Mount Olivet Cemetery is a

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite, graveyard, or a green space called a memorial park or memorial garden, is a place where the remains of many death, dead people are burial, buried or otherwise entombed. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek ...

Frederick, Maryland Frederick is a city in, and the county seat of, Frederick County, Maryland, United States. Frederick's population was 78,171 people as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Maryland, second-largest ...

. The cemetery is located at 515 South Market Street and is operated by the Mount Olivet Cemetery Company, Inc.

History

On October 4, 1852, a group of Maryland citizens, including then-lawyer Charles Edward Trail, founded the Mount Olivet Cemetery Company. The company purchased 32 acres of land, which was designed by James Belden to incorporate walkways and driveways throughout the grounds. The cemetery was conceived primarily to provide several of the downtown Frederick churches more room for interments, after their cemeteries became full. Over time some of these smaller cemeteries were also relocated to Mount Olivet. One of the landmarks of Frederick, the Episcopal graveyard, a family burying ground of some of the most famous personages of Maryland, was sold for commercial purposes. All bodies were moved from the graveyard to Mt. Olivet Cemetery. Initial shares were sold for US$20, with the intention that after the cemetery was laid out, each share would be exchanged for 12 grave lots. The cemetery was formally established (chartered) in 1854. Mrs. Ann Crawford was the first person buried in the cemetery, on May 28, 1854.

Notable monuments and markers

Mount Olivet Cemetery has had many monuments constructed on the grounds since its establishment. These monuments honor significant historical people, events and the men and women who fought in many of the military conflicts the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

has been involved in.

Monument to the Unknown Confederate Soldiers

On August 7, 1879, a meeting was held to organize a group called the Ladies Monumental Association of Frederick County, whose purpose it was to raise the funds needed to erect a monument to the 408 ‘unknown’ deceased Confederate soldiers interred at Mount Olivet Cemetery. The monument was unveiled on June 2, 1881, to honor the soldiers of the Confederate army who fell in battles of the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

and who are buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery. The monument was 15 feet tall. The statue of the Confederate soldier was created in Italy of

Carrara marble Carrara marble, or Luna marble (''marmor lunense'') to the Romans, is a type of white or blue-grey marble popular for use in sculpture and building decor. It has been quarried since Roman times in the mountains just outside the city of Carrara ...

and stood upon a base made of granite. The inscriptions read as follows: The statue was toppled, beheaded and splattered in red paint in June 2020. At the time caretakers said it was unlikely they'd be able to repair it. A week earlier, the cemetery had removed the Confederate flag that flew next to it.

United States Civil War Children’s Memorial

Children played a large role in the civil war as soldiers, drummers, scouts and nurses among other things. It has been estimated that 5% of the soldiers who fought in the

were under the age of 18. This marker, erected in 1881, is "dedicated to the memory of the children who served and died in the civil war 1861-1865".

Francis Scott Key Memorial Monument

The

Francis Scott Key Francis Scott Key (August 1, 1779January 11, 1843) was an American lawyer, author, and poet from Frederick, Maryland, best known as the author of the poem "Defence of Fort M'Henry" which was set to a popular British tune and eventually became t ...

Memorial Association commissioned the American sculptor

Alexander Doyle Alexander Doyle (1857–1922) was an American sculptor. Doyle was born in Steubenville, Ohio, and spent his youth in Louisville (Kentucky) and St. Louis (Missouri) before going to Italy to study sculpture in Bergamo, Rome, and Florence, studying ...

to create a monument suitable for the author of the

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European ...

of the United States. On August 9, 1898, Julia McHenry Howard unveiled the monument of her grandfather and author of the "

Star Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written by American lawyer Francis Scott Key on September 14, 1814, after he witnessed the bombardment of Fort ...

