Frederick is a city in and the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
of
Frederick County, Maryland. It is part of the
Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area. Frederick has long been an important crossroads, located at the intersection of a major north–south Native American trail and east–west routes to the
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the Eastern Shore of Maryland / ...
, both at
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
and what became
Washington, D.C. and across the
Appalachian mountains
The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...
to the
Ohio River watershed. It is a part of the
, which is part of a greater
Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA Combined Statistical Area. The city's population was 78,171 people as of the
2020 United States census
The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
,
making it the second-largest incorporated city in Maryland (behind
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
). Frederick is home to
Frederick Municipal Airport (
IATA: FDK), which accommodates
general aviation
General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...
, and
Fort Detrick, a
U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
bioscience/communications research installation and Frederick county's largest employer.
History
Pre-Colonization
Located where
Catoctin Mountain (the easternmost ridge of the
Blue Ridge mountains) meets the rolling hills of the Piedmont region, the Frederick area became a crossroads even before European explorers and traders arrived. Native American hunters (possibly including the
Susquehannocks, the Algonquian-speaking
Shawnee
The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky a ...
, or the
Seneca
Seneca may refer to:
People and language
* Seneca (name), a list of people with either the given name or surname
* Seneca people, one of the six Iroquois tribes of North America
** Seneca language, the language of the Seneca people
Places Extrat ...
or
Tuscarora or other members of the
Iroquois Confederation) followed the
Monocacy River
The Monocacy River () is a free-flowing left tributary to the Potomac River, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean via the Chesapeake Bay. The river is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data ...
from the
Susquehanna River watershed in Pennsylvania to the
Potomac River
The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augu ...
watershed and the lands of the more agrarian and maritime
Algonquian peoples, particularly the
Lenape of the Delaware valley or the
Piscataway Piscataway may refer to:
*Piscataway people, a Native American ethnic group native to the southern Mid-Atlantic States
*Piscataway language
*Piscataway, Maryland, an unincorporated community
*Piscataway, New Jersey, a township
*Piscataway Creek, Ma ...
and
Powhatan
The Powhatan people (; also spelled Powatan) may refer to any of the indigenous Algonquian people that are traditionally from eastern Virginia. All of the Powhatan groups descend from the Powhatan Confederacy. In some instances, The Powhatan ...
of the lower Potomac watershed and Chesapeake Bay. This became known as the Monocacy Trail or even the
Great Indian Warpath
The Great Indian Warpath (GIW)—also known as the Great Indian War and Trading Path, or the Seneca Trail—was that part of the network of trails in eastern North America developed and used by Native Americans which ran through the Great Appala ...
, with some travelers continuing southward through the "
Great Appalachian Valley
The Great Appalachian Valley, also called The Great Valley or Great Valley Region, is one of the major landform features of eastern North America. It is a gigantic trough—a chain of valley lowlands—and the central feature of the Appalachian M ...
" (
Shenandoah Valley, etc.) to the western
Piedmont
it, Piemontese
, population_note =
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in
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...
, or traveling down other watersheds in Virginia toward the
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the Eastern Shore of Maryland / ...
, such as those of the
Rappahannock,
James and
York Rivers.
Colonial era
The earliest European settlement was slightly north of Frederick in
Monocacy, Maryland. Monocacy was founded before 1730 (when the Indian trail became a wagon road) and was abandoned before the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
, likely due to the river's periodic flooding, hostilities predating the
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...
, or simply Frederick's better location with easier access to the Potomac River near its confluence with the Monocacy.
Daniel Dulany—a land speculator—laid out "Frederick Town" by 1745. Three years earlier,
All Saints Church had been founded on a hilltop near a warehouse/trading post. Sources disagree as to which Frederick the town was named for, but the likeliest candidates are
Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore
Frederick Calvert, 6th Baron Baltimore (6 February 1731 – 4 September 1771), styled The Hon. Frederick Calvert until 1751, was an English nobleman and last in line of the Barons Baltimore. Although he exercised almost feudal power in the Pr ...
(one of the proprietors of Maryland),
Frederick Louis, Prince of Wales
Frederick, Prince of Wales, (Frederick Louis, ; 31 January 170731 March 1751), was the eldest son and heir apparent of King George II of Great Britain. He grew estranged from his parents, King George and Caroline of Ansbach, Queen Caroline. Fr ...
, and
Frederick the Great, King of Prussia.
![Evangelical Lutheran on East Church Street - panoramio](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Evangelical_Lutheran_on_East_Church_Street_-_panoramio.jpg)
In 1748, Frederick County was formed by carving a section off of
Prince George's County
)
, demonym = Prince Georgian
, ZIP codes = 20607–20774
, area codes = 240, 301
, founded date = April 23
, founded year = 1696
, named for = Prince George of Denmark
, leader_title = Executive
, leader_name = Angela D. Alsobrook ...
. Frederick Town (now Frederick) was made the county seat of
Frederick County. The county originally extended to the Appalachian mountains (areas further west being disputed between the colonies of Virginia and Pennsylvania until 1789). The current town's first house was built by a young
German Reformed
The Evangelical and Reformed Church (E&R) was a Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. It was formed in 1934 by the merger of the Reformed Church in the United States (RCUS) with the Evangelical Synod of North America (ESNA). A m ...
schoolmaster from the
Rhineland Palatinate named
Johann Thomas Schley (died 1790), who led a party of immigrants (including his wife, Maria Von Winz) to the Maryland colony. The Palatinate settlers bought land from Dulany on the banks of
Carroll Creek, and Schley's house stood at the northwest corner of Middle Alley and East Patrick Street into the 20th century. Schley's settlers also founded a German
Reformed Church (today known as Evangelical Reformed Church, and part of the
UCC). Probably the oldest house still standing in Frederick today is
Schifferstadt, built in 1756 by German settler Joseph Brunner and now the Schifferstadt Architectural Museum.
Schley's group was among the many
Pennsylvania Dutch (ethnic Germans) (as well as Scots-Irish and French and later Irish) who migrated south and westward in the late-18th century. Frederick was an important stop along the migration route that became known as the
Great Wagon Road, which came down from
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Gettysburg (; non-locally ) is a borough and the county seat of Adams County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The Battle of Gettysburg (1863) and President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address are named for this town.
Gettysburg is home to th ...
and
Emmitsburg, Maryland and continued south following the
Great Appalachian Valley
The Great Appalachian Valley, also called The Great Valley or Great Valley Region, is one of the major landform features of eastern North America. It is a gigantic trough—a chain of valley lowlands—and the central feature of the Appalachian M ...
through
Winchester and
Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke ( ) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 100,011, making it the 8th most populous city in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the largest city in Virginia west of Richmond. It is ...
. Another important route continued along the Potomac River from near Frederick, to
Hagerstown, where it split. One branch crossed the Potomac River near
Martinsburg, West Virginia
Martinsburg is a city in and the seat of Berkeley County, West Virginia, in the tip of the state's Eastern Panhandle region in the lower Shenandoah Valley. Its population was 18,835 in the 2021 census estimate, making it the largest city in the E ...
and continued down into the Shenandoah valley. The other continued west to
Cumberland, Maryland
Cumberland is a U.S. city in and the county seat of Allegany County, Maryland. It is the primary city of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 19,076. Located on the Potomac River, ...
and ultimately crossed the
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...
into the watershed of the
Ohio River. Thus, British
General Edward Braddock marched his troops (including the youthful
George Washington
George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of ...
