How well do you know your Frederick County history?

Features Editor

Frederick's downtown spires as seen in the 21st century.

In celebration of Frederick County's 275th anniversary, gather some friends and family and test each other with these local history trivia questions.

1. In the spring and summer of 1861, Maryland legislators met outside of Annapolis. In what city did they meet?

Frederick

2. What did Frederick resident Mary Quantrell refuse to do, despite threats and orders from Confederate troops?

Surrender (or take down) her American flag

3. Which county in Maryland has the largest land area?

Frederick

4. What was the name of the railroad junction three miles south of Frederick that was guarded by Union troops throughout the Civil War?

Monocacy Junction

5. Who was in charge of the Confederate troops at the Battle of Monocacy?

Jubal Early

6. Who was in charge of the Union troops at the Battle of Monocacy?

Lew Wallace

7. The Catoctin Furnace was founded in 1774 by what two brothers?

James & Thomas Johnson

8. Name the two Frederick doctors that founded the Union Hospital for African Americans in 1919?

Dr. Ulysses Grant Bourne and Charles Brooks

9. John Frederick Amelung opened his new factory at the base of Sugarloaf Mountain in 1784. What did his factory produce?

Glass, glass bowls, cups, etc.

10. Union forces at the Battle of Monocacy included men who had enlisted for just three months. What were these soldiers called?

100 Days Men

11. What hiking trail runs from Georgia to Maine and through several Frederick County parks?

The Appalachian Trail

12. Who did Francis Scott Key rescue from the British?

Dr. Beanes

13. When the Everedy Company opened their doors in 1920, what item were they known for producing?

Bottle-cappers

14. Before integration, what was Frederick's all-black high school?

Lincoln High School

15. When did the Battle of Monocacy take place?

July 9, 1864

16. What county was Frederick County part of before it was made into its own county?

Prince George's County

17. Name one geographic physical feature in Maryland?

Allegheny Plateau, Potomac River, Catoctin Mountains

18. How old was Glenn Worthington at the time of the Battle of Monocacy?

Six years old.

19. What date were slaves in Maryland, including Frederick County, emancipated?

Nov. 1, 1864

20. Name one Native American tribe that lived in Frederick County?

Tuscarora, Piscataway, Shawnee

21. On October 17th 1859, three militia companies from Frederick were sent to Harper's Ferry to deal with an insurrection – John Brown's raid in the name of abolition. Name one of the three militia companies that were sent.

The Junior Defenders, The United Guard, The Independent Riflemen

22. The Frederick Hustlers, baseball team became the minor team for what major league team?

Cleveland Indians

23. In what part of their house did the Worthington family hide during the Battle of Monocacy?

Basement/cellar

24. William R. Diggs had what recreational spot named for him in recognition of his 50 years of service?

Diggs Pool & Bath House (Mullinix Park)

25. This Victory Statue in Memorial Park honors approximately 2,000 people from Frederick County who fought in which war?

WWI

26. In April 1755, what General brought 1,400 British soldiers to Frederick on his way to Fort Duquesne, now Pittsburgh?

General Edward Braddock, the British commander-in-chief for the colonies

27. Camp David is located in what National Park?

Catoctin Mountain Park

28. Where did John Worthington and other area civilians hide their horses before the Battle of Monocacy?

Sugarloaf Mountain

29. Lew Wallace knew he probably could not defeat Jubal Early at the Battle of Monocacy. What was his goal instead?

To delay (or slow down) Jubal Early

30. Name one early settlement in Maryland?

St. Mary's City, Annapolis

31. Who demanded a ransom from the city of Frederick in 1864?

Jubal Early

32. What year was Fredericktown founded?

1745

33. How much money did Jubal Early demand when he ransomed Frederick?

$200,000

34. Aside from Frederick, what other Frederick County town was ransomed by Jubal Early?

Middletown

35. What did the mayor of Frederick demand in return for the payment of the ransom?

A receipt

36. What Frederick County mythological creature has "big wings, a 20-foot tail, a large horny head, and one eye" and strikes fear in the hearts of men traveling in Frederick County?