", Francis Scott Key. Key and his wife, Mary Taylor Key, were relocated from the Key family plot, also at Mount Olivet Cemetery, to a crypt located in the foundation of the monument. Key is represented in a 9-foot bronze statue atop a 15-foot pedestal. A statue of Columbia, the goddess of patriotism, is located on the front of the pedestal. Columbia is flanked by an adolescent boy representing war on her left, and a young boy representing music on her right. This representation depicts the moment that inspired the poem " Defence of Fort McHenry" which he wrote after witnessing the bombardment of

Fort McHenry Fort McHenry is a historical American Coastal defense and fortification, coastal bastion fort, pentagonal bastion fort on Locust Point, Baltimore, Locust Point, now a neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. It is best known for its role in the War ...

by the British Royal Navy ships in

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...

during the Battle of Fort McHenry in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

. The poem would eventually be set to the tune of "

To Anacreon in Heaven "The Anacreontic Song", also known by its incipit "To Anacreon in Heaven", was the official song of the Anacreontic Society, an 18th-century gentlemen's club of amateur musicians in London. Composed by John Stafford Smith, the tune was later used ...

" and become the national anthem of the United States.

Barbara Fritchie Memorial

Erected by the Barbara Fritchie Memorial Association in September 1914, it was unveiled as part of the ceremonies of the Star Spangled Banner Centenary. The monument is a large

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

obelisk An obelisk (; , diminutive of (') ' spit, nail, pointed pillar') is a tall, slender, tapered monument with four sides and a pyramidal or pyramidion top. Originally constructed by Ancient Egyptians and called ''tekhenu'', the Greeks used th ...

bearing a tablet containing

John Greenleaf Whittier John Greenleaf Whittier (December 17, 1807 – September 7, 1892) was an American Quaker poet and advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. Frequently listed as one of the fireside poets, he was influenced by the Scottish poet ...

's 1863 poem "Barbara Fritchie". Above the tablet is a medallion created by the

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

James E. Kelly that depicts Fritchie's profile, executed from an old time photograph, in front of a waving

American flag The national flag of the United States, often referred to as the American flag or the U.S. flag, consists of thirteen horizontal Bar (heraldry), stripes, Variation of the field, alternating red and white, with a blue rectangle in the Canton ( ...

. Fritchie, the subject of

’s poem, patriotically defied

Stonewall Jackson Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824 – May 10, 1863) was a Confederate general and military officer who served during the American Civil War. He played a prominent role in nearly all military engagements in the eastern the ...

and his

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fi ...

as they marched past her Frederick home on September 10, 1862. The poem was very popular in the north but she would never know the notoriety she had achieved, because she had died a year earlier at the age of 96.

Other notable monuments

* Frederick County Confederates Tablet – erected 1933, defaced in 2020. * Frederick County World War II Memorial – erected 1947 * Veterans Monument * Fire Fighters Memorial – erected in the memory of the fallen firefighters of Frederick County. * Fire and Rescue Memorial – dedicated to the deceased members of the Frederick County Fire and Rescue services.

Notable interments

* George Baer Jr., (1763–1834),

U.S. Congressman The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

for Maryland's 4th District, 1797–1801 and 1815–1817. * Henry Baker (died 1896), member of the Maryland House of Delegates * Francis Brengle (1807–1846), a member of the

Maryland House of Delegates The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the Maryland General Assembly, legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House ...

in 1832, 1834, and 1836, and was elected as a Whig to the Twenty-eighth

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

, serving from March 4, 1843, to March 3, 1845. * James C. Clarke (1823–1902), railroad executive, Maryland state delegate and state senator * Henry A. Cole (1838–1909), Union colonel in the Civil War * James Cooper (1810–1863),

and

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, Union Army general. * Julien P. Delphey (1917–2009), member of the Maryland House of Delegates * Robert L. Downing (1857–1944), American Shakespearean stage actor and later preacher * R. P. T. Dutrow (1828–1877), member of the Maryland House of Delegates *

Barbara Fritchie Barbara Fritchie (née Hauer; December 3, 1766 – December 18, 1862), also known as Barbara Frietchie, and sometimes spelled Frietschie, was a Unionist during the Civil War. She became part of American folklore in part from a popular poem ...

(1766–1862), American patriot during the

and the subject of

's 1864 poem, ''Barbara Frietchie''. * John B. Funk (1905–1993), member of the Maryland House of Delegates and Maryland Senate, Secretary of State of Maryland * Thomas Gorsuch (died 1896), member of the Maryland House of Delegates * Peter L. Hargett (1852–1957), member of the Maryland House of Delegates * Samuel Hinks (1815–1887), Mayor of Baltimore * Ulysses Hobbs (1832–1911), member of the Maryland House of Delegates * Thomas Johnson (1732–1819), the first

Governor of Maryland The governor of the State of Maryland is the head of government of Maryland, and is the commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard units. The governor is the highest-ranking official in the state and has a broad range of appointive powers ...