) west in 1755 through Frederick on the way to their fateful ambush near
Fort Duquesne
Fort Duquesne (, ; originally called ''Fort Du Quesne'') was a fort French colonization of the Americas, established by the French in 1754, at the confluence of the Allegheny River, Allegheny and Monongahela River, Monongahela rivers. It was lat ...
(later
Fort Pitt, then
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
) during the
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...
. However, the British after the
Proclamation of 1763
The Royal Proclamation of 1763 was issued by King George III on 7 October 1763. It followed the Treaty of Paris (1763), which formally ended the Seven Years' War and transferred French territory in North America to Great Britain. The Proclam ...
restricted that westward migration route until after the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
. Other westward migrants continued south from Frederick to Roanoke along the Great Wagon Road, crossing the Appalachians into
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...
and
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
at the
Cumberland Gap
The Cumberland Gap is a pass through the long ridge of the Cumberland Mountains, within the Appalachian Mountains, near the junction of the U.S. states of Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. It is famous in American colonial history for its r ...
near the Virginia/North Carolina border.
Other German settlers in Frederick were
Evangelical Lutherans, led by Rev.
Henry Muhlenberg. They moved their mission church from Monocacy to what became a large complex a few blocks further down Church Street from the Anglicans and the German Reformed Church. Methodist missionary
Robert Strawbridge, who accepted an invitation to preach at Frederick town in 1770, and
Francis Asbury
Francis Asbury (August 20 or 21, 1745 – March 31, 1816) was one of the first two bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States. During his 45 years in the colonies and the newly independent United States, he devoted his life to ...
, who arrived two years later, both helped found a congregation which became Calvary Methodist Church, worshipping in a log building from 1792 (although superseded by larger buildings in 1841, 1865, 1910 and 1930). Frederick also had a Catholic mission, to which Rev.
Jean DuBois was assigned in 1792, which became
St. John the Evangelist Church (built in 1800).
To control this crossroads during the
American Revolution
The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...
, the British garrisoned a German
Hessian regiment in the town;
Early 19th century
![Old All Saints Episcopal Church in Frederick](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/Old_All_Saints_Episcopal_Church_in_Frederick.jpg)
As the county seat for Western Maryland, Frederick not only was an important market town but also the seat of justice. Although
Montgomery County and
Washington County were split off from Frederick County in 1776, Frederick remained the seat of the smaller (though still large) county. Important lawyers who practiced in Frederick included
John Hanson
John Hanson ( – November 15, 1783) was an American Founding Father, merchant, and politician from Maryland during the Revolutionary Era. In 1779, Hanson was elected as a delegate to the Continental Congress after serving in a variety of ...
,
Francis Scott Key and
Roger B. Taney
Roger Brooke Taney (; March 17, 1777 – October 12, 1864) was the fifth chief justice of the United States, holding that office from 1836 until his death in 1864. Although an opponent of slavery, believing it to be an evil practice, Taney belie ...
.
![All saints and ucc spires Frederick](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/All_saints_and_ucc_spires_Frederick.jpg)
Frederick was also known during the nineteenth century for its religious pluralism, with one of its main thoroughfares, Church Street, hosting about a half dozen major churches. In 1793, All Saints Church hosted the first confirmation of an American citizen, by the newly consecrated Episcopal Bishop
Thomas Claggett. That original colonial building was replaced in 1814 by a brick classical revival structure. It still stands today, although the principal worship space has become an even larger brick gothic church joining it at the back and facing Frederick's City Hall (so the parish remains the oldest Episcopal Church in western Maryland). The main Catholic church, dedicated to St. John the Evangelist, was built in 1800, then rebuilt in 1837 (across the street) one block north of Church Street on East Second Street, where it still stands along with a school and convent established by the
Visitation Sisters. The stone Evangelical Lutheran Church of 1752 was also rebuilt and enlarged in 1825, then replaced by the current twin-spired structure in 1852.
The oldest African-American church in the town is Asbury United Methodist Church, founded as the Old Hill Church, a mixed congregation in 1818. It became an African-American congregation in 1864, renamed Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church in 1870, and built its current building on All Saints Street in 1921.
Together, these churches dominated the town, set against the backdrop of the first ridge of the Appalachians,
Catoctin Mountain. The abolitionist poet
John Greenleaf Whittier later immortalized this view of Frederick in his poem to
Barbara Fritchie: "The clustered spires of Frederick stand / Green-walled by the hills of Maryland."
When
U.S. President Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...
commissioned the building of the
National Road
The National Road (also known as the Cumberland Road) was the first major improved highway in the United States built by the federal government. Built between 1811 and 1837, the road connected the Potomac and Ohio Rivers and was a main tran ...
from Baltimore toward
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
(eventually built to
Vandalia, then the state capital of Illinois), the "National Pike" ran through Frederick along Patrick Street. (This later became
U.S. Route 40.) Frederick's
Jacob Engelbrecht corresponded with Jefferson in 1824 (receiving a transcribed psalm in return), and kept a diary from 1819-1878 which remains an important first-hand account of 19th century life from its viewpoint on the National Road. An important house remaining from this era is the
Tyler Spite House, built in 1814 at 112 W. Church Street by a
local doctor to prevent the city from extending Record Street south through his land to meet West Patrick Street.
[Williams, N. (April 2, 1990). "This Maryland House was built just for spite". '']Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
''.["A Matter of Spite"](_blank)
. '' Frederick News-Post''.
Frederick also became one of the new nation's leading mining counties in the early 19th century. It exported gold, copper, limestone, marble, iron and other minerals. As early as the American Revolution,
Catoctin Furnace near
Thurmont became important for iron production. Other mining areas split off into
Washington County, Maryland and
Allegheny County, Maryland
Allegany County is located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 68,106. Its county seat is Cumberland, Maryland, Cumberland. The name ''Allegany'' may come f ...
but continued to ship their ore through Frederick to Eastern cities and ports.
Frederick had easy access to the
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, abbreviated as the C&O Canal and occasionally called the "Grand Old Ditch," operated from 1831 until 1924 along the Potomac River between Washington, D.C. and Cumberland, Maryland. It replaced the Potomac Canal, ...
, which began operations in 1831 and continued hauling freight until 1924. Also in 1831, the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) completed its
Frederick Branch line from the Frederick (or Monocacy) Junction off the main Western Line from Baltimore to
Harpers Ferry
Harpers Ferry is a historic town in Jefferson County, West Virginia. It is located in the lower Shenandoah Valley. The population was 285 at the 2020 census. Situated at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, where the U.S. stat ...
,
Cumberland, and the
Ohio River. The railroad reached
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
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, subdivision_name ...
and
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
by the 1850s.
Civil War
![Confederates marching through Frederick, MD in 1862](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/Confederates_marching_through_Frederick%2C_MD_in_1862.jpg)
Frederick became Maryland's capital city briefly in 1861, as the legislature moved from Annapolis to vote on the secession question. President Lincoln arrested several members, and the assembly was unable to convene a quorum to vote on secession.
As a major crossroads, Frederick, like
Winchester, Virginia, and
Martinsburg, West Virginia
Martinsburg is a city in and the seat of Berkeley County, West Virginia, in the tip of the state's Eastern Panhandle region in the lower Shenandoah Valley. Its population was 18,835 in the 2021 census estimate, making it the largest city in the E ...
, saw considerable action during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
.
