Frederick, Maryland's 275 year-old+ story is presented in five-parts/classes by award-winning historian/documentarian Chris Haugh. Students will learn about the city's 1745 founding in the backlands of the Maryland colony up through its standing today as one of the top residential and tourist destinations in the United States. 

Based on his 1995 documentary "Frederick Town," Chris will lead a passionate exploration through the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries with colorful storytelling and an array of multi-media elements. Participants are guaranteed to gain a better understanding and appreciation of Frederick and past citizens. 

This course will be taught over 5-class meetings from 6-8pm. We will be meeting in the Key Memorial Chapel on the grounds of historic Mount Olivet where many individuals that will be discussed in this class repose.

You've heard their names, and may know parts of their life stories. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about four individuals who certainly shaped Frederick history as we know it. All were born in the 1700s and lived through the War of 1812, while having important familial ties to the American Revolution. Thomas Johnson, Jr. was statesman and Revolutionary War hero with a most impressive resume. Francis Scott Key and Barbara Fritchie have songs/poems written about them in connection with the American flag being attacked by an enemy. Jacob Engelbrecht, a tailor and former mayor, kept a diary of Frederick events and strong personal opinions from 1819-1878 (the year of his death). All four of these individuals walked the streets of Frederick, were fiercely patriotic and are today buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery. (NOTE: This course will be held at the Woodlands of Urbana Clubhouse).

This is a lecture class which will include PowerPoint, video, and special artifacts.

NOTE: Ala-carte registration opportunities are offered for each of the classes within this 4-part course. (Price break for bundle of all 4 when purchased together.) Please register using the individual registration links for ala-carte offerings.

Class 1: Thomas Johnson, Jr. Monday, April 27 ($30)

Class 2: Francis Scott Key Monday, May 4 ($30)

Class 3: Jacob Engelbrecht Monday, May 11 ($30)

Class 4: Barbara Fritchie Monday, May18 ($30)

Gov. Thomas Johnson, Jr.'s name adorns a local high school and middle school, along with a nearby "medical autobahn" (Thomas Johnson Drive). The one-time resident of Rose Hill Manor was a statesman and Revolutionary War hero with a most impressive resume including serving as Maryland's first elected governor.

(NOTE: This is an ala carte, singular offering, part one only of the four-part bundled series entitled Legends of Frederick. Others include classes on Francis Scott Key, Barbara Fritchie and Jacob Engelbrecht. For a combo price break on all these sessions, register under the special offering for all four classes for $100.)

This class will be held at the Woodlands of Urbana Clubhouse.

Francis Scott Key's gravesite is a football field away from our class site in the Key Memorial Chapel! The pop-icon songwriter of the War of 1812, Francis Scott Key had a storied law career that included working as the District Attorney for the nation's capital. He is best know for writing the Star-Spangled Banner in the fall of 1814 in Baltimore Harbor.

(NOTE: This is an ala carte, singular offering, part two only of the four-part bundled series entitled Legends of Frederick. Others include classes on Thomas Johnson, Jr., Barbara Fritchie and Jacob Engelbrecht. For a combo price break on all of these sessions, register under the special offering for all four classes at a cost of $100.)

This class will be held at the Woodlands of Urbana Clubhouse.

The son of a German mercenary soldier captured during the American revolution, Jacob Engelbrecht was a tailor by trade, but is better known for his amazing diary. From 1819 up through his death in 1878, Engelbrecht chronicled everday life in Frederick and often offered his outspoken views on politics and religion. His surviving journal entries offer insight on town happenings rangiong from special events and accidents to weddings and deaths of townspeople. It has been published into bound volumes and serves as a key resource for Frederick research.

(NOTE: This is an ala carte, singular offering, part two only of the four-part bundled series entitled Legends of Frederick. Others include classes on Thomas Johnson, Jr., Francis Scott Key, and Barbara Fritchie. For a combo price break on all of these sessions, register under the special offering for all four classes at a cost of $100.)

This class will be held at the Woodlands of Urbana Clubhouse.

"Shoot if you must, this old grey head, but spare your country's flag" she said. These immortal words were allegedly spoken by 95 year-old Frederick resident Barbara Fritchie to Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson in early September, 1862 during the American Civil War. Whether it really happened or not is still debated. However, one thing is for sure, a poem about the incident by John Greenleaf Whittier of Massachusetts put Frederick (and our famed "clustered spires" on the map. Learn more about the life of this lady, why the poem was written and Chris will share his in-depth research into the Frrederick resident who may have been the "real Barbara." 

(NOTE: This is an ala carte, singular offering, part three only of the four-part bundled series entitled Legends of Frederick. Others include classes on Thomas Johnson, Jr., Francis Scott Key and Jacob Engelbrecht. For a combo price break on all these individuals, register under the special offering which includes all four classes for $100.)

This class will be held at the Woodlands of Urbana Clubhouse.

​In observance of the 250th commemoration of the American Revolution, we bring you this course that documents Frederick County citizens and their contributions toward independence. Not only will we look at local leaders such as Thomas Johnson, Jr., Charles Carroll of Carrollton and John Hanson, but citizen soldiers such as Capt. Peter Mantz, Sgt. Lawrence Everhart and other "patriots" will be discussed. In addition, further exploration will include the 1765 Stamp Act Repudiation, the role of the Catoctin Furnace, building the Frederick "Hessian" Barracks, and the 1781 Tory-Spy Conspiracy.

4-part course on consecutive Tuesday evenings 6-8pm with 4th class consisting of a Revolutionary War-themed Twilight Walking Tour of historic Mount Olivet Cemetery.

The roots of Frederick's annual county fair run deep! They go back to the early 19th century when a cattle show was held near the Jug Bridge over the Monocacy River, just east of Frederick City. A few decades later, a new home was found on the grounds of the Hessian Barracks, but that would eventually give way to the present site on the east side of town (along East Patrick Street). The largest county fair in the state has an incredible history including amusements, marketing gimmicks, stellar entertainment programming and notable guests to go with its given mission of exhibiting farm animals and agricultural implements. Learn more about this unique story in this multi-part lecture class which will include a cemetery walking tour of individuals connected to fair lore.