Women of Frederick Tour Celebrates the Year of the Woman
2020 is the official Year of the Woman and Frederick is full of great stories about inspirational women both in its past and present. Our self-guided Women of Frederick Tour is a great way to experience a handful of those stories including the first American born Saint, Civil War nurses, and a legendary fashion icon whose designs we are still wearing today.
Start your tour at this historical site dedicated to Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American-born saint. Discover her inspirational story on a self-guided tour that you can pick up in the Visitor Center onsite, or on a tour by one of the helpful guides. See two historic homes where she lived, the awe-inspiring Basilica dedicated to her, and our peaceful, scenic grounds.
Continue on to the National Shrine Grotto of Lourdes. This beautiful mountain shrine features one of the oldest American replicas of the Lourdes shrine in France, built about two decades after the apparition of Mary at Lourdes in 1858, and attracts hundreds of thousands of pilgrims each year from all over the world. This is the oldest replica of the Grotto of Lourdes in the western hemisphere.
Your next stop is Hood College. The Women's College of Frederick, Maryland was established in 1893 by the Potomac Synod of the Reformed Church in the United States, on the site of the Frederick Female Seminary in Winchester Hall on East Church Street. Winchester Hall is now the seat of Frederick County government. As the college grew, it needed increased room, and local philanthropist Margaret Scholl Hood contributed funds to purchase property for the school. Her generosity led the Board of Trustees to rename the school Hood College in 1913. While the college is now co-educational, it continues to provide a liberal arts education primarily to women. The college is home to the papers and many of the paintings of Helen L. Smith, Frederick County's well-known artist who documented the history of the county through her art and painted from her childhood until her death in 1997 at the age of 103. The paintings hang in Alumnae Hall.
The National Museum of Civil War Medicine is dedicated to telling the medical story of the American Civil War— the aftermath of the battles, the care and comfort of the wounded, the caregivers, and the medical innovations of the period. The renovated Museum features exhibits that bring the visitor into the setting by minimizing the physical barriers that usually separate the visitor from the exhibit. The contributions made by women who served as nurses, matrons, and volunteers are an important part of the medical story. Exhibits include information on Euphemia Goldsborough of Baltimore, the Daughters of Charity from Emmitsburg, and the women who served as nurses in the Frederick hospitals.
Now that you have had a solid dose of history, check out this modern example of an extraordinary woman. Sky Stage is a pre-revolutionary building shell transformed by impressive female artist Heather Clark with a team from MIT into an award-winning public art installation and community arts venue with a variety of programming. Heather not only preserved this historic structure, but also brought new life and beauty to an otherwise vacant corner of Downtown Frederick. Offerings at the venue include live music, theater, drum circles, acoustic open mics, film, children's story time, dance, literature/poetry open mic, fine art installations, artisan markets, and yoga.
At some point during your tour, be sure to make a stop at Glory Dough and Diner. This popular women-owned and operated restaurant opened in Frederick just a few years ago, but has already made a name for itself. The menu is completely vegan, including some of the most delicious hand forged doughnuts available. Support a local small business by grabbing a tasty breakfast or lunch!
Thirsty? This tasting room of Idiom Brewery is located in the former Union Manufacturing Company building along Carroll Creek Park. This is where the first nylons were created and will soon be home to a sculpture of legendary fashion designer Clair McCardell. A building is now home to a 7-barrel microbrewery that focuses on testing the limits of our imagination and your palate! Stop in for a drink.
If you are planning to stay overnight, the Barbara Fritchie House Air BnB is the perfect choice. "Shoot if you must, this old grey head, but spare your Country's flag", she said. These famous words are believed by most to have been said by patriot Barbara Fritchie, waving our flag out of the dormer of this house! Stay in Barbara's house, rebuilt in the 1920's, just upgraded to have all the things you'd expect in a hotel, but with the charm and patina of the late 1800's. Located right on the famous Frederick Carroll Creek Park, and a block away from the Downtown Frederick scene.