Slaves also escaped from or through Frederick (since Maryland was still a "slave state" although it had not seceded) to join the Union forces, work against the Confederacy and seek freedom. During the
Maryland campaigns, both
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
and
Confederate troops marched through the city. Frederick also hosted several hospitals to nurse the wounded from those battles, as is related in the
National Museum of Civil War Medicine on East Patrick Street.
![Barbara Frietchie (poem)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Barbara_Frietchie_%28poem%29.jpg)
A legend related by
John Greenleaf Whittier claimed that Frederick's Pennsylvania Dutch women (including
Barbara Fritchie who reportedly waved a flag) booed the Confederates in September 1862, as General
Stonewall Jackson led his light infantry division through Frederick on his way to the battles of
Crampton's, Fox's and Turner's Gaps on
South Mountain and
Antietam
The Battle of Antietam (), or Battle of Sharpsburg particularly in the Southern United States, was a battle of the American Civil War fought on September 17, 1862, between Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and Union G ...
near
Sharpsburg. Union Major General
Jesse L. Reno's IX Corps followed Jackson's men through the city a few days later on the way to the
Battle of South Mountain
The Battle of South Mountain—known in several early Southern accounts as the Battle of Boonsboro Gap—was fought on September 14, 1862, as part of the Maryland campaign of the American Civil War. Three pitched battles were fought for posses ...
, where Reno died. The sites of the battles are due west of the city along the
National Road
The National Road (also known as the Cumberland Road) was the first major improved highway in the United States built by the federal government. Built between 1811 and 1837, the road connected the Potomac and Ohio Rivers and was a main tran ...
, west of
Burkittsville. Confederate troops under Jackson and Walker unsuccessfully attempted to halt the Federal army's westward advance into the
Cumberland Valley
The Cumberland Valley is a northern constituent valley of the Great Appalachian Valley, within the Atlantic Seaboard watershed in Pennsylvania and Maryland. The Appalachian Trail crosses through the valley.
Geography
The valley is bound to ...
and towards
Sharpsburg.
Gathland State Park has the War Correspondents' Memorial stone arch erected by reporter/editor
George Alfred Townsend (1841–1914). The 1889 memorial commemorating Major General Reno and the Union soldiers of his IX Corps is on Reno Monument Road west of
Middletown, just below the summit of
Fox's Gap, as is a 1993 memorial to slain Confederate Brig. Gen.
Samuel Garland Jr., and the
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...
troops who held the line.
President
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
, on his way to visit Gen.
George McClellan
George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was an American soldier, Civil War Union general, civil engineer, railroad executive, and politician who served as the 24th governor of New Jersey. A graduate of West Point, McCl ...
after the
Battle of South Mountain
The Battle of South Mountain—known in several early Southern accounts as the Battle of Boonsboro Gap—was fought on September 14, 1862, as part of the Maryland campaign of the American Civil War. Three pitched battles were fought for posses ...
and the
Battle of Antietam, delivered a short speech at what was then the
B. & O. Railroad depot at the current intersection of East All Saints and South Market Streets. A plaque commemorates the speech (at what is today the Frederick Community Action Agency, a Social Services office).
At the
Prospect Hall mansion off Jefferson Street to Buckeystown Pike near what is now Butterfly Lane, in the early morning hours of June 28, 1863, a messenger arrived from President
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
and General-in-Chief
Henry Halleck
Henry Wager Halleck (January 16, 1815 – January 9, 1872) was a senior United States Army officer, scholar, and lawyer. A noted expert in military studies, he was known by a nickname that became derogatory: "Old Brains". He was an important par ...
, informing General
George Meade
George Gordon Meade (December 31, 1815 – November 6, 1872) was a United States Army officer and civil engineer best known for decisively defeating Confederate General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War. H ...
that he would be replacing General
Joseph Hooker
Joseph Hooker (November 13, 1814 – October 31, 1879) was an American Civil War general for the Union, chiefly remembered for his decisive defeat by Confederate General Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863.
Hooker had serv ...
after the latter's disastrous performance at
Chancellorsville in May. The
Army of the Potomac
The Army of the Potomac was the principal Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the surrender of the Confede ...
camped around the Prospect Hall property for the several days as skirmishers pursued
Lee's Confederate
Army of Northern Virginia
The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was also the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most oft ...
prior to
Gettysburg. A large granite rectangular monument made from one of the boulders at the "Devil's Den" in Gettysburg to the east along the driveway commemorates the midnight change-of-command.
In July 1864, in the third Southern invasion, Confederate troops led by Lieutenant General Jubal Early occupied Frederick and extorted $200,000 ($ in dollars) from citizens for not razing the city on their way to Washington D.C. Union troops under Major General
Lew Wallace
Lewis Wallace (April 10, 1827February 15, 1905) was an American lawyer, Union general in the American Civil War, governor of the New Mexico Territory, politician, diplomat, and author from Indiana. Among his novels and biographies, Wallace is ...
fought a successful delaying action, in what became the last significant Confederate advance at the
Battle of Monocacy
The Battle of Monocacy (also known as Monocacy Junction) was fought on July 9, 1864, about from Frederick, Maryland, as part of the Valley Campaigns of 1864 during the American Civil War. Confederate forces under Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early defe ...
, also known as the "Battle that saved Washington." The
Monocacy National Battlefield lies just southeast of the city limits, along the
Monocacy River
The Monocacy River () is a free-flowing left tributary to the Potomac River, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean via the Chesapeake Bay. The river is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data ...
at the B. & O. Railroad junction where two bridges cross the stream - an iron-truss bridge for the railroad and a covered wooden bridge for the Frederick-Urbana-Georgetown Pike, which was the site of the main battle of July 1864. Some skirmishing occurred further northeast of town at the stone-arched "Jug Bridge" where the
National Road
The National Road (also known as the Cumberland Road) was the first major improved highway in the United States built by the federal government. Built between 1811 and 1837, the road connected the Potomac and Ohio Rivers and was a main tran ...
crossed the Monocacy; and an artillery bombardment occurred along the National Road west of town near Red Man's Hill and
Prospect Hall mansion as the Union troops retreated eastward.
Antietam National Battlefield
Antietam National Battlefield is a National Park Service-protected area along Antietam Creek in Sharpsburg, Washington County, northwestern Maryland. It commemorates the American Civil War Battle of Antietam that occurred on September 17, 1862. ...
and
South Mountain State Battlefield Park which commemorates the 1862 battles are located 23 miles and 35 miles respectively to the west-northwest. While
Gettysburg National Battlefield of 1863 lies approximately to the north-northeast.
The reconstructed home of
Barbara Fritchie stands on West Patrick Street, just past Carroll Creek linear park. Fritchie, a significant figure in Maryland history in her own right, is buried in Frederick's
Mount Olivet Cemetery. British Prime Minister
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...
quoted Whittier's poem to President
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
when they stopped here in 1941 on a car trip to the presidential retreat, then called "Shangra-La" (now "
Camp David") within the
Catoctin Mountains near Thurmont.
Late 19th century
Admiral
Winfield Scott Schley (1839–1911) was born at "Richfields", the mansion home of his father. He became an important naval commander of the American fleet on board his flagship and heavy cruiser
USS ''Baltimore'' along with Admiral
William T. Sampson
William Thomas Sampson (February 9, 1840 – May 6, 1902) was a United States Navy rear admiral known for his victory in the Battle of Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish–American War.
