Historic Frederick Barracks

Construction of the Frederick Barracks was authorized by the Maryland General Assembly in 1777, and the limestone barracks built in 1778 became one of the oldest and most important surviving American military structures in the nation. The barracks originally consisted of two L-shaped buildings, though only the eastern wing survives. German prisoners of war captured by the Americans were quartered here in 1782 and 1783, and the site later became known as the Hessian Barracks. In 1802, Lewis and Clark used the barracks as a depot for supplies gathered to outfit their Corps of Discovery expedition to the American West. During the War of 1812, American troops from Maryland and Virginia encamped here on the way to Washington and Baltimore to repel British forces, while the barracks also served as a military command center and arsenal, safeguarded Maryland state documents, and held captured British soldiers after the Battles of Bladensburg and Baltimore. In the 1850s, the Agricultural Society of Frederick County held its annual exposition here, which evolved into the Great Frederick Fair. During the Civil War, from 1861 to 1865, doctors, nurses, and volunteers cared here for soldiers wounded at South Mountain, Antietam, Gettysburg, Monocacy, and other battles. In 1868, the Maryland School for the Deaf occupied the barracks and surrounding property, and the west wing was dismantled to make way for the school's Main Building.

Frederick, Maryland · United States