October 4 history blog post: One of a series of short essays to provide the cultural, political and geographical context for the 1766 travelers.
Salome Meurer’s journal for October 10, 1766: “We had our noon meal on the street in Frederickstown. Brothers Mathaus, Krobstruck, and Paul joined us there and we were very happy to see them. They wished us luck and many blessings for every day and hour of our journey. They asked us to greet all the brothers and sisters in Bethabara and Bethania, and then marched back to Monocacy.”
Frederick County is the site of Native American settlements dating to AD 1000-1450. In the 1720s it was a haven for fur traders as well as a migration route for Germans and other migrants who followed the Monocacy Trail, an old Indian trading route. Frederick Town was named for Frederick Calvert (1731-1771), the sixth (and last) Lord Baltimore. The town was established to be a market center for the region. When Frederick County was organized in 1748, Frederick became the county seat. In 1752 the first courthouse was erected of timber. During the Revolutionary War, stone barracks were constructed to house American troops. Frederick was on the National Highway, the early 19th century east-west route to the Louisiana Purchase, and the town’s inns and taverns flourished during that period. Most of the original buildings are gone, but there are still late 18th century buildings on Patrick and Market Streets.
Virginia S. Hart A’75
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