Biography
He was born in Palmyra, New York, and entered ...
in the
Battle of Santiago de Cuba
The Battle of Santiago de Cuba was a decisive naval engagement that occurred on July 3, 1898 between an American fleet, led by William T. Sampson and Winfield Scott Schley, against a Spanish fleet led by Pascual Cervera y Topete, which occurre ...
off the shores of the Spanish island colony of
Cuba
Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
in the
Spanish–American War
, partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence
, image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg
, image_size = 300px
, caption = (cloc ...
in 1898. Major Henry Schley's son, Dr. Fairfax Schley, was instrumental in setting up the Frederick County Agricultural Society and the Great Frederick Fair.
Gilmer Schley served as Mayor from 1919 to 1922, and the Schleys remained one of the town's leading families into the late-20th century.
Nathaniel Wilson Schley, a prominent banker, and his wife Mary Margaret Schley helped organize and raise funds for the annual Great Frederick Fair, one of the two largest agricultural fairs in the State. Since the 1960s, the fair has featured many outstanding country-western singers and become a major music festival. Schley Avenue commemorates the family's role in the city's heritage.
The
Frederick and Pennsylvania Line railroad ran from Frederick to the Pennsylvania–Maryland State line, a/k/a
Mason–Dixon line. Chartered in 1867, construction began in 1869 and the line opened October 8, 1872. However, it defaulted on its interest payments in 1874 and acquired by the
Pennsylvania Railroad in 1875, which formed a new division to operate the rail line. In the spring of 1896, the Frederick and Pennsylvania Line railroad was liquidated in a judicial sale to the Pennsylvania Railroad for $150,000. The railroad survived through mergers and the Penn-Central bankruptcy. However, the State of Maryland acquired the Frederick and Pennsylvania Line in 1982. As of 2013, all but two miles () at the southern terminus at Frederick still exist, operated by either the
Walkersville Southern, or the
Maryland Midland Railway (MMID) railroads.
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
pioneers Henry Lazarus and Levy Cohan settled in Frederick in the 1740s as merchants. Mostly German Jewish immigrants organized a community in the mid-19th century, creating the
Frederick Hebrew Congregation in 1858. Later the congregation lapsed, but was reorganized in 1917 as a cooperative effort between the older settlers and more recently arrived Eastern European Jews under the name
Beth Sholom Congregation.
In 1905, Rev. E. B. Hatcher started the First
Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...
Church of Frederick.
After the Civil War, the Maryland legislature established racially segregated public facilities by the end of the 19th century, re-imposing white supremacy. Black institutions were typically underfunded in the state, and it was not until 1921 that Frederick established a public high school for
African Americans. First located at 170 West All Saints Street, it moved to 250 Madison Street, where it eventually was adapted as
South Frederick Elementary. The building presently houses the
Lincoln Elementary School. The
Laboring Sons Memorial Grounds, a cemetery for
free blacks, was founded in 1851.
Geography
Frederick is located in
Frederick County in the northern part of the state of Maryland. The city has served as a major crossroads since colonial times. Today it is located at the junction of
Interstate 70
Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a park and ride lot just east of I-695 in Baltimore, Maryland, and is the fifth-longest Interstate in the co ...
,
Interstate 270,
U.S. Route 340,
U.S. Route 40,
U.S. Route 40 Alternate
U.S. Route 40 has at least eight extant special routes.
Current routes WaKeeney business loop
U.S. Route 40 Business (US-40 Bus.) is a business route through WaKeeney, Kansas, that was recommended in 1979 as substitute for the formerly pro ...
and
U.S. Route 15 (which runs north–south). In relation to nearby cities, Frederick lies west of
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
, north and slightly west of
Washington, D.C., southeast of
Hagerstown and southwest of
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The city's coordinates are 39°25'35" North, 77°25'13" West (39.426294, −77.420403).
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.
The city's area is predominantly land, with small areas of water being the
Monocacy River
The Monocacy River () is a free-flowing left tributary to the Potomac River, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean via the Chesapeake Bay. The river is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data ...
, which runs to the east of the city, Carroll Creek (which runs through the city and causes periodic floods, such as that during the summer of 1972 and fall of 1976), as well as several neighborhood ponds and small city owned lakes, such as Culler Lake, a man-made small body of water in the downtown area.
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally cool winters. It lies to the west of the
fall line, which gives the city slightly lower temperatures compared to locales further east. According to the
Köppen Climate Classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
system, Frederick has a
humid subtropical climate, abbreviated ''Cfa'' on climate maps.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the 2010 U.S.
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
,
there were 65,239 people residing in Frederick city and roughly 27,000 households. The city's population grew by 23.6% in the ten years since the 2000 census, making it the fastest growing incorporated area in the state of Maryland with a population of over 50,000 for 2010.
2010 census data put the racial makeup of the city at 61%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
, 18.6%
Black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...
or
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.2%
Native American, 5.8%
Asian American, and 14.4%
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
or
Latino of any race. Roughly 4% of the city's population was of two or more races.
In regard to minority group growth, the 2010 census data show the city's Hispanic population at 9,402, a 271 percent increase compared with 2,533 in 2000, making Hispanics/Latinos the fastest growing race group in the city and in Frederick county (267 percent increase). Frederick city had 3,800 Asian residents in 2010, a 128 percent increase from the city's 1,664 Asian residents in 2000. The city's black or African-American population increased 56 percent, from 7,777 in 2000 to 12,144 in 2010.
For the roughly 27,000 households in the city, 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.7% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41% were non-families. Approximately 31% of all households were made up of individuals living alone and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.11.
2009 American Community Survey
As of 2009, 27.5% of the city's population was under the age of 19, 24.5% were between 20 and 34, 28.1% were between 35 and 54, 9.0% were between 55 and 64, and 10.5% were 65 years of age or older. The median age of a Frederick city resident for 2009 was 34 years. For adults aged 18 or older, the population was 48.6% male and 51.4% female.
According to U.S. census data for 2009, the median annual income for a household in Frederick city was $64,833, and the median annual income for a family was $77,642. Males had a median annual income of $49,129 versus $41,986 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the city was $31,123. Approximately 7.7% of the total population, 5.3% of families, and 5.2% of adults aged 65 and older were living below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
. The unemployment rate in the city for adults over the age of 18 was 5.1%.
In regard to educational attainment for individuals aged 25 or older as of 2009, 34% of the city's residents had a bachelor's or advanced professional degree, 29.6% had some college or an associate degree, 21.6% had a high school diploma or equivalency, 6.8% had between a 9th and 12th grade level of education, and 3.6% had an 8th grade or lower level of education.
The median value of a home in Frederick city as of 2009 was $303,900, with the bulk of owner-occupied homes valued at between $300,000 and $500,000. The median cost of a rental unit was $1,054 per month, with the bulk of rental units priced between $1,000 and $1,500 per month.
2009 census data indicated that roughly 89% of the workforce commuted to work by automobile, with an average commute time of approximately 30 minutes.
Government
City executive
In 2017, Democrat Michael O'Connor was elected mayor of Frederick.
