Location and Linkages

The brick structure was built on the site of the Frederick Spoke Factory at the end of the 19th century, just as the spoke manufacturing facility was ceasing operation and the Monocacy Valley Canning Company was being established on the property. For most of its existence the structure served as a warehouse for the packing company, being accessed by Commerce Street in Frederick and by the B & O Railroad. Today the structure fronts on the extension of East Street in Frederick being linking downtown Frederick, including the MARC commuter rail station across East Street from the project site, to the new interchange at I-70/US 40 just south of the Frederick Towne Historic District. The site is on the section of South East Street that serves as a segment of the eastbound route of the Historic National Road (HNR), designated by the Federal Highway Administration as an All American Road in the National Scenic Byways program. This portion of South East Street connects the eastbound HNR byway, which follows South Street in Frederick parallel to the downtown portion of Patrick Street (which carries HNR traffic one-way westbound), back with East Patrick Street at the point where two-way traffic resumes at the eastern edge of the Frederick Towne Historic District.


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The site capitalizes on Frederick's location at the hub of a network of highways that fan out like the spokes of a wheel, including the other National Scenic Byway that passes through Frederick - the Catoctin Mountain Highway (US15), which is part of a larger heritage corridor dubbed the Journey Through Hallowed Ground extending from Gettysburg, PA to Charlottesville, VA; and the Old Main Streets State Scenic Byway. Through these byways the center is linked to the C & O Canal Route, the Catoctin Mountain Loop, and the Atlantic to Appalachians State Scenic Byways.

Through these routes, access is provided to a great range of historic, cultural and natural resources, including State and National parks, battlefields, and more. Two of Maryland’s Civil War Trails, the Antietam Campaign – Lee Invades Maryland and Gettysburg – Invasion & Retreat (Union Advance) driving tours pass through Downtown Frederick and connect the area of the project site with battlefields, museums and other heritage area attractions throughout Frederick, Carroll and Washington counties as well as sites in the Montgomery Heritage Area. Visitors to the center will be able to obtain information about these Trails and sites, whether they intend to follow the Antietam Campaign Trail west into Washington County, or follow the Union advance route during the Gettysburg Campaign northeast into Carroll County. The project site is central to the three-county Heart of the Civil War Maryland Heritage Area (and well positioned to serve the four-state Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area).  The center will also provide information related to nearby Maryland Main Street program communities of Brunswick, Middletown, Mount Airy, Thurmont and Downtown Frederick; the Monocacy River Water Trails that are part of the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network; the State-designated Arts & Entertainment District in Frederick; and regional parks and attractions.  The center will serve as the local visitor center for the City of Frederick and Frederick County, and house the offices of the Tourism Council of Frederick County that will relocate from the current location at 19 E. Church Street in Frederick to operate, market and manage the facility.

The project will provide interpretation relevant to the industrial heritage of the site and historic transportation networks.  For example, the historic use of the site marked the point where, for decades, local agricultural produce was brought in by wagon along the National Road, packed and shipped out by railroad or truck.  Adjacent canneries, tanneries, a stockyard, coal yards, shutter fastener manufacturing, and the Frederick Brick Works made up this industrial neighborhood just south of the Historic National Road along Carroll Creek and the B & O Railroad.  The project site’s 19th-century heritage as home of a spoke factory, coupled with Frederick’s location as the hub from which regional Scenic Byways and other heritage tourism routes emerge like spokes on a wheel, inspired the design and organizational framework for the proposed informational exhibits and displays that will be the focal point of the project.

As indicated, the warehouse is located across the street from the Downtown Frederick MARC rail passenger station. The extension of East Street to the new I-70/US40 interchange provides a direct connection from the interstate to the MARC station and to Frederick's Historic District. Frederick County TransIt Services utilize the MARC station as a hub for bus and van routes servicing other areas of Frederick City and County. By locating the proposed tourist center across the street from this transportation center visitors are provided with several options for intermodal connections. The extension of East Street to I-70/US40 also accesses the Carroll Creek project, a cooperative flood control/linear park project funded by City, County and State governments, which is serving as a catalyst for new economic development in Downtown Frederick. Establishing a tourist center at this location will help maximize the return on the sizeable investment by the State and local governments in this initiative. A motorcoach loading/unloading area will be provided along East Street at the entrance to the center.