Downtown Frederick is lined with beautiful historic homes that make the quintessential walking path for a stroll in this warm and inviting city. Photo courtesy Tourism Council of Frederick County.
Frederick, Maryland is strategically located in the American landscape. Laid out in 1745 by land speculator Daniel Dulany and situated on the route to the Shenandoah Valley, Frederick was a stopping place for pioneers traveling to the frontier. Settled predominately by German immigrants, the town’s most notable residents were a young German schoolmaster and his wife, Johann and Catherine Schley. “Dulany bought up 10,000 acres of land and designed the town to get people to come and buy lots. The Schleys built the first house in the new town and became a very influential part of Frederick’s history,” says Heidi Campbell-Shoaf, executive director of the Historical Society of Frederick County.
The housing styles in Frederick vary from street to street and area to area. “German settlers dictated the styles in the 1700s and created sustainable stone farmhouse structures,” says Clyde Berger, III, a practicing architect for 30 years in Frederick from ARDS, Architects and Residential Design Services.
“Frederick has a diverse and changing architectural landscape. On the outskirts of town, you’ll find ranchers that were popular in the 1970s. In another area, we have Victorian and bungalow style homes. In downtown historic Frederick, you’ll find a real mix of Georgian, Neocolonial, and Traditional styles.”
Longtime realtor Margaret M. McEvoy says that Frederick is a great place to live with its city charm and country life. “Three of the best reasons to live in Frederick would be good public schools, an un-crowded yet sophisticated setting, and we have modest housing costs as compared to Baltimore or Washington, DC.”
Over the years, Frederick grew into a market town and “remains heavily agricultural today with dairy farming and field crops. But the U.S. Army’s Fort Detrick is the largest employer in the county, and we have a lot of biotechnology here,” explains Campbell-Shoaf.
Historically, the city served as a major crossroads for many famous generals as well as Union and Confederate troops during the Civil War. “The Maryland Assembly met to vote to secede from the Union here because they felt meeting in Annapolis might sway the vote. It was a close decision, but the legislators voted to remain in the Union and the building where the meeting took place still stands in downtown Frederick today,” reveals Campbell-Shoaf. Thomas Jefferson also commissioned the building of the National Road (“National Pike”) from Baltimore to St. Louis in the early 1800s. Its route follows Frederick’s Patrick Street and brought many travelers through town.
With a population of over 59,000, Frederick is the second largest city in Maryland (behind Baltimore) and has held that place almost since it’s founding. “If you live in downtown Frederick,” assures Campbell-Shoaf, “it’s got beautiful Baker Park, shops, restaurants, galleries…everything you would expect to find in a city and it’s very walkable.”
PRICE COMPARISON OF FREDERICK HOMES
Listing Agent: Janney Marshall/ReMax. (301-695-5500)*
This 1915 Colonial home has four bedrooms, three full and one half baths, a total square footage of 2,944, and is situated on .34 acres. This listing is under contract with an asking price of $799,000.
Listing Agent: J.B. Powell/Real Estate Teams, Inc. (301-695-3020)*
This 1997 Rancher has four bedrooms, four full and one half baths, a total square footage of 5,400 and is situated on 16 acres. It is an active listing with an asking price of $875,000.
Listing Agent: Ken Wormald/Robert Wormald, Inc. (301-695-6614)*
This 2010 French Country home has four bedrooms, three full and one half baths, a total square footage of 3,392 and is situated on .21 acres. It is an active listing with an asking price of $1,078,730.
*The status of all listings was current at the time of printing.
These listings were compiled with the help of Lynn Summerlin Hoeckel, Residential Agent for Yerman Witman Gaines and Conklin Realty (410-583-0400 or lsummerlin@ywggrealty.com).
Jennifer K. Dansicker is Special Projects Editor for ChesapeakeHome.
Contacts:
ARDS Architects and Residential Design Services: 301-695-7663
Historical Society of Frederick County: hsfcinfo.org
Margaret M. McEvoy: margaretmcevoy.com
