.

    Barbara Fritchie House Barbara Fritchie House
  • 9. Baker Park and the Bell Carillon, Bentz Street and W. Church Street

    Baker Park is a 44-acre park that runs through the heart of Downtown Frederick. The Joseph Dill Baker Carillon was erected in 1941 and named in honor of the man who gave the land for the park. The 70-foot-high tower extends 12 feet below ground and houses 49 bells. They are rung automatically every 15 minutes during the day, and there is a Carillon Recital the first Sunday of the month at noon. 

  • Across the street you will notice Calvary United Methodist Church.  Often referred to as "The little cathedral of Western Maryland," Calvary United Methodist Church began in 1929 on land donated by Mr. Joseph D. Baker. The neo-gothic edifice on the congregation's new site replaced their previous church home on East Church Street. In fact, some of the Tiffany windows from the old building were incorporated into the "new" structure. Calvary's 90-foot bell tower houses a ring of eight peal bells - one of only 40 rings in all of North America. Begun in 1770 by a visit from the founder of Methodism in America, Robert Strawbridge, Calvary is one of the oldest congregations in Frederick. 

  • Continue on Bentz Street to Second Street. The Memorial Park is across the intersection.

  • 10. Memorial Park, NW Corner of Bentz Street and W. Second Street

    Memorial Park is built on the former graveyard of the Evangelical Reformed Church. As the city encroached upon the graveyard built in 1775, the church decided to re-inter the bodies at another site and give the land to the city and county for a memorial space. The park became a tribute, first to the veterans of WWI, and then included memorials to WWII, Korea, and Vietnam veterans. The monuments in this park recognize Frederick County residents who gave their lives or served their country.

    Make a right on Second Street. Make a right on Record Street. The Ramsey House is on your right.

  • 11. Ramsey House, 119 Record Street

    Returning from his inspection of Antietam Battlefield on October 4, 1862, Abraham Lincoln visited U.S. Army General Hartsuff, a guest at the Ramsey House, who was recuperating from wounds he received at Antietam. Lincoln spoke at an impromptu gathering in front of the house and, later in the day, from the B&O Railroad Station at the corner of Market and All Saints streets.

    Continue on Record Street. Make a left on Church Street. The Tyler Spite House is on your right.

    Ramsey House Ramsey House
  • 12. Tyler Spite House, 112 West Church Street

    This house is named for the enigmatic Dr. John Tyler, who lived next door. Upon hearing that city officials wanted to extend Record Street through to Patrick Street, he realized that his home was about to become part of a busy intersection. He constructed this Federal-style residence in 1814 as a means of preventing the continuation of the street and preserving the tranquility of his home. In this way, Dr. Tyler "spited" the city.

    Continue on Church Street. City Hall is on your left.

    Tyler Spite House Tyler Spite House
  • 13. City Hall & Courthouse Square, 101 North Court Street

    At this site in 1765, Frederick citizens burned effigies of government officials in protest of the Stamp Act. This is considered to be among the first public uprisings against the monarchist rule, occurring nearly seven years before the Boston Tea Party. The present, Victorian-style building was constructed in 1862, after the burning of the courthouse in 1861 when the Maryland legislature debated secession in Frederick. Busts of Maryland's first elected Governor, Thomas Johnson and Supreme Court Justice Roger B. Taney, and a plaque interpreting the story of Harriet and Dred Scott are displayed in the courtyard.

    Continue on Church Street. All Saints Episcopal Church is on your right.

    City Hall City Hall
  • 14. All Saints Episcopal Church, 106 W. Church Street

    All Saints Parish was founded in 1742 and has had a number of noteworthy parishioners over the years, including Francis Scott Key. The original church was located on All Saints Street. This beautiful Neo-Gothic structure is the parish's third church, designed by noted 19th-century architect Richard Upjohn and completed in 1855. The stained glass windows are worth a peek.

    Continue on Church Street, crossing over Court Street. The site of the Independent Fire Company is on your right.

  • 15. Site of Independent Fire Company, 12 W. Church Street

    The oldest continuously operating volunteer fire company in the state, Independent was established in 1818 and was called into service during John Brown's raid on nearby Harpers Ferry in 1859. The glass etching, "Volunteers," was created by local artist William Cochran. Independent Fire Company still serves the community from a different location.

    Continue on Church Street. Evangelical Reformed Church is on your left.

  • 16. Evangelical Reformed Church, 15 W. Church Street

    This 1848 Greek Revival church was built when the congregation outgrew the older stone chapel across the street. The pews still display the numbered brass plates from when the church was supported with "pew rents." Civil War heroine Barbara Fritchie was an active member of this church, and General Stonewall Jackson worshipped here in 1862, prior to the Battle of Antietam.

    Continue on Church Street. Trinity Chapel is on your right.

  • 17. Trinity Chapel, 10 West Church Street

    This is the site of the first German Reformed Church in Frederick. The stone tower is all that remains of the original church built in 1763. Its graceful 1807 steeple is the oldest of the "clustered spires," and it houses the town clock.

    Continue on Church Street. "Earthbound" is on your right.

    Trinity Chapel Trinity Chapel
  • 18. "Earthbound," SW corner of West Church and North Market Street

    This wall mural is painted in a style known as "trompe l'oeil," which translates to "trick the eye." It is one in a series of artworks around town known as "Angels in the Architecture" by local artist William Cochran.

    Continue on Church Street, crossing over Market. Kemp Hall is on your right.

