Historical Society of Frederick County

History: Frederick County was established in 1748, but the historical society's vast collection includes records dating to 1696 and also relating to the Civil War. The society runs The Museum of Frederick County History in an 1820 home in the heart of historic downtown.

More to Explore: The National Museum of Civil War Medicine is close by, as is the reconstructed home of Barbara Fritchie, the heroine of the Civil War-era poem written by John Greenleaf Whittier. President Abraham Lincoln arrived at the B&O Railroad Station in Frederick to visit the Army of the Potomac. Frederick offers everything from minor league baseball and wineries to art and theater. Numerous places to stay and eat make Frederick an ideal base for exploring nearby Middletown, where a church steeple served as a Union observation post, as well as Antietam National Battlefield and even Keedsyville, where the tiny town became one huge hospital for Union soldiers.

Photo Credits: Photos of the Historical Society of Frederick County Courtesy of: The Tourism Council of Frederick County, Inc.