Frederick County History

"The Clustered Spires of Frederick stand, green-walled by the hills of Maryland."

from "The Ballad of Barbara Fritchie"
by poet John Greenleaf Whittier

Founded in 1748, Frederick County, Maryland, represents a true crossroads of American history. From French and Indian War and Revolutionary War activities through important Civil War battles, Frederick County's history is a rich tapestry of American heritage. 

The County was home to such notables as Star Spangled Banner author, Francis Scott Key; Maryland's first elected governor, Thomas Johnson; American's first native-born saint, Elizabeth Ann Seton; and many others who helped to shape the course of American history.  Memorable visits from Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Franklin, Robert E. Lee, Winston Churchill  and George Washington, who once stood across the Middletown Valley and described it as "one of the prettiest valleys I've ever seen," all help to represent the important role that Frederick County has played in America's development.

Saved from the rebels' torch during the Civil War, Downtown Frederick's nationally-renowned, 50-block historic district displays diverse architectural styles from federal to art deco.  Visitors to the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, the Francis Scott Key monument and the Schifferstadt Architectural Museum, as well as the Monocacy, South Mountain and nearby Antietam & Gettysburg battlefields can learn a great deal about Frederick's fascinating past.

For more information on historical sites in Frederick County, please visit:

• Barbara Fritchie House
• Brunswick Railroad Museum
• Camp David Museum
• Catoctin Aqueduct
• Catoctin Furnace
• Covered Bridges
• Fox's Gap
• Frederick County Historical Society
• Frederick County Landmarks Foundation
• Frederick Tourism Council
• National Shrine Grotto of Lourdes
• Hessian Barracks
• The Journey Through Hallowed Ground
• Mount Olivet Cemetery/Francis Scott Key Monument
• National Fallen Fighters Memorial Park
• National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
• Prospect Hall Mansion
• Roger Brook Taney House
• War Correspondents Memorial Arch