Washington County Maryland

Arts Entertainment and a Civil War Legacy

Hagerstown located in Western Maryland it features a distinct topography, formed by stone ridges running from northeast to southwest through the center of town defining its neighborhoods. These ridges consist of upper Stonehenge limestone; the older buildings were built from this stone which is easily quarried and dressed onsite. Several of Hagerstown’s churches are constructed of Stonehenge limestone; brick and concrete eventually displaced this native stone.

Hub City German immigrant Jonathan Hager built the first house here in 1739 and began laying out the town in 1762. Hager House still stands as a carefully preserved museum, giving visitors a window to the 18^th century. The National Road brought growth and the railroads intersecting here gave it its nickname, “Hub City.” The largest Civil War cavalry battle fought in an urban setting happened here.

City Park offers 50 acres of beautiful outdoor space and Hagerstown City Farmers Market sells crafts and baked goods as well as homegrown produce from area farmers.

The Arts & Entertainment District is home to the Maryland Theatre’s year-round performances and events, including Maryland Symphony Orchestra concerts. Hagerstown is also home to the Western Maryland Blues Fest. The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts is in scenic City Park.

The Hagerstown Cultural Trail links the Arts District with City Park and Fine Arts Museum

A Transit Center, Hagerstown is the chief commercial and industrial hub for a Tri-State Area that includes much of Western Maryland as well as portions of South-Central Pennsylvania and Eastern West Virginia.

Washington County is home to many quaint towns, including:

Boonsboro founded by relatives of Daniel Boone and situated along the main road to Hagerstown and Frederick. Historic markers explain the National Road, Civil War battles, and quaint shops line Main Street including author Nora Roberts' bookstore and bed and breakfast.
Clear Spring is located 12 miles west of Hagerstown. The historic National Pike which once linked the port of Baltimore to the western frontier of Ohio, runs through the center of town. Area attractions include Knob Hall Winery, Whitetail Mountain Resort, the C&O Canal and Fort Frederick State Park.

Explore the C&O Canal Towpath and the Western Maryland Rail Trail

Civil War Legacy Sharpsburg was the place where two massive armies clashed, leaving 23,110 dead, wounded, or missing. Every building overflowed with the wounded and dying. After the Civil War, its population declined; today, it has fewer than 700 residents, many direct descendants of families here during the Civil War. The Antietam National Battlefield and the Antietam National Cemetery are part of Sharpsburg, and nearby museums such as the Pry House Field Hospital Museum attract international symposiums. Smithsburg played a role in the Civil War, when residents helped care for wounded soldiers after the battles of Gettysburg, Monterey, South Mountain, and Antietam.

Williamsport is located at the confluence of Conococheague Creek and the Potomac River. When the C&O Canal opened in 1834, it evolved into a thriving waterfront town. It was also once considered a potential site for the United States’ capital.

Williamsport is the Finish Line for the JFK 50 Mile the Oldest Ultra-Marathon in North America

Hagerstown Maryland Commercial Historic District

The Hagerstown Commercial Core Historic District consists approximately of a one and a half by two block rectangle which includes the major retail center of town. The center of the district is the public square which is formed by the junction of Potomac and Washington Streets, the two major traffic arteries in the city. The district extends one half block east of the public square, north to Franklin Street, west to Summit-Jonathan Streets and east to Antietam Street. It is made up almost entirely of commercial buildings constructed or remodeled for retail purposes during the last 20 years of the 19^th century and the first 20 years of the 20^th century.

A 40-year period representing the peak of Hagerstown's prosperity

Exceptions to the commercial character of the district but integral to it are two prominently located government structures, the Washington County Courthouse built in 1874 and listed individually in the National Register of Historic Places, and the City Hall, built in 1939. Most of the buildings within the district retain the architectural characteristics of the period of their significance and provide a showcase of late 19^th and early 20^th century commercial styles.

Hagerstown became a major manufacturing city in Maryland. This industrial prosperity led to a commercial boom period which is illustrated by this historic district, in the stylistic continuity of the buildings representative of popular commercial styles of the turn of the century. Three major building types are found in the district: late Italianate two and three-story buildings with prominent bracketed cornices; elaborate baroque and neo-classical forms associated with the Beaux Arts style; and a very simple early 20^th century commercial style featuring strongly rectilinear forms.

The topography of the district slopes from north and west to the south and east. North Potomac Street between the square and Franklin Street has a substantial change in grade, leveling as it reaches the square. West Washington Street, West Antietam Street in the blocks west of the west boundary of the district rise sharply in grade, but level as they reach Summit Avenue. At the east edge of the district East Washington and East Antietam Streets drop in elevation between North Potomac and Jonathan Streets. Much of the district, except for its northeast corner, lies in a small plateau between grades.

A commercial center since the 18^th century for Washington County and the tri-state area which includes southern Franklin County, Pennsylvania and the eastern panhandle of West Virginia, Hagerstown became a leading furniture manufacturer, flour and grist mills, organs and knit goods as well as a rail center with machine shops, steam railroad repair shops

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large hotels catering to rail and automobile travelers were built

Hotels like the Dagmar, built in 1910 and located at the southwest corner of the district, were built to serve rail travelers. Early advertisements emphasize its advantageous location opposite the B & 0 Railroad and near the Cumberland Valley and Norfolk and Western Railroad stations.

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