At the time of its creation, Frederick town was on the western frontier of Maryland and American European settlement. Over the next century and a half, westward expansion would reach across the continent to the Pacific Ocean. Frederick has several ties to this important story through past residents, subtle roles in national events and visits to town by legendary "Wild West" icons. I guess you could call it "Frederick's Manifest Destiny." This class will meet consecutive Tuesday evenings (6-8pm) in May, beginning on May 6th. Class # 4 will consist of a 2-hour "Wild West"-inspired walking tour of Mount Olivet Cemetery focusing on some of the individuals talked about in class and buried here.

This insightful walking tour features former residents who participated in, or experienced first-hand, the American Civil War. Mount Olivet was opened less than a decade before the conflict and possessed a contract with the federal government to bury here the dead of both armies who died in Frederick's "one vast hospital." Many local veterans survived the horrors of war and came back to Frederick to continue their lives in peaceful times. Many would be laid to rest here in family lots. Civilians like Barbara Fritchie, Rev. Daniel Zacharias and Glenn Worthington played unique roles in Civil War lore and they, too, repose here.

Length 2 hours. Meet at the Key Chapel (100 yards behind the Francis Scott Key Monument).

(Note: Walk-ups welcome without prior registration).

Based on Chris' 1999 documentary entitled “Monocacy: The pre-history of Frederick County, Maryland,” this course will take students on a 1.2 billion year- journey to better understand and appreciate the cataclysmic events that shaped our present day landscape.  The course will also explore the earliest lifeforms from marine organisms, dinosaurs to native-aboriginal man. Bite-sized portions of geology, meta-geography, biology, archeology, and anthropology will be introduced in layman's terms within a multi-media presentation of video excerpts, PowerPoint-lecture and touch object “show and tell.” 

Participants will discover unique links to local, state and national Black (African American) history through visiting the grave sites of a collection of men and women buried in Frederick's historic Mount Olivet Cemetery--at one time a segregated cemetery before 1954. You will be pleasantly surprised with what you will learn.

Scheduled for 2 hours, the route will be about 1.3 miles in length, mostly on macadam roadways with occasional walking on grass to access gravesites. People of all ages are welcomed to attend. (NOTE: Walk-ups welcome without prior registration). 

Restrooms will be available at the tour's intermission period midway through the walk. Dress appropriately including footwear, and feel free to bring a beverage. (NOTE: If weather is inclement, this walking class will afford the opportunity to attend a make-up date.) 

(We will meet at the WWI Gazebo in the middle of Areas T, U & S. Park on the lanes radiating out from the gazebo. Turn left after entering cemetery's front gate and proceed on drive that parallels Stadium Drive. Look for white gazebo to the right and located under a US flag.)

It has been nearly 30 years since local historian Chris Haugh was inspired to produce the 1997 documentary/film entitled “Up from the Meadows: A History of Black Americans in Frederick County, Maryland.”  As the title suggests, this program includes an interesting study of Frederick County Black history through the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, covering the time periods from slavery to emancipation, and segregation to civil rights equality within a divided Maryland.  “Up from the Meadows” features an esteemed group of former residents as on-camera commentators including Kathleen Snowden, William O. Lee, Jr., Lord Nickens, Arnold Delauter and Dr. Blanche Bourne-Tyree to name a few.

Established in 1748, the north-central Maryland environs of Frederick County is a perfect case study for African-American cultural history, as it once represented “a border county within a border state” during the American Civil War, being situated below the Mason-Dixon Line and Pennsylvania to the north, and the Potomac River and Virginia to the south. Repercussions would continue up through the Civil Rights Movement of the mid 20th century.

The multi-part program was produced by Frederick's former cable company, GS Communications, first airing on local Cable Channel 10. It would go on to be the recipient of a Telly Award of programming excellence, along with earning many citations, topped by the 1998 Beacon Award of Excellence, the highest honor in the Cable Telecommunication’s Industry for public affairs outreach and programming.

This course will be taught in four (2-hour long) classes through lecture accompanied by PowerPoint visuals and segments from the documentary, itself. The location for the class will be the Key Memorial Chapel on the grounds of historic Mount Olivet Cemetery in Frederick.

All new edition of the tour for 2025! This is not a ghost tour, although we will talk about one or two. Instead, the name of the "walking class" says it all, as the stories slated to be reverently told are guaranteed to leave you with an uncomfortable and "unsettled" feeling. You will likely feel sorrow, compassion and empathy for the decedents whose graves are visited on our sojourn. Many have been featured in my ongoing "Stories in Stone" blog series found on FaceBook and MountOlivetHistory.com.

Scheduled for 2 hours, the route will be about 1.5 miles in length, mostly on macadam roadways with occasional walking on grass to access gravesites. Participants should be 16 years of age or over as much of the subject matter is intended for more mature audiences.

Dress appropriately including proper footwear, and feel free to bring a drink and a flashlight, or your own lantern. Rain or Shine (unless extreme weather conditions in which contingency plans will be made for make up tours). Meet at Key Memorial Chapel, with parking in adjacent driveways. 

All new edition of the tour for 2025! This is not a ghost tour, although we will talk about one or two. Instead, the name of the "walking class" says it all, as the stories slated to be reverently told are guaranteed to leave you with an uncomfortable and "unsettled" feeling. You will likely feel sorrow, compassion and empathy for the decedents whose graves are visited on our sojourn. Many have been featured in my ongoing "Stories in Stone" blog series found on FaceBook and MountOlivetHistory.com.

Scheduled for 2 hours, the route will be about 1.5 miles in length, mostly on macadam roadways with occasional walking on grass to access gravesites. Participants should be 16 years of age or over as much of the subject matter is intended for more mature audiences.

Dress appropriately including proper footwear, and feel free to bring a drink and a flashlight, or your own lantern. Rain or Shine (unless extreme weather conditions in which contingency plans will be made for make up tours). Meet at Key Memorial Chapel, with parking in adjacent driveways. 

All new edition of the tour for 2025! This is not a ghost tour, although we will talk about one or two. Instead, the name of the "walking class" says it all, as the stories slated to be reverently told are guaranteed to leave you with an uncomfortable and "unsettled" feeling. You will likely feel sorrow, compassion and empathy for the decedents whose graves are visited on our sojourn. Many have been featured in my ongoing "Stories in Stone" blog series found on FaceBook and MountOlivetHistory.com.

Scheduled for 2 hours, the route will be about 1.5 miles in length, mostly on macadam roadways with occasional walking on grass to access gravesites. Participants should be 16 years of age or over as much of the subject matter is intended for more mature audiences.

Dress appropriately including proper footwear, and feel free to bring a drink and a flashlight, or your own lantern. Rain or Shine (unless extreme weather conditions in which contingency plans will be made for make up tours). Meet at Key Memorial Chapel, with parking in adjacent driveways.