Previous mayors include:
*Lawrence Brengle (1817)
*Hy Kuhn (1818–1820)
*
George Baer Jr. (1820–1823)
*
John L. Harding (1823–1826)
*George Kolb (1826–1829)
*
Thomas Carlton (1829–1835)
*Daniel Kolb (1835–1838)
*Michael Baltzell (1838–1841)
*George Hoskins (1841–1847)
*M. E. Bartgis (1847–1849)
*James Bartgis (1849–1856)
*Lewis Brunner (1856–1859)
*W. G. Cole (1859–1865)
*J. Engelbrecht (1865–1868)
*Valerius Ebert (1868–1871)
*Thomas M. Holbruner (1871–1874)
*Lewis M. Moberly (1874–1883)
*Hiram Bartgis (1883–1889)
*Lewis H. Doll (1889–1890)
*Lewis Brunner (1890–1892)
*John E. Fleming (1892–1895)
*Aquilla R. Yeakle (1895–1898)
*William F. Chilton (1898–1901)
*George Edward Smith (1901–1910)
*John Edward Schell (1910–1913)
*Lewis H. Fraley (1913–1919)
*Gilmer Schley (1919–1922)
*Lloyd C. Culler (1922–1931)
*Elmer F. Munshower (1931–1934)
*Lloyd C. Culler (1934–1943)
*Hugh V. Gittinger (1943–1946)
*Lloyd C. Culler (1946–1950)
*Elmer F. Munshower (1950–1951)
*Donald B. Rice (1951–1954)
*John A. Derr (1954–1958)
*Jacob R. Ramsburg (1958–1962)
*E. Paul Magaha (1962–1966)
*John A. Derr (1966–1970)
*E. Paul Magaha (1970–1974)
*
Ronald N. Young (1974–1990)
*Paul P. Gordon (1990–1994)
*James S. Grimes (1994–2002)
*
Jennifer Dougherty
Jennifer P. Dougherty (born April 13, 1961) was elected Frederick, Maryland's first female mayor in 2001. Dougherty defeated 2-term incumbent Republican Mayor James S. Grimes.
Dougherty campaigned for re-election in 2005 but did not win the ...
(2002–2005)
*W. Jeff Holtzinger (2005–2009)
*Randy McClement (2009–2017)
*Michael O'Connor (2017-)
Recent mayoral elections
Representative body
Frederick has a board of aldermen of six members (one of whom is the mayor) that serves as its legislative body. Elections are held every four years. Following the elections on November 2, 2021, Kelly Russell, Donna Kuzemchak, Derek Shackelford, Katie Nash, and Ben MacShane, all Democrats, were elected to the board. Democrat Michael O'Connor was re-elected mayor.
Police
The city has its own
police department.
Economy
Frederick's relative proximity to Washington, D.C., has always been an important factor in the development of its local economy, as well as the presence of Fort Detrick, its largest employer.
Frederick is the home of
Riverside Research Park, a large biomedical research park located on Frederick's east side. Tenants include the relocated main offices of the
National Cancer Institute
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) coordinates the United States National Cancer Program and is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is one of eleven agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ...
's
Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research
The Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNLCR) is a United States federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) supported by the National Cancer Institute and managed by the private contractor Leidos Biomedical Research. ...
as well as
Charles River Labs. As a result of continued and enhanced
federal government investment, the Frederick area will likely maintain a continued growth pattern over the next decade.
Frederick has also been impacted by recent national trends centered on the gentrification of the downtown areas of cities across the nation (particularly in the northeast and mid-Atlantic), and to re-brand them as sites for cultural consumption.
The
Frederick Historic District
The Frederick Historic District is a national historic district in Frederick, Maryland. The district encompasses the core of the city and contains a variety of residential, commercial, ecclesiastical, and industrial buildings dating from the la ...
in the city's downtown houses more than 200 retailers, restaurants and antique shops along Market, Patrick and East Streets.
Restaurants feature a diverse array of cuisines, including Italian American, Thai, Vietnamese, and Cuban, as well as a number of regionally recognized dining establishments, such as The Tasting Room and Olde Towne Tavern.
In addition to retail and dining, downtown Frederick is home to 600 businesses and organizations totaling nearly 5,000 employees. A growing technology sector can be found in downtown's historic renovated spaces, as well as in new office buildings located along Carroll Creek Park.
Carroll Creek Park began as a flood control project in the late 1970s.
It was an effort to reduce the risk to downtown Frederick from the 100-year floodplain and restore economic vitality to the historic commercial district. Today, more than $150 million in private investing is underway or planned in new construction, infill development or historic renovation in the park area.
The first phase of the park improvements, totaling nearly $11 million in construction, run from Court Street to just past Carroll Street.
New elements to the park include brick pedestrian paths, water features, planters with shade trees and plantings, pedestrian bridges and a 350-seat amphitheater for outdoor performances.
A recreational and cultural resource, the park also serves as an economic development catalyst, with private investment along the creek functioning as a key component to the park's success. More than 400,000 sf of office space; 150,000 sf of commercial/retail space; nearly 300 residential units; and more than 2,000 parking spaces are planned or under construction.
On the first Saturday of every month, Frederick hosts an evening event in the downtown area called "First Saturday". Each Saturday has a theme, and activities are planned according to those themes in the downtown area (particularly around the Carroll Creek Promenade). The event spans a ten-block area of Frederick and takes place from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. During the late spring, summer, and early fall months, this event draws particularly large crowds from neighboring cities and towns in Maryland, and nearby locations in the tri-state area (Virginia and Pennsylvania). The average number of attendees visiting downtown Frederick during first Saturday events is around 11,000, with higher numbers from May to October.
Top employers
According to the county's
comprehensive annual financial report
An Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, formerly called Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR)) is a set of U.S. government financial statements comprising the financial report of a state, municipal or other governmental entity that compl ...
s, the top employers by number of employees in the county are the following. ("NR" indicates the employer was not ranked among the top ten employers that year.)
Culture
Cityscape
![Downtown frederick maryland bridge](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Downtown_frederick_maryland_bridge.jpg)
Frederick is well known for the "clustered spires" skyline of its historic downtown churches. These spires are depicted on the city's seal and many other city-affiliated logos and insignia. The phrase "clustered spires" is used as the name of several city locations such as Clustered Spires Cemetery and the city-operated Clustered Spires Golf Course.
![Downtown view of Frederick, MD IMG 4699](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Downtown_view_of_Frederick%2C_MD_IMG_4699.JPG)
The scale of the older part of the city is dense, with streets and sidewalks suitable for pedestrians, and a variety of shops and restaurants, comprising what ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...
'' magazine in 2010 called one of the United States' "Greatest Neighborhoods".
Frederick has a bridge painted with a mural titled ''Community Bridge''. The artist William Cochran has been acclaimed for the ''
trompe-l'œil
''Trompe-l'œil'' ( , ; ) is an artistic term for the highly realistic optical illusion of three-dimensional space and objects on a two-dimensional surface. ''Trompe l'oeil'', which is most often associated with painting, tricks the viewer into ...
'' realism of the mural. Thousands of people sent ideas representing "community", which he painted on the stonework of the bridge. The residents of Frederick call it "the mural", "painted bridge", or more commonly, the "mural bridge".
Arts
The Frederick Arts Council is the designated arts organization for Frederick County. The organization is charged with promoting, supporting, and advocating the arts. There are over ten art galleries in downtown Frederick, and three theaters are located within 50 feet of each other (Cultural Arts Center,
Weinberg Center for the Arts
The Weinberg Center is a 1,143-seat theater building located in Frederick, Maryland. It holds various showings of music, theater, films, studio screenings, conventions, weddings, business meetings, television and commercial location shoots a ...
, and the Maryland Ensemble Theatre). Frederick is the home of The Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center, a leading non-profit in the region, as well as the Maryland Shakespeare Festival.
