|
Little Heiskell, Hagerstown's symbol, is a weathervane in the shape of a Hessian soldier. He was designed for Hagerstown's first City Hall in 1769 by a German tinsmith named Heiskell. During the
Civil War, a sharpshooter used Little Heiskell as a target and shot him through the heart. Undaunted, Little Heiskell remained atop City Hall until 1935 when he was removed to the Hager House Museum in City Park. A
replica can be seen above the current City Hall.
Early in 1983 the Conococheague Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR), at the request of Mayor Donald R.
Frush, undertook research leading to the selection of historic landmarks to be included in a walking tour of Downtown Hagerstown.
From the many significant sites in an area within two blocks of Public
Square, a DAR committee of volunteers chose the ones listed in this brochure. It is their hope that you will experience as much enjoyment in the tour as they had in planning it.
City Hall
Hagerstown's first City Hall was a combination marketplace and office structure in the square. The first floor was an open-air market, farmers would drive their wagons through the
enormous open archways to sell their goods. In 1818 City Hall was rebuilt one block north of the square and in 1941 the current City Hall was built. A model of the original City Hall is on display on the first
floor.
John Wesley United Methodist Church
Originally named St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal, the church was dedicated by Bishop Andrews in November 1885. Across the street is the site of the first
wholesale business in the Cumberland Valley, at 114-116 North Potomac. Note the arch over the brick driveway through which horse-drawn wagons entered the courtyard. The stone house at 132 was probably erected
between 1800-1810. The brick double-house at 142-144 is typical of the 1870's when the town was expanding rapidly and space was at a premium.
Zion Reformed Church
Zion Church was erected between 1774 and 1776. Its present Romanesque appearance is the result of extensive renovations made in the late 1800's. This German Reformed Church
was the first large building in Hagerstown and occupied a commanding position on this high hill, once known as Potato Hill. The two unique bells hanging in the tower were cast in Rotterdam, Holland, in 1785.
Baldwin House
In 1881 the hotel was built by a group of investors including Christopher Baldwin and Maryland Governor William T. Hamilton. The building stands on the site of two earlier
hostelries: the Globe Tavern, where George Washington is said to have stayed while visiting Hagerstown in 1792, and the Washington House, which was erected in 1856 and burned in 1879.
Kohler Building
This handsome three-story structure was erected in 1899. Built of brick and reflecting the influence of Romanesque architecture, it was capped by a striking copper-plated domed
roof. The original embossed tin ceiling, so typical of the era, may be seen in the bookstore.
Washington County Office Building
Erected in 1936 for Montgomery Ward and Company as a department store, the building was purchased by the County in 1973. The property is on lot 99 of the
original plat of Hagerstown. It was the site of the 1st Hagerstown Bank Building, erected in the early 1800's. Nathaniel Rochester, the founder of the bank, left Hagerstown in 1810 with a large company of pioneers
to start the town of Rochester, New York.
The Updegraff Buildings
Originally built in the 1820's, this structure at 43-47 was the Updegraff home. The adjoining building housed a hat factory and after the Civil War, a glove factory. A
faded sign painted on the 4th-floor wall still advertises the Updegraff company as "clothiers, hatters and furnishers."
Washington County Court House
The County's second court house, built in 1816, was designed by Benjamin H. Latrobe, architect of the U.S. Capitol. This building was destroyed by fire in 1871. The
new court house, built on the same site in 1873 and dedicated in 1874, is still in use. The first-floor hallway houses a photographic exhibit of the County's historic bridges.
Wareham Apartments and Kneisley Building
The early inhabitants of this community settled in and around Public Square. However, by the 1820's the more elite began moving up West Washington
Street. The building at 132 came into the possession of Mr. Jacob Hanson Beachley about 1865. A beautiful free hanging stairway remains untouched inside. One of the half-story rooms housed a large water-tank,
permitting the family to have a flush toilet in its "necessary room." In 1906, the home was purchased by local physician Edward Wareham, who converted it into apartments. The red brick townhouse at 152 has
an unusual arched entranceway. A leaded sunburst pattern over the door is repeated on the dormer windows. The center double-chimney with internal fireplaces on each floor is unusual for the period.
Miller House
Peter Bell, Jr., a local potter, built the original structure in 1818. The Federal-style building that is now known as The Miller House dates back to 1824. It is believed that the
rear of the house is part of Bell's earlier structure. The Miller House is now a museum and home of the Washington County Historical Society.
First Washington County Library
In 1904 librarian Mary L. Titcomb established the world's first book-wagon, a horse-drawn Concord wagon that took books to twenty-two deposit stations in remote
corners of the County. Today's Library is a modern media center at the corner of South Potomac and Antietam Streets. Its Western Maryland Room is a mecca for history buffs and genealogical researchers. Its
bookmobiles still carry culture to every part of the County.
Dry Bridge
In the mid 19th century, landowners William Bell and Franklin Anderson joined forces to build a stone bridge across the Antietam Street ravine, thus opening the southern end of
Prospect Hill to development. Later, the stone bridge was replaced by an iron structure. Although repaired several times in the century and a half of its existence, the Dry Bridge, as it is generally known,
contributes to the character of historic South Prospect.
Antietam Fire Company
Built in 1889 for Hagerstown's second oldest fire company, this structure is said to have inspired writer George Townsend, who designed the War Correspondent's Arch at
Gathland Park on nearby South Mountain. The houses to the south of the fire hall were built around the turn of the century and resemble homes found in European villages. The brick building on the corner of Antietam
and Summit housed Hagerstown's post office from 1906-1965.
Herald-Mail Company
The Mail, begun in 1828, and The Morning Herald, begun in 1873, remain Hagers-town's major newspapers. Early printing press's are on display in the lobby of this modern
building which was dedicated in 1980.
St. John's Lutheran Church
Two half-acre lots were purchased from Jonathan Hager in 1769 by Lutherans. They erected a log church that same year and formally organized in 1770. The brick
structure was begun in 1795 and completed in 1806. A Tiffany window and beautiful mosaics adorn the chancel. Lutheran Church granted the Fire Company the right to build a small room at the north end of the church,
next to the bell tower. This room served until 1870 as the fire company's home for an annual fee of twenty-five cents! In 1870, the Company located in a shed at the rear of the lot on which the Maryland Theatre now
stands. It was next located in a hall across the street. In 1881 its present home was erected.
Maryland Theatre
The Maryland Theatre, a rococo wonder, was built in 1915 from the design of Hagerstown architect Harry Yessler and New York architect Thomas W. Lamb. Its interior design is one
of the few neoclassical 20th century theatres in the area. A serious fire destroyed the original lobby and some of the exterior in 1974, but a group of concerned citizens has bought, restored and renovated this
beautiful theatre. The Colonial Theatre, across the street, was built in 1914 and is typical of the baroque style popular in the early 20th century.
Carson's Clock
The huge clock in front of the Alexander House was purchased in 1908 by jeweler R. Bruce Carson. It stood on the pavement in front of his store in the Baldwin Building. When the
store moved into the Alexander Hotel in 1929, the clock was moved to the southeast corner of the Square. This eight-day clock was wound by hand until 1945, when it was electrified by the Potomac Edison Company.
Local buses-still use it as the indicator of arrival and departure times. Given to the City of Hagerstown in 1974, it is still maintained through the courtesy of R. Bruce Carson Jewelers. |
