Journey Through Hallowed Ground Byway - Maryland
a day / 37 miles / an hour 14 minutes
In Maryland, the Journey Through Hallowed Ground is considered to be the “spine on the chapters of our American history.”
Day 1
9:00 - 24.1 miles / 48 minutes - 9:48
Designated as one of America's "Dozen Distinct Destinations" by
the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 2002, thousands
flock to Frederick's 50-block historic district every week to take
in its breathtaking 18th- and 19th-century architecture, its famous
clustered spires, specialty shops, restaurants, and cultural arts
offerings. Downtown Frederick boasts fine restaurants, galleries,
antique shops and more than its share of Revolutionary and Civil
War ghosts.
Settled in 1745, the National Pike opened this city to trade
both east and west in the early 1800s. Railroad and canal
connections boosted the economy a few decades later. During the
Civil War, the area was crossed several times by troop movements.
With a large National Register Historic District encompassing the
downtown, a plethora of 19th- and early 20th-century historic
buildings can be visited on numerous walking tours. A famous view
of clustered church spires is representative of the many historic
churches located in this vicinity.
Many places in Frederick have a story to tell. Abraham Lincoln
spent the night at the Ramsey House and spoke to Frederick citizens
at the B&O Railroad Station. The John Hanson House was the home
of the man who was, in 1781, President of the United States under
the Articles of Confederation. Visit the Barbara Fritchie House,
reconstructed in honor of the woman immortalized by poet John
Greenleaf Whittier for standing up to Confederate General Stonewall
Jackson. She is buried in the Mount Olivet Cemetery where the
American flag flies continuously over the Francis Scott Key
Monument, burial site of the author of the "Star-Spangled
Banner" who spent much of his life in Frederick County. Other
important sites to visit include the National Museum of Civil War
Medicine, the Frederick County Courthouse, and Courthouse Square,
which is lined by stately Federal-style homes. Throughout the town
are several historic churches, including the Evangelical Lutheran
Church, Frederick Academy of the Visitation Convent, Trinity
Chapel, The Evangelical Reformed Church, and Saint John's Catholic
Church.10:48 - 13.1 miles / 26 minutes - 11:14