In August 2007, the streets of Frederick were adorned with 30 life-size fiberglass keys as part of a major public art project entitled "The Keys to Frederick". In October 2007, artist William Cochran created a large-scale glass project titled ''
The Dreaming
The Dreaming, also referred to as Dreamtime, is a term devised by early anthropologists to refer to a religio-cultural worldview attributed to Australian Aboriginal beliefs. It was originally used by Francis Gillen, quickly adopted by his co ...
''. The project is in the historic theater district, across from the Wienberg Center for the Arts.
The film ''
Blair Witch Project'' (1999) was set in the woods west of
Burkittsville, Maryland, in western Frederick County, but it was not filmed there.
Theater
The Maryland Ensemble Theatre (MET), a professional theater company, is housed on the lower level of the Francis Scott Key Hotel. The MET first produced mainstage theater in 1997, but the group began performing together with its creation of The Comedy Pigs sketch comedy/improv troupe in April 1993. The students at Hood College also have a theatre club and put on shows at least once during the school year, sometimes two shows are presented during the school year.
Music
Frederick has a community orchestra, the Frederick Symphony Orchestra, that performs five concerts per year consisting of classical masterpieces. Other musical organizations in Frederick include the Frederick Chorale, the Choral Arts Society of Frederick, the Frederick Regional Youth Orchestra, and the Frederick Symphonic Band. The Frederick Children's Chorus has performed since 1985. It is a five-tier chorus, with approximately 150 members ranging in age from 5 to 18.
A weekly recital is played on the Joseph Dill Baker Carillon every Sunday, year 'round, at 12:30 p.m. for half an hour. The
carillon can be heard from anywhere in Baker Park, and the city
carillonneur
A carillon ( , ) is a pitched percussion instrument that is played with a keyboard and consists of at least 23 cast-bronze bells. The bells are hung in fixed suspension and tuned in chromatic order so that they can be sounded harmonio ...
can be seen playing in the tower once a year as part of the Candlelight tour of Historic Houses of Worship, on the first weekday after Christmas.
Frederick is home to the Frederick School of Classical Ballet, the official school for Maryland Regional Ballet. Approximately 30 dance studios are located around the city. Each year, these studios perform at the annual DanceFest event.
Frederick also has a large amphitheater in Baker Park, which features regular music performances of local and national acts, particularly in the summer months.
Clutch, a successful rock band formed in 1990, calls Frederick their home. The band rehearses for each album and tour in Frederick while drummer
Jean-Paul Gaster
Jean-Paul Gaster (born June 19, 1971) is the drummer for American rock band Clutch.
Style and influences
Jean-Paul Gaster learned to play drums by playing along to 1960s and 1970s heavy rock bands like Jimi Hendrix, Cream, ZZ Top and Black ...
has been a resident of Frederick since 2001. One of the band's biggest hits, "50,000 Unstoppable Watts", was written about Fort Detrick and Frederick.
Frederick is also home to
indie-rock
Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produce ...
band
Silent Old Mtns. The music video for their 2012 single
''Dead All The Time'' was shot entirely in Historic Downtown Frederick.
Retail
The city's main mall is the
Francis Scott Key Mall
Francis Scott Key Mall is an enclosed shopping mall in Frederick, Maryland. Opened in 1978, it is anchored by JCPenney, Macy's, Value City Furniture, DSW, Ethan Allen, Barnes & Noble, and Dick's Sporting Goods.
History
Original anchors at Franc ...
. An abandoned retail center, the
Frederick Towne Mall
Frederick Towne Mall was a mall located in Frederick, Maryland, United States. The mall opened in 1972 on U.S. Route 40 along the "Golden Mile". It was closed in April 2013, except for two anchor stores, Boscov's and Home Depot. In November 2019 ...
existed previously, and closed in 2013. There are plans for the Frederick Towne Mall, now known as District 40 to include a movie theatre and new shopping options as construction begins in 2020.
Religion
There are numerous religious denominations in Frederick: the first churches were established by early Protestant settlers, followed by Irish Catholics and other European Catholics.
St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church in Della (now
Urbana __NOTOC__
Urbana can refer to:
Places Italy
*Urbana, Italy
United States
*Urbana, Illinois
**Urbana (conference), a Christian conference formerly held in Urbana, Illinois
*Urbana, Indiana
* Urbana, Iowa
*Urbana, Kansas
* Urbana, Maryland
*Urbana, ...
) is one of the oldest active African-American churches in Frederick County, Maryland, according to a testimonial placed in its cornerstone which stated that it was the first
A.M.E. church built in the southern part of Frederick County. It was built in 1916 on a foundation first laid in 1908.
Other denominations represented in Frederick City and in the surrounding county include large numbers of
Brethren, as well as some
Pentecostal
Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement churches. Quinn Chapel, of the
African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church, is located on East Third Street. The AME Church, founded in Philadelphia in the early 19th century by free blacks, is the first black independent denomination in the United States.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...
(LDS Church) has had a presence in Frederick since the 1970s when the first congregation was organized and now includes four congregations in two buildings within the city.
Beth Sholom Congregation, a conservative
synagogue
A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...
, has been in Frederick since 1917. Congregation Kol Ami, a
Reform synagogue
Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects to its ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous sear ...
, was founded in 2003
Chabad Lubavitch of Fredrick, a
Chabad
Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (), is an Orthodox Jewish Hasidic dynasty. Chabad is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, particularly for its outreach activities. It is one of the largest Hasidic grou ...
, was founded in 2009.
Sri Bhaktha Anjaneya Temple, located in Urbana, serves Frederick's
Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
community.
The
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
ic Society of Frederick, founded in the early 1990s, serves Frederick's
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
community.
Media
Television
Frederick is licensed one Maryland Public Television station affiliate:
WFPT 62 (PBS/MPT).
Radio
The city is home to
WWFD
WWFD (820 AM HD Radio) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to serve Frederick, Maryland. The station is owned by Hubbard Broadcasting through licensee Washington DC FCC License Sub, LLC and simulcasts the freeform programming branded as ...
/820 (the former WZYQ/1370) and 94.3 FM, relaying free-form The Gamut;
WFMD
WFMD (930 AM) is a news/ talk/sports-formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Frederick, Maryland, serving the Frederick/ Hagerstown area. WFMD is owned and operated by Connoisseur Media.
Sale
WFMD, along with its sister station WFRE, wer ...
/930AM broadcasting a news/talk/sports format;
WFRE
WFRE (99.9 FM) is a radio station located in Frederick, Maryland, in the United States. It plays Country music and is owned by Connoisseur Media along with its sister station 930 WFMD. Despite the station being located approximately 45 mile ...
/99.9 broadcasting Country Music; and
WAFY
WAFY (103.1 FM; "Key 103") is a radio station located in Frederick, Maryland, in the United States. The station currently airs a Hot AC format and is owned by Manning Broadcasting, Inc.
History
The station was founded in 1990 by Barbara Marmet, ...
/103.1 which plays all the latest pop songs. The following box details all of the radio stations in the local market.
Print
Frederick's newspaper of record is the ''
Frederick News-Post''.
Sports
*
Frederick Keys
The Frederick Keys are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. The Keys are based in Frederick, Maryland. The franchise is named for "Star-Spangled Banner" writer Francis Scott Key, a native of Frederick County. A new team masc ...
, an unaffiliated minor league baseball team that was formerly associated with the
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...