    Earthbound "Earthbound"
  • 19. Kemp Hall, 4 East Church Street

    Beginning in April 1861 the Maryland Legislature met here in an extraordinary special session to decide if Maryland should secede from the Union. In September, delegates with Southern sympathies were arrested prior to reaching Frederick. A quorum was not reached so no vote on secession could be taken.

    Continue on Church Street. Winchester Hall is on your right.

  • 20. Winchester Hall, 12 East Church Street

    Erected in 1843 by Connecticut educator Hiram Winchester, this stately Greek Revival structure originally housed the Frederick Female Seminary, predecessor to Hood College. Winchester Hall now houses Frederick County government offices.

    Continue on Church Street. Evangelical Lutheran Church is on your left.

    Winchester Hall Winchester Hall
  • 21. Evangelical Lutheran Church, 35 East Church Street

    Organized in 1738, the first Evangelical Lutheran Church was built of logs in 1746. In 1762, it was replaced by a stone structure. The present structure was completed in 1854. The west tower of the church holds a bell cast in England and shipped to Frederick in 1771. The church served as a hospital during the Civil War.

    Continue on Church Street. The Museum of Frederick County History is on your right.

    Evangelical Lutheran Church Evangelical Lutheran Church
  • 22. Museum of Frederick County History, 24 E. Church Street

    Built in the 1820's, this building was used as a private residence and later an orphanage before the Historical Society purchased the property in the 1950's. Inside, museum exhibits tell the history of Frederick County. The Research Center houses a variety of archival and genealogical materials. Museum hours are Tues-Sat 10am-4pm and Sun 1-4pm; Research Center hours are Tues-Sat 10am-4pm.

    Continue on Church Street. Trail Mansion is on your right.

  • 23. Trail Mansion, 106 East Church Street

    Currently a funeral home, this Italianate mansion was constructed by Col. Charles Trail in 1852. The stepping stone situated at the curb in front of the wrought iron gate was used by Frederick's gentlewomen when getting in and out of carriages.

    Continue on Church Street. Make a left on Chapel Alley. St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church is on your left and Visitation Academy is on your right.

    Trail Mansion Trail Mansion
  • 24. St. John the Evangelist, Roman Catholic Church and Visitation Academy, 118 and 200 E. Second Street

    In 1763, Father John Williams, S.J. built a small house across the street that became the first permanent house of worship for Catholics in Frederick County. By the mid-1800's, East Second Street maintained a campus of buildings run by the Jesuits including the Novitiate, St. John's Literary Institution, Visitation Academy and this church. During the Civil War, St. John's was the only church in Frederick spared from being used as a hospital because the Novitiate building and Visitation Academy had already been dedicated to the cause.

    Retrace your steps on Chapel Alley. Cross Church Street and continue on N. Carroll Street. Cross Patrick Street and continue on S. Carroll Street. Make a left on Commerce Street to return to the Visitor Center.

Other Sites within Walking Distance

 

All Saints Street Neighborhood

During the latter part of the 19th century, a number of African American communities were created around Frederick County. By the early 1900's, this street became the center of commerce and entertainment for Frederick County's "colored" population. Services ranging from banking and medical care to grocery stores and beauty parlors could all be found on this street. After integration, most of these businesses closed, but many of their buildings still remain. For more information, pick up the African American Heritage Sites walking tour brochure, available at the Visitor Center.

Bjorlee Museum at the Maryland School for the Deaf

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 September of 1868 and was housed in two Revolutionary War-era stone barracks. The remaining Hessian Barracks are adjacent to the museum. The collection begun in 1872 houses school-related artifacts, as well as many items of interest reflecting aspects of Frederick City's long history.

Laboring Sons Memorial Ground

In 1837, the Beneficial Society of Laboring Sons of Frederick was established to provide proper burials for free blacks and others. The cemetery was created in 1851. By the 1940's, land was given to the city with the intent that a memorial plaque be erected. In recent years, the memorial that was originally intended has been installed in this city park.

Mount Olivet Cemetery

The first internment at Mt. Olivet Cemetery was Ann Crawford on May 28, 1854. Older graves were transferred here from other cemeteries throughout the city. Many notable persons are interred here including: Francis Scott Key, author of the Star Spangled Banner; Barbara Fritchie, heroine of a Whittier poem; and Thomas Johnson, first elected governor of Maryland. Mt. Olivet also houses the remains of 282 identified Confederate soldiers who died while prisoners of war. They were captured at the nearby battles of South Mountain (1862), Antietam (1862), Gettysburg (1863), and Monocacy (1864).

Roger Brooke Taney House

The Roger Brooke Taney House interprets a property owned by former Frederick attorney and fifth Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. The site, including the house, detached kitchen, root cellar, smokehouse and slaves quarters, interprets the life of Taney and his wife Anne Key (sister of Francis Scott Key), as well as various aspects of life in early 19th-century Frederick County. The museum is open Sat 10am-4pm and Sun 1-4pm, April through mid-December.

Schifferstadt Architectural Museum

Built in the 1750's, Schifferstadt Architectural Museum is the oldest building in the city of Frederick, Maryland and among the best examples of early German-Colonial architecture in the country. The large sandstone house was built by Joseph Bruner, an immigrant from Germany. Bruner named his farm Schifferstadt after his hometown of Scheverstadt in the Palatinate region of South Eastern Germany.   The museum is open Tues-Sun 12-4pm.