Snallygaster

37. Hiram Winchester built Winchester Hall in the 1840s and ’50s for what purpose?

To be used as a school (female seminary or college)

38. The Weinberg Center opened in 1926 as what theater?

Tivoli

39. What is the only Confederate victory on Union soil?

Battle of Monocacy

40. Give an example of an Indian artifact that might be found in Frederick County today.

Arrowheads, stone ax, pottery fragments, peace pipes, beads, bone fragments

41. Where did Union surgeons set up a field hospital during the Battle of Monocacy?

Gambrill Mill (or Araby Mill)

42. What mountain on the southeastern border of Frederick County was used as a signal station during the Civil War?

Sugarloaf Mountain

43. What country were the Vincendières fleeing from when they came to Frederick County in the late 1700s?

Haiti (or Saint-Domingue)

44. Which railroad went through Monocacy Junction during the Civil War?

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad

45. What nickname do we sometimes use for the Battle of Monocacy?

"The Battle that saved Washington"

46. The Tivoli Theatre in 1926 purchased what instrument to play the music for the silent movies?

Wurlitzer Organ

47. Why did the Frederick Fair close in 1918?

Influenza Epidemic

48. The Frederick Keys moved to Frederick in 1989 in hopes of a new 4,000-seat stadium. What city was their pervious home?

Hagerstown

49. What woman made the flag that flew over Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812?

Mary Pickersgill

50. Name two important frontier towns in Maryland before the Revolutionary War.

Frederick and Hagerstown

51. The north lost the Battle of Monocacy. Why was the battle still helpful for the northern side?

It delayed the Southern Army long enough for the Northern Army to regroup and save Washington, D.C.

52. The Civil War Correspondent's Arch commemorating the bravery of battlefield correspondents and artists overlooks what beautiful valley?

The Middletown Valley

53. How was the Worthington house and yard used during the Battle of Monocacy?

Hospital

54. In 1937, what NFL team played at Frederick's McCurdy Field?

Washington Redskins

55. Where did the city of Frederick get the money used to pay the ransom demanded by General Early in 1864?

Borrowed money from local banks

56. Give two reasons German settlers left Pennsylvania to come to Frederick County.

New farmland available, economic reasons, political reasons, to join family that already lived here, Maryland government offered incentives to live here.

57. What do we call the home built by Dr. Tyler to prevent the extension of Record Street to East Patrick Street in Frederick?

Tyler-Spite House

58. How many regions does Maryland have?

Three

59. What did Frederick resident Mary Quantrell refuse to do, despite threats and orders from Confederate troops?

Surrender (or take down) her American flag

60. During the Battle of Monocacy, soldiers fought at a bridge on the Baltimore turnpike. What is the name of this bridge?

Jug Bridge

61. What did the Vincendière family call the plantation they established in the late 1700s?

L’Hermitage

62. What war did both Jubal Early and Lew Wallace fight in before the Civil War?

Mexican-American War (or Mexican War)

63. In 2010, archaeologists found a slave village on the Monocacy battlefield. What farm did they find the village on?

Best Farm

64. What else did Jubal Early demand from Frederick aside from money?

Food (flour, sugar, coffee, salt, bacon)

65. What was the Frederick ransom money carried in when it was delivered to Jubal Early's staff?

Baskets

66. Where did James Rumsey acquire some of the parts for his steamboat?

Catoctin Furnace

67. The National Road started in what Maryland town?

Cumberland

68. What famous Americans did Braddock meet during his Frederick visit?

Benjamin Franklin and George Washington

69. Who was the Supreme Court Justice that lived in Frederick and delivered the oath of office to seven presidents?

Roger Brooke Taney

70. By 1790, Frederick County was the nation's largest producer of what crop?

Wheat

71. Several of our fire companies were also local militia companies. One of these was the Junior Fire Company. What were its members called?

Junior Defenders

72. What Frederick citizen was a tailor who is known for the detailed diary he used to record events in Frederick?

Jacob Engelbrecht

73. Why did the Shawnee live in Frederick County?

Fur Trade Route

74. What is the state flower of Maryland?

The black-eyed Susan

75. What year did the Loats Orphanage close?

1956

76. What was Roger Brooke Taney's profession while living in Frederick County?

Lawyer

77. Who was the first settler of Fredericktowne?

John Thomas Schley

78. Name one of the major nationalities that made up Frederick's early population.

British or German

79. Name one county that has split off of Fredrick County.

Prince George's, Washington, Montgomery, Alleghany, Carroll, Garrett

80. Who is Hood College named after?

Margaret Scholl Hood

81. What major fashion designer grew up in Frederick County?

Claire McCardell

82. Where is Roger Brooke Taney buried?

St. John's Cemetery

83. What is the nickname for the stack at Catoctin Furnace that was built in 1856 and still stands today?

Isabella

84. What was the Hessian Barracks used for during the Revolutionary War?

Prisoner of war camp

85. Name one type of business that was originally located along Carroll Creek.

Cannery, Tannery, Mill

86. What was Maryland's first newspaper?

The Maryland Gazette

87. Who did Thomas Johnson buy Rose Hill for?

His daughter, Anne Jennings Johnson-Graham

88. What is the Academy started by nuns called in Frederick?

Visitation Academy

89. Who was the first American to be made a saint in the Catholic Church?

Elizabeth Ann Seton

90. What was the first African American high school in Frederick County?

Lincoln High School (now Lincoln Elementary School)