(1989–2020). The Keys are named after
Francis Scott Key, who was a resident of Frederick, and play in
Harry Grove Stadium
Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium, located in Frederick, Maryland, is the home of the Frederick Keys, a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. Opened in 1990, it seats 5,400 fans.
History
The stadium is named for Harry Grove, ...
.
*
FC Frederick, a semi-pro team in the
National Premier Soccer League
The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is an American men's soccer league. The NPSL is a semi-professional league, comprising some teams that have paid players and some that are entirely amateur. The league is officially affiliated to the Uni ...
. The club plays home games at Thomas Athletic Field at Hood College.
Education
Library
The main library for Frederick County is located in downtown Frederick, with several branches across the county.
Public schools
Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) operates area public schools.
FCPS ranks number one in the state of
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
in the 2012 School Progress Index accountability data, which includes overall student performance, closing achievement gaps, student growth and college and career readiness.
FCPS holds the second-lowest dropout rate in the state of Maryland at 3.84%,
with a graduation rate at 93.31%.
In 2013, FCPS's
SAT
The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times; originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, it was later called the Schol ...
average combined mean score was 1538,
which is 55 points higher than Maryland's combined average of 1483 and 40 points higher than the nation's average of 1498.
All of FCPS's high schools, except for Oakdale High School, which was not open to all grade levels at the time of the survey, are ranked in the top 10% of the nation for encouraging students to take
AP classes.
High schools serving Frederick City students:
*
Frederick High School
*
Governor Thomas Johnson High School
Governor Thomas Johnson High School (GTJHS) is a four-year public high school in Frederick, Maryland, United States. The school is home to the Academy of Fine Arts, an auditioned-only visual and performing arts program for talented students in Fre ...
*
Tuscarora High School
*
Oakdale High School
Other high schools in Frederick County:
*
Middletown High School
*
Catoctin High School
Catoctin High School (CHS) is a four-year public high school in Thurmont, Frederick County, Maryland, United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country ...
*
Brunswick High School
*
Linganore High School
Linganore High School is an American high school in Frederick County, Maryland. It serves the eastern portion of Frederick County. The school's mascot is the Lancer and its colors are red and black.
History
Linganore High School Junior-Senior ...
*
Urbana High School
*
Walkersville High School
Walkersville High School (WHS) is a four-year public high school in Walkersville, Frederick County, Maryland, United States. The school's colors are blue and gold and athletic teams are known as the "Lions."
Overview
The school is located near ...
Other public schools: Adult Education, Career and Technology Center, Heather Ridge School, Outdoor School, Rock Creek School, and The Earth and Space Science Laboratory. Frederick County was long-time home to a highly innovative outdoor school for all sixth graders in Frederick County.
[. Frederick County Public Schools.] This school was located at Camp Greentop, near the presidential retreat at Camp David and Cunningham Falls State Park.
Private K–8 schools
*The Banner School
*St. John Regional Catholic School
*Frederick Adventist Academy
*Trinity School of Frederick, a joint Episcopal-Lutheran school (closed 2017)
*
Visitation Academy of Frederick (closed 2016)
K–12 schools
*
Maryland School for the Deaf
The Maryland School for the Deaf (MSD) provides free public education to deaf and hard-of-hearing Maryland residents of age 0 to 21 years. Maryland School for the Deaf has two campuses in Frederick and Columbia, Maryland.
History
The school was ...
*
Friends Meeting School
Private high schools
*
Saint John's Catholic Prep
*New Life Christian School
*Frederick Christian Academy
Colleges and universities
*
Frederick Community College
Frederick Community College (FCC) is a public community college in Frederick, Maryland
Frederick is a city in and the county seat of Frederick County, Maryland. It is part of the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area. Frederick has lo ...
*
Hood College
, motto_lang = la
, mottoeng = With Heart and Mind and Hand
, established =
, type = Private college
, religious_affiliation = United Church of Christ
, endowment = $104.5 million (2020)
, president = Andrea E. Chapd ...
*
Mount St. Mary's University, Frederick County, Maryland
Transportation
Frederick's location as a crossroads has been a factor in its development as a minor distribution center both for the movement of people in Western Maryland, as well as goods. This intersection has created an efficient distribution network for commercial traffic in and out, as well as through the city.
Major roads and streets in Frederick are intersected by:
*
I-70
Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to a park and ride lot just east of I-695 in Baltimore, Maryland, and is the fifth-longest Interstate in the c ...
: A major east–west interstate highway connecting Frederick to
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
and
Hagerstown
*
I-270 I-270 may refer to:
* Interstate 270 (disambiguation), one of several highways
* Mikoyan-Gurevich I-270
The Mikoyan-Gurevich I-270 (Design Ж ("Zh") under Mikoyan-Gurevich's in-house designation sequence, USAF/DoD designation: Type 12) was a ...
Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Highway: Begins at I-70, and spurs southeastward towards
Washington, D.C.
*
U.S. 15 Frederick Freeway: Travels north to
Gettysburg, PA
Gettysburg (; non-locally ) is a borough and the county seat of Adams County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The Battle of Gettysburg (1863) and President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address are named for this town.
Gettysburg is home to th ...
and south concurrent with U.S. 340 to
Point of Rocks, Maryland
Point of Rocks is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Frederick County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 1,466. It is named for the striking rock formation on the adjacent Catoct ...
and
Leesburg, Virginia
Leesburg is a town in the state of Virginia, and the county seat of Loudoun County. Settlement in the area began around 1740, which is named for the Lee family, early leaders of the town and ancestors of Robert E. Lee. Located in the far northeas ...
.
*
U.S. 40: Runs concurrent with I-70 and U.S. 15 North until becoming West Patrick Street and Old National Pike to
Middletown.
*U.S. Route 340, U.S. 340: Runs southwestward with U.S. 15 until spurring west towards Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.
From 1896 to 1961, Frederick was served by the Hagerstown & Frederick Railway, an interurban Tram, trolley service that was among the last surviving systems of its kind in the United States.
The city is served by MARC Train, MARC commuter rail service, which operates several trains daily on the former
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's Old Main Line Subdivision, Old Main Line and Metropolitan Subdivision, Metropolitan Branch subdivisions to
Washington, D.C.; Route 991 (MTA Maryland), Express bus route 991, which operates to the Shady Grove (Washington Metro), Shady Grove Metrorail Station, and a series of buses operated by TransIT services of Frederick, Maryland. Greyhound Lines also serves the city.
Frederick Municipal Airport has a mile-long runway and a second 3600' runway.
Beginning in the 1990s, Frederick has invested in several urban infrastructure projects, including streetscape, new bus routes, as well as multi-use paths. A circular road, Monocacy Boulevard, is an important component to the revitalization of its historic core.
The Mayor's Ad-hoc Bicycle Committee was formed in 2010 and given the mission to achieve designation for the City as a Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) by the League of American Bicyclists. The first application resulted in an Honorable Mention. Upon reapplication In 2012, Frederick achieved the bronze level BFC designation. The City's third application resulted in re-certification as a Bronze Bicycle Friendly Community. Work is ongoing to achieve an even stronger designation (Silver) at the time of the next application.
In 2013 the Mayor's Ad-hoc Bicycle Committee was expanded in scope to include pedestrian issues and was formally adopted b
Resolution 13-08as a permanent standing committee called the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC). The BPAC advises City officials and staff on the sound development, management, and safe use of The City of Frederick's pedestrian and bicycle systems as they relate to infrastructure, accessibility, and promoting the benefits of these systems.
