Frederick in Frederick County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
City Hall
Former Frederick County Courthouse
— Antietam Campaign 1862 —
Connections with the Civil War abound around this Courthouse Square, where the first official act of defiance against the British crown - the 1765 Stamp Act Repudiation - occurred almost a century earlier. In 1857, Roger Brooke Taney, Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court and a former resident who is buried in Frederick, wrote in the Dread Scott Decision that the Constitution's freedoms did not extend to African-Americans, one of the steps on the road to war. Taney and his brother-in-law, Francis Scott Key, both practiced law here. A bust here honors the Chief Justice who administered the Oath of Office to seven presidents, including Abraham Lincoln in 1861.
Governor Thomas Hicks called a special session of the Maryland Legislature in 1861 to address the question of secession. Because of the large number of US troops in the capital city of Annapolis, the legislature met here at the site of the former Frederick County courthouse. Finding the space inadequate, the lawmakers convened a block away in Kemp Hall. Under orders from President Lincoln, legislators likely to favor the South were detained in route. With no quorum, Maryland's legislature could not vote to secede. The courthouse burned during the session, and the legislature promptly authorized financing to construct the present building, now City Hall.
Both Confederate Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson and President Lincoln were visitors to this neighborhood in 1862.
The reconstructed home of Barbara Fritchie, poet John Greenleaf Whittier's Civil War heroine, is reached by traveling one block south on Court Street, then one block west on Patrick Street.
Erected by Maryland Civil War Trails.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #16 Abraham Lincoln, and the Maryland Civil War Trails series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1765.
Location. 39° 24.958′ N, 77° 24.754′ W. Marker is in Frederick, Maryland, in Frederick County. Marker is on Counsil Street, on the right when traveling east. Located on the north side of the Frederick City Hall. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: 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. No to the Stamp! (here, next to this marker); The Ross Home (a few steps from this marker); Ross House (a few steps from this marker); Birthplace of William Tyler Page (within shouting distance of this marker); Unanimous Resolution (within shouting distance of this marker); “South Magnetic” (within shouting distance of this marker); Frederick’s Poet Lawyer (within shouting distance of this marker); Ramsey House (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Frederick.
More about this marker. On the lower left is a drawing of Lincoln's Oath of Office administered by Chief Justice Taney. The upper center contains a drawing of The second Frederick County Courthouse, built in 1785, burned in May 1861. And a map of the City Hall and vicinity points out sites associated with the history of Frederick as related to the Civil War.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Nearby Civil War Related Points of Interest with HMDb entries
Also see . . . All Saints Episcopal Church. Church website homepage (Submitted on October 7, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
Additional keywords. Antietam Campaign
Credits. This page was last revised on March 17, 2022. It was originally submitted on October 7, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 2,380 times since then and 94 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on March 14, 2022, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California. 2, 3. submitted on October 7, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 4. submitted on March 14, 2022, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California. 5. submitted on October 7, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 6, 7. submitted on June 22, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 8, 9. submitted on October 7, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 10, 11, 12. submitted on June 23, 2018, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.