History of Frederick County
The history of Frederick county has been shaped by the land and the people who have visited and lived here.
Native Americans
Native American tribes were thought to travel through what is now Frederick County thousands of years ago. About 400 years ago (1700s) the Tuscarora and Piscataway tribes tried to live here . Evidence shows they were often on the move. Native american artifacts have been found buried in Frederick County. These people depended on water, soil, stone, and trees for their survival.
Archeological Society of MD:
https://mdarchaeology.github.io/Annual-Field-Sessions/
The Catoctin Furnace
The first settlers came to this area (now close to Thurmont) in the 1730's. The Iron Furnace was owned by Rodger, James, Baker, and Thomas Johnson. This was a time and place where the people found rich amounts of iron ore at the bottom of the mountain and other resources they could use to melt the iron ore and prepare it to make tools, household items, and weapons.
National Park Service:
https://www.nps.gov/cato/learn/historyculture/furnace.htm
The Catoctin Furnace Historical Society:
Canal and Railroad
The geology of the Potomac River water gap made Point of Rocks a major focus. In 1828 two competing technologies raced to the water gap at Point of Rocks.
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and the Chesapeake and Ohio canal both wanted to follow the Potomac River water gap into the Allegheny Plateau.
Woodsboro and the Quarry
Before synthetic fertilizer was created farmers used burnt lime.
Limestone is the main ingredient of burnt lime. The geology of Woodsboro, Maryland with its diabase dikes created perfect conditions for this.
As technology increased and synthetic fertilizers became popular the demand for this product changed and so did the quarry’s main product. Today the Barrack Quarry sells crushed stone, sand and gravel.
Sugarloaf Mountain
This mountain is a Quartzite Monadnock located in the Frederick Valley.
Native Americans to present day outdoor enthusiasts all have flocked to Sugarloaf mountain.
This is the first european map to have Sugarloaf pictured on it.
Early settlers came to the mountain to make Charcoal. During the civil war it was a lookout tower. By the end of the 19th century it was owned by farmers.
The mountain was slowly bought my Gordon Strong and is wife Louise. They protected the mountain in a trust call Stronghold Inc.
Catoctin Mountain Park
After years of logging, mining, and charcoal production the forest on Catoctin mountain had disappeared. During the Great Depression President Roosevelt created the CCC and the WPA to replant the forest and construct cabin camps.