Frederick in Frederick County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

A Crossroads of American History

The Frederick Square Corner

— The Historic National Road - The Road That Built The Nation —

A Crossroads of American History Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Craig Swain, September 3, 2007

1. A Crossroads of American History Marker

Inscription. The Square Corner, at the intersection of Patrick and Market Streets, has long been the commercial and financial heart of Frederick. It is here that the National Road meets several important north-south roads that lead to Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. The Square Corner has witnessed both dramatic and ordinary events for over two hundred and fifty years. British, Hessian, and Tory prisoners marched through town during the Revolutionary War, while Union and Confederate armies marched through as they headed to fateful collisions at Sharpsburg and Gettysburg during the Civil War. Conestoga freight wagons and “Concord” stagecoaches rolled west on the National Road, while in recent times, presidential motorcades passed through on their way to the nearby retreat in the Catoctin Mountains.

Erected by America's ByWays.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Roads & Vehicles. In addition, it is included in the The Historic National Road series list.

Location. 39° 24.843′ N, 77° 24.644′ W. Marker is in Frederick, Maryland, in Frederick County. Marker is at the intersection of East Patrick Street (State Highway 144) and Market Street (State Highway 355), on the left

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when traveling west on East Patrick Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2 East Patrick Street, Frederick MD 21701, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Arts & Entertainment (a few steps from this marker); Market & Patrick Streets (within shouting distance of this marker); The Weinberg Center (within shouting distance of this marker); The News (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); 1862 Antietam Campaign (about 400 feet away); Hospitals in Frederick (about 400 feet away); A Good Night's Rest (about 400 feet away); One Vast Hospital (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Frederick.

More about this marker. Three photographs illustrate the crossroads. On the lower left is a photograph captioned, “By the 1890s, brick had replaced dirt on road surfaces. Trolley tracks and power lines crisscrossed the Square Corner as Guilded Age technology came to Frederick.”

In the lower center, “A Hagerstown & Frederick trolley car rumbles through the Square Corner in 1911. The electric railway made travel convenient from Frederick to other rural communities farther west and north.”

On the lower right, “The prime real estate at the Square Corner has always called for memorable architecture. The massive Farmers and Mechanics Bank Building

The Crossroads image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Craig Swain, September 3, 2007

2. The Crossroads

The marker stands in front what is now the Citizens National Bank.

still dominates a corner of the intersection. Many of the old buildings in the well preserved downtown have survived with new uses.”

The background of the marker is the “National Road at Fairview Inn,” the standard for the series.

The Square Corner image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Allen C. Browne, May 21, 2017

3. The Square Corner

W. Patrick St. and N. Market St. image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Allen C. Browne, May 21, 2017

4. W. Patrick St. and N. Market St.

Corn and Caducei image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Allen C. Browne, May 21, 2017

5. Corn and Caducei

Decorative elements on the Farmers and Mechanics Bank.

Credits. This page was last revised on March 24, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 28, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,972 times since then and 37 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 28, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 3, 4, 5. submitted on June 2, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • J. J. Prats was the editor who published this page.