Carroll County Almshouse and Farm, also known as the Carroll County Farm Museum, is a historic farm complex located at

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

Carroll County, Maryland Carroll County is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 172,891. Its county seat is Westminster. Carroll County is included in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is ...

. It consists of a complex of 15 buildings including the main house and dependencies. The 30-room brick main house was originally designed and constructed for use as the county

almshouse An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) was charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the medieval era. They were often targeted at the poor of a locality, at those from certain ...

. It is a long, three-story, rectangular structure, nine bays wide at the first- and second-floor levels of both front and rear façades. It features a simple frame cupola sheltering a farm bell. A separate two-story brick building with 14 rooms houses the original summer kitchen, wash room, and baking room, and may have once housed farm and domestic help. Also on the property is a brick, one-story dairy with a pyramidal roof dominated by a pointed finial of exaggerated height with Victorian Gothic "icing" decorating the eaves; a large frame and dressed stone

bank barn A bank barn or banked barn is a style of barn noted for its accessibility, at ground level, on two separate levels. Often built into the side of a hill, or bank, both the upper and the lower floors area could be accessed from ground level, one are ...

; and a blacksmith's shop,

spring house A spring house, or springhouse, is a small building, usually of a single room, constructed over a spring. While the original purpose of a springhouse was to keep the spring water clean by excluding fallen leaves, animals, etc., the enclosing stru ...

smokehouse A smokehouse (North American) or smokery (British) is a building where meat or fish is cured with smoke Smoke is a suspension of airborne particulates and gases emitted when a material undergoes combustion or pyrolysis, together with t ...

, ice house, and numerous other sheds and dependencies all used as a part of the working farm museum activities. The original Carroll County Almshouse was founded in 1852 and the Farm Museum was established in 1965. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1975.

Carroll County Farm Museum

The Carroll County Farm Museum provides the public with the opportunity to experience mid-19th century rural life. It was the first of its kind in Maryland; it opened its doors to the public for the first time on August 13, 1966. Exhibits support the Museum by presenting artifacts with appropriate interpretation, both to show how they once looked, and how they were utilized by farmers and their families in the history of agriculture in Carroll County. Visitors are given the opportunity to explore the collections of horse-powered machines and farm implements used for plowing, planting, and harvesting during the 19th century. The grounds include a croquet lawn, a fish pond, and an heirloom garden. The grounds have hosted the

Maryland Wine Festival Maryland wine is wine made in the U.S. state of Maryland. The industry has grown rapidly since the first winery in Maryland, Boordy Vineyards, opened in 1945. It is estimated that the industry contributes $50 million annually to the Maryland econ ...

since 1985.

References

External links

*, including undated photo, at Maryland Historical Trust
Farm Museum website
{{National Register of Historic Places in Maryland Government buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Maryland Residential buildings completed in 1852 Museums in Carroll County, Maryland Farm museums in Maryland Open-air museums in Maryland Museums established in 1966 1966 establishments in Maryland Westminster, Maryland National Register of Historic Places in Carroll County, Maryland 1852 establishments in Maryland

Carroll County Farm Museum

See also

References

External links