Frederick - a hidden gem with many offerings

Foto: Visit Frederick

After yesterday's 90 deg. F/32 C, we had clouds and lower temps on early Friday morning, when we departed for Cunningham Falls State Park in the Catoctin Mountain Range & Park (part of the Appalachian Mountains), to see Maryland’s tallest cascading waterfall. Camp David, the famous Presidents' country retreat since 1938, is located here as well, but, of course, not accessible to the public. Green, lush landscapes, winding narrow roads, pastures, wineries and farmstands on the way,,, but, then the road was closed because of an accident and we couldn't get through.

Well, this sad fact at least gave us more time for the Catoctin Furnace and Museum of the Ironworker in Thurmont. This site dates back to the 1770s when a profitable furnace owned by a British immigrant went into operation. The village and its history has been well preserved as a document of "industrial slavery" before Civil War, and, at the same time, it is an important chapter of German history (immigrants lateron took over the jobs from the Afro-american slaves). 

Maryland always was a "border state", never part of the Confederate States, but holding slaves. Archeological and  historical research in the village and about its former residents helped to figure out more details, e.g.  about the provenience of the slaves, their high work skills and how life around the furnace looked like at the time.We had a wonderful tour with the director of the Catoctin Furnace Historical Society to the remaining buildings/ruins. following a nice designated nature trail, and through the museum.  

 

Next stop: the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg - belonging to the catholic order of the Sisters of Charity, founded in 1809 by Seton as  the first American religious order for women. They recently opened a new visitor center & museum, with interesting exhibitions about the life and work of Seton. There is a huge cathedral (photo below) and the whole complex (a monastery & care home) is surrounded by huge  grounds including historical buildings - as Seton's first girls' school and her home - as well as several statues of Seton herself.

We took scenic roads on the way back into Frederick, the country seat of Frederick County, and stopped at the Catoctin Mountain Orchard to buy cider (right photo). The "Covered Bridges Driving Tour" brought us to three historic covered bridges in Frederick County, dating in 1850/60s before we reached Frederick again.

Downtown Frederick is unique. Walkable, with many historic Civil War-era buildings, little shops, museums. It's very clean, very cosmopolitan and offers many multi-ethnic restaurants, plus a lot of breweries and distilleries. 

A prominent feature is the beautiful Carroll Creek Park (above and on left) with brick pathways, water features, pedestrian bridges and an outdoor amphitheater. Located less than one hour from Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Gettysburg, Frederick is centrally located, and, it was also at the crossroads of the American Civil War. 

 

 

 

Back in downtown Frederick in the afternoon, we explored the Delaplaine Arts Center (pic on left), an award-winning art center with exhibition galleries and communal arts programs. "History" is the focus of Heritage Frederick (below), located in a beautiful mansion, our next stop. One of a kind is the National Museum of Civil War Medicine (far below), a museum dedicated to medicine and medical advancements during the Civil War from 1861 to 1865. 

 

 

At 5 pm we called it a (long) day with a tasting at McClintock’s Back Bar (below) - a long-established distillery -, followed by lunch at Pistarro's and a beer in the Carroll Creek Brewing District at Idiom's. 

 

Saturday morning - when the rain stopped - we explored the Monocacy Battlefield in the outskirts of Frederick. The city played an important role in the  Civil War. Several times armies marched through the region and several major battles occurred in the Frederick area. The Battle of Monocacy on July 9, 1864, was a confederate invasion and a defeat for the Union troups, but, at the same time, it saved DC.