H I S T O RY \\
// S EC T IO N H E A DE R
An Architectural Stroll
ALONG CHURCH STREET
BY MARY BOSWELL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, HERITAGE FREDERICK
Frederick County is often called the “Crossroads of American History.”
Prior to European settlement, Native Americans traversed north and south to access
abundant sources of water and fertile land for hunting, fishing and farming.
Trail Mansion / COURTESY OF KEENEY & BASFORD P.A. FUNERAL HOME
Since the Revolutionary War, Frederick County’s boundaries
have marked the northern and southern states as well as eastern
and western Maryland. In 1811, the federal government began
constructing the nation’s first major turnpike, the National Road,
which enters Frederick County at New Market and passes through
the City of Frederick, the county seat, via East Patrick Street.
Located on the Mason-Dixon Line, Frederick County was the
site of two Civil War battles. Its proximity to significant urban
areas including Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, New York City,
Baltimore and Annapolis, has attracted many individuals, families
and businesses. The migration patterns influenced a rich cultural
interchange and a wealth of commercial, residential, public and
religious architecture.
Evangelical Lutheran Church / COURTESY OF HERITAGE FREDERICK
style, as seen in the heavy brackets and overhangs, flat roof and
narrow, vertical windows and door. This form of architecture is
classical, dating back to the Renaissance. The Italianate style was
introduced in America in 1844. Col. Charles Trail, a lawyer, writer,
poet and politician, owned several farms and country estates. He
purchased materials in Italy to constr