As part of this month’s spotlight on the historic assets within The City of Frederick, we caught up with Tonya Hatosy-Stier: Director of Development at Heritage Frederick.
Heritage Frederick -- founded in 1892 and a historical asset of the City in its own right -- is a nonprofit organization dedicated to collecting, preserving and interpreting the history of Frederick County. Learn more about the organization's past, present and future below.
Heritage Frederick’s Mission
We collect, preserve, and interpret the history of Frederick County, Maryland and its local communities to facilitate continuous learning and inspire critical thinking. We accept and pursue objects, documents, photographs, and other historical artifacts and materials that help convey the diverse narrative of the County’s cities and towns, industries, and people that have defined the County’s history since 1748.
Heritage Frederick Over the YEars
We've been at this since 1892, so virtually everything has changed since then. Initially, we were a private club, basically, whose members met in each others' homes and talked about historical people, events, and books. For many years, we were members-only and member-led; there were no employees and no building or office. Artifacts were stored in the basement at Winchester Hall for a time.
We bought our first building in the 1940s - the Steiner House - and then moved to 24 East Church Street in 1959. The historic house functioned as a period museum - organized and furnished like a house from the 1800s - for several years, but we're moving forward as a museum that will emphasize artifacts, documents, photographs, and stories about Frederick County. Of course, today we're also open to and welcome anyone with an interest in Frederick.
The March Ribbon Cutting
The ribbon-cutting served two purposes. First, like a lot of businesses, we were closed to the public for a lot of the COVID period; so, we wanted to make a very public act of re-opening. In addition, we're moving purposefully toward some goals, such as actively restoring the historic house and telling meaningful and inspiring stories using our collections, and we wanted to signal to our friends and followers that their support and interest in us is bearing fruit.
How to get Involved
The historic house and museum are open to the public Wednesday through Saturday between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM from March to December. We offer walking tours every Saturday between April and November. We also host children's programs monthly in the garden. Our website and social media share upcoming events.
We've hosted private events, like a Girls Night Out and private tours of the exhibits led by staff and docents. In fact, we have a couple small weddings in May in the garden, too.
If you want to volunteer, we're interested to hear from you.
If you'd like to become a member, we welcome your interest. We also have a couple giving programs for individuals or businesses that want to invest in the sustainability of saving Frederick history.
Are there opportunities for local businesses to partner with the Organization?
We're exploring an exhibit concept that would highlight legacy businesses in the County.
On a different level, a new business recently opened in the historic district and asked whether we had photographs showing the original facade of their building so they could recreate it (we did!).
A business might choose to use our walking tours for team-building opportunities. We have a small meeting space if a group wanted to get out of their own office for an afternoon retreat. Of course, we're glad to have sponsors for our events and exhibits. We'd also welcome corporate investments that help ensure all of this history remains a public service.
What’s Next
The exhibits in place now are getting a lot of positive attention. Our feature exhibit is called Stitches Through Time and it tells two interwoven stories, one about the change from isolated farmstead living to industrialized cities and the other about the coincidental change in the work done by women. We have eight hand-sewn quilts, 10 weddings dresses spanning 100 years, and five Claire McCardell dresses on display along with many other artifacts and documents that help to tell the stories.
To complement Stitches, we're having bonus days most months that extend the story. The first two are April 29, which will involve a demonstration of quilting by master quilters, and May 7, which will be a lecture on the history of women's work by Mallory Huard, a professor at Hood College. Our Parson Newman Speakers series continues April 26 with a presentation on the Hagerstown and Frederick trolley system.
Does your business or non-profit organization have exciting news? Contact the City of Frederick’s Department of Economic Development for opportunities to share your story at business@cityoffrederickmd.gov.