Notable people
* Joe Alexander (basketball player), Joe Alexander (1986), American-Israeli named to the 2007 All-Big East squad; also an All-American Honorable Mention (studied at
Linganore High School
Linganore High School is an American high school in Frederick County, Maryland. It serves the eastern portion of Frederick County. The school's mascot is the Lancer and its colors are red and black.
History
Linganore High School Junior-Senior ...
).
* Scott Ambush, musician (born in Frederick, Maryland).
* John Vincent Atanasoff, inventor of the modern-day computer; lived in Frederick County (New Market, Maryland, New Market), east of Frederick.
* Michael Beasley (1989), NCAA National Player of the Year (2007–2008), 2nd overall pick of the 2008 NBA Draft by Miami Heat (born in Cheverly, Maryland, lived in Frederick, Maryland for one year).
* Shadrach Bond (1773–1832), the first Governor of Illinois (born in Frederick).
* Lester Bowie (1941–1999), jazz trumpeter and improviser; born in the historically black hamlet of Bartonsville, where he is buried
* William M. Brish, a leader of closed circuit instructional television in public school elementary classrooms (born in Frederick).
* Joe Bussard (1936-2022), a record collector who helped preserve and celebrate early American blues, country, gospel, and folk music.
* Beverly Byron, Congresswoman who resided in Frederick during her time in office.
* Fred Carter (born 1945), basketball player from
Mount St. Mary's University; he starred there in the 1960s, played eight years in the NBA, and was the coach of the Philadelphia 76ers for two seasons
* Patsy Cline (born Virginia Patterson Hensley) (1932–1963), country music singer; she married Gerald Cline of Frederick, and lived in town from 1953 to 1957.
* David Essig, singer-songwriter, performer and record producer (born in Frederick, Maryland in United States of America, currently based in Canada).
*Eva Fabian (born 1993), American-Israeli world champion swimmer (born in Frederick, Maryland).
* Chuck Foreman (born October 26, 1950), National Football League, NFL running back (born in Frederick).
* Charles Andrew Williams (born February 8, 1986), perpetrator of the Santana High School shooting.
*
Barbara Fritchie, American Unionist patriot during Civil War (1766–1862).
* David Gallaher (born June 5, 1975), writer whose second book, ''Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar'', is set in 1950s Frederick; an alumnus of
Hood College
, motto_lang = la
, mottoeng = With Heart and Mind and Hand
, established =
, type = Private college
, religious_affiliation = United Church of Christ
, endowment = $104.5 million (2020)
, president = Andrea E. Chapd ...
.
* Jessie Graff, record-setting female competitor on ''American Ninja Warrior'' (born in New York City, New York, graduated from
Urbana High School in Frederick, Maryland in 2002).
*
John Hanson
John Hanson ( – November 15, 1783) was an American Founding Father, merchant, and politician from Maryland during the Revolutionary Era. In 1779, Hanson was elected as a delegate to the Continental Congress after serving in a variety of ...
, the first President of the Continental Congress, President of Congress under the Articles of Confederation
* Shawn Hatosy (born December 29, 1975), actor
* Sam Hinds (baseball), Sam Hinds, MLB player for the Milwaukee Brewers.
* Bruce Ivins (1946–2008), scientist at
Fort Detrick suspected of responsibility for the 2001 Anthrax Attacks
* Bradley Tyler Johnson (1829–1903), soldier, lawyer, and politician
* Thomas Johnson (jurist), Thomas Johnson (1732–1819), jurist and political figure of the revolutionary and post-revolutionary period; in his later years he lived with his daughter Ann and her husband at Rose Hill Manor in Frederick; Governor Thomas Johnson High School, located on the property, bears his name; a middle school is also named after the governor
* Charlie Keller: Charles Ernest (Charlie) Keller (September 12, 1916 – May 23, 1990) "Charlie King Kong Keller". MLB Player with the New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers; born in Middletown, Maryland; died at his farm near Frederick.
*
Francis Scott Key (1779–1843), lawyer, author of "The Star-Spangled Banner"; buried at
Mount Olivet Cemetery in Frederick; his memorial and family plot is facing the main entrance of the cemetery.
* Jacob Koogle (1841–1915), Medal of Honor recipient during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
* Alex Lowe (1958–1999), Alpinist considered to be the greatest alpine climber and skier of his generation, a pioneer in alpine mountaineering and hero of mountain rescues
* Charles Mathias (1922–2010), a Republican member of the United States Senate, representing Maryland from 1969 to 1987
* Claire McCardell (1905–1958), American fashion designer
* James E. McClellan (1926-2016), American veterinarian and politician
* John McElroy (Jesuit)#Mexican War, John McElroy, S.J. (1782–1877), one of two of the Army's first Catholic chaplains. Founder of Boston College.
[O'Conner, Thomas H. (May 10, 2004). "Breaking the religious barrier". ''The Boston Globe''.]
*Derrick Miller, US Army Sergeant sentenced to life in prison for premeditated murder of Afghan civilian during battlefield interrogation; granted parole and released after 8 years.
* Terence Morris (born January 11, 1979) professional NBA and Israel Basketball Premier League basketball player; attended Gov. Thomas Johnson High School, class of 1997
* John Nelson (lawyer), John Nelson, US Attorney General, U.S. Attorney General, (1843–1845), U.S. Congressman for United States House of Representatives, Maryland District 4, Maryland's 4th District, (1821–1823); born in Frederick in 1791
* Bazabeel Norman, black Revolutionary War soldier, later to become the second free black landowner in Ohio.
*Alexander Ogle (1766-1832), U.S. Congressman
* William Tyler Page (1868 – October 19, 1942), known for his authorship of the American's Creed
* Donald B. Rice (born June 4, 1939), served as Secretary of the Air Force from 1989-1993 for President George H. W. Bush
* Florence Roberts (March 16, 1861 – June 6, 1940), actress of the stage and in motion pictures; roles include Mother Widow Peep in ''Babes in Toyland (1934 film), Babes in Toyland''
* Richard P. Ross Jr. (March 18, 1906 - October 6, 1990), decorated brigadier general in the Marine Corps during World War II
*
Winfield Scott Schley (October 9, 1839 – October 2, 1911), rear admiral of the United States Navy who served from the Civil War to the Spanish–American War, was born in Richfields, near Frederick
* Bobby Steggert (born March 2, 1981) Tony Award-nominated actor.
"Bobby Steggart"
''Frederick News Post'', May 14, 2010
* Roger Brooke Taney (1777–1864) Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court (1836–1864); rendered the Dred Scott Decision in 1857; lived and worked in Frederick for several years before his appointment, and is buried there
* Theophilus Thompson (1855 after 1873), the first notable African-American chess player, he wrote the book of endgame study, endgame positions, ''Chess Problems: Either to Play and Mate'' (1873)
* Florence Trail, educator, writer
* Bryan Voltaggio, chef at Volt in Frederick, runner-up on ''Top Chef'' television program
* Mark Burrier, Cartoonist and Illustrator
See also
References
External links
Official city government website
{{Authority control
Frederick, Maryland,
1745 establishments in Maryland
Cities in Maryland
Cities in Frederick County, Maryland
County seats in Maryland
Palatine German settlement in Maryland
Pennsylvania German culture in Maryland
Populated places established in 1745
Washington metropolitan area
Monocacy River
Cities in the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area