91. What is the name of the presidential retreat in the Catoctin Mountains?

Camp David

92. Who was the second governor of Maryland and resident of Frederick County?

Thomas Simm Lee

93. What Frederick company made munitions during World War II?

Everedy

94. What happened to the original Jug Bridge over the Monocacy River on March 3, 1942?

Collapsed

95. Which is the oldest building on Hood College's Campus?

Broadbeck Hall (Music Hall)

96. What was the original use of the Delaplaine Arts Building?

Mill

97. Which of the spires is the tallest in Frederick?

The Evangelical Lutheran Church (150 feet)

98. What valuable metal was mined in the 19th and early 20th century in the Libertytown area?

Copper

99. What was the occupation of Barbara Fritchie's husband (John Casper Fritchie)?

Glove maker

100. Who is Baker Park named after?

Joseph D. Baker

101. Who is Gambrill State Park named after?

James H. Gambrills Jr.

102. Name the British general who stopped in Frederick with George Washington on the way west to fight in the French and Indian War.

General Braddock

103. Who is Culler Lake named after?

Mayor Lloyd Culler

104. What Frederick native was the hero of Santiago in the Battle of Cuba in July of 1898?

Admiral Winfield Scott Schley

105. What are Frederick's sister cities in Europe?

Schifferstadt and Morzheim, Germany

106. When was the Frederick County Agricultural Society formed?

1821

107. What is the name of the statue of a Labrador dog outside of the Federated Charities Building on South Market Street in Frederick?

Charity

108. Who was the first person to buy land plots in Frederick?

Daniel Dulany

109. Where did Hessian soldiers come from?

Hesse, Germany

110. When was the first burial at Mount Olivet Cemetery?

1854

111. During World War I, what did the armory do in Frederick?

Housed Company A, 115th Infantry

112. Who wrote the famous poem about Barbara Fritchie?

John Greenleaf Whittier

113. When was Fort Fredrick constructed?

1756

114. When was The Frederick News-Post started?

1883

115. Who did the King of England give the charter of Maryland to?

George Calvert

116. When was New Market founded?

1793

117. When was the town of Emmitsburg founded?

1785

118. Who was the proprietor, or owner, of the Maryland colony?

Lord Baltimore (George Calvert or Cecilius Calvert are also acceptable)

119. Where is the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial located?

Emmitsburg

120. What year was The Historical Society of Frederick County founded?

1892

121. Which entire town in Frederick County is on the National Register of Historic Places?

Burkittsville

122. Who is Ijamsville named after?

Plummer Ijams

123. Where did Francis Scott Key graduate from college?

St. John's College in Annapolis

124. When was the first public high school for girls in Frederick opened?

1889

125. Who donated 45 acres land which became Hood College?

Margaret Scholl Hood

126. Other than writing his diaries, why was Jacob Englebrecht an important Frederick citizen?

He was a mayor or Frederick

127. What was Thurmont named prior to being named Thurmont?

Mechanicstown

128. What did Brunswick used to be named?

Berlin

129. Which River does the Monocacy River empty into?

Potomac

130. Which governor issued the construction of Fort Frederick?

Horatio Sharpe

131. How many states does the National Road go through?

Six

132. What leafy crop was very important to the colony of Maryland?

Tobacco

133. Which artist led the project for the Community Bridge in Frederick?

William Cochran

134. Who owned the land that became Frederick County?

Daniel Dulany

135. Which religious group took control of the colony of Maryland after forcing the governor to leave?

Puritans

136. What was the original purpose of the building that now serves as Frederick's City Hall?

County Courthouse

137. Roger Brooke Taney was Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court during what important case?

Dred Scott v. John Sanford (Dred Scott and the Dred Scott Decision are also acceptable)

138. What museum could you visit to learn about Roger Brooke Taney, middle-class life in the early 1800s and the slave experience in Frederick County?

The Taney House

139. Whose diaries provided historians with an invaluable information and insight into the life of Frederick from 1818 to 1878?

Jacob Englebrecht

140. What important historical figure has a large memorial that can be seen when you enter Mount Olivet Cemetery?

Francis Scott Key

141. How are Roger Brooke Taney and Francis Scott Key related?

They are brothers-in-law

142. What crop grown in Maryland was important during the Revolutionary War?

Wheat

These questions were taken from the final round of the FNP History Bee.

Features Editor

Lauren LaRocca is features editor at the Frederick News-Post and also works as an herbalist and astrologer.

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