, a delegate to the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislature, legislative bodies, with some executive function, for the Thirteen Colonies of British America, Great Britain in North America, and the newly declared United States before, during, and after ...

and an

Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States An associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States is a Justice (title), justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, other than the chief justice of the United States. The number of associate justices is eight, as set by the J ...

. *

(1779–1843), author of "

The Star-Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written by American lawyer Francis Scott Key on September 14, 1814, after he witnessed the bombardment of Fort ...

" the national anthem of the United States. Members of the Key family are interred in the Key family plot in the cemetery. *

John Ross Key John Ross Key (September 19, 1754 – October 11, 1821) was a lawyer, a commissioned officer in the Continental Army, a judge, and the father of writer Francis Scott Key. Early life Key was born in Redland, Maryland, to Francis Key and his ...

(1754–1821) commissioned officer in the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...

, judge, lawyer and the father of

. * Jacob Michael Kunkel (1822–1870), served in the

Maryland State Senate The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single ...

from 1850–1856 and was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the Thirty-fifth and Thirty-sixth Congresses (1857–1861). * Charles McCurdy "Mac" Mathias Jr. (1922–2010), served in the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

and became a Captain in the Navy Reserve, was Frederick's city Attorney (1954–1959), member of the

(1959–1960), Represented Maryland's 6th district in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

(1961–1969) and was a

United States senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

(1969–1987). * William P. Maulsby (1815–1894), lawyer, judge, member of the Maryland Senate * A. LeRoy McCardell (1873–1945), state senator *

Claire McCardell Claire McCardell (May 24, 1905 – March 22, 1958) was an American fashion designer of ready-to-wear clothing in the twentieth century. She has been credited with the creation of American sportswear. Early life McCardell was the eldest of four ...

(1905–1958), fashion designer known for sportswear *

Emily Nelson Ritchie McLean Emily Nelson Ritchie McLean (January 28, 1859 – May 20, 1916) was an American civic leader who served as the 7th president general of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. Early life and family McLean was born Emily Ne ...

(1859–1916), 7th President-General of the

Daughters of the American Revolution The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (often abbreviated as DAR or NSDAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a patriot of the American Revolutionary War. A non-p ...

Roger Nelson Roger Nelson may refer to: * Roger Nelson (politician) (1759–1815), represented Maryland in the United States House of Representatives * Roger Nelson (skydiver) (1955–2003), founder of Skydive Chicago * Roger Nelson (Canadian football) (1932– ...

(1759–1815), was an American politician who represented the fourth district of Maryland in the United States House of Representatives from 1804 to 1810. * John D. Nicodemus (1864–1934), member of the Maryland House of Delegates * John Ritchie (1831–1887),

Brevet Brigadier General and

United States Congressman The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of the ...

(1871–1873). * J. Alfred Ritter (died 1892), member of the Maryland House of Delegates * James M. Schley (died 1883), member of the Maryland House of Delegates * John A. Steiner (1816–1902), member of the Maryland House of Delegates * John B. Thomas (1819–1893), member of the Maryland House of Delegates * Charles Edward Trail (1826–1909), Maryland delegate and senator * Florence Trail (1854–1944), educator and author * Milton George Urner (1839–1926), was a United States Congressman from the sixth district of Maryland (1879–1883). * Gary L. Utterback (1889–1962), member of the Maryland House of Delegates * Charlotte Louise Berry Winters (1897–2007), the last surviving female American veteran of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. * Thomas Contee Worthington (1782–1847), served as a captain in the

and was a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from Maryland. The nephew of

Benjamin Contee Benjamin Contee (1755 – November 30, 1815) was an American Episcopal priest and statesman from Maryland. He was an officer in the American Revolutionary War, a delegate to the Confederation Congress, and member of the first United States ...

References

External links

*{{commons category-inline 1854 establishments in Maryland Buildings and structures completed in 1854 Cemeteries established in the 1850s Cemeteries in Maryland Buildings and structures in Frederick, Maryland