Visit Maryland

Celebrate legacies of Maryland women
during travels across state

Women's Heritage Trail has 150 sites, attractions

BALTIMORE – Feb. 28 – March is Women's History Month, says the Maryland Office of Tourism, an ideal time to plan springtime visits across the state that evoke tribute to notable women in Maryland history.

"Maryland has a wealth of sites and attractions to honor the contributions of many pioneering women who have played a significant role in our shared history as 'One Maryland' and one nation," said Gov. Martin O'Malley. "I invite residents and visitors alike to join us in March as we celebrate Women's History Month in Maryland."

A Maryland Women's Heritage Trail identifies more than 150 locations in the state where women have made unique contributions. Information about the trail is available online at the Maryland Women's Heritage Center's web site. Located at 39 W. Lexington St. in downtown Baltimore, the center is the first state-based project and museum of its kind in the nation. The center is also the home of the Maryland Women's Hall of Fame, and is open Wednesday through Saturday. Admission is free.

The trail includes such destinations as The National Shrine of Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg (Frederick County) and Annmarie Sculpture Garden and Arts Center in Solomons (Calvert County). Seton, who opened a school for girls in Baltimore in 1808, became the first American-born saint in 1975. Ann Marie Koenig and her husband Francis Koenig donated the 30-acre property that now blends art and nature in a town where the Patuxent River meets the Chesapeake Bay.

"By recognizing the vital achievements, experiences and contributions of Maryland women – in the past and into the future – we can gain an appreciation for the rich, diverse heritage of our state," says Jill Moss Greenberg, executive director of the Maryland Women's Heritage Center. "Our center continues to be a dynamic force in promoting this concept."

In addition to visiting individual locations of interest, travelers can navigate tours through regions of the state that relate to major commemorations planned by the state. "The Star-Spangled Banner Flag House, home of Mary Pickersgill, is one of the stops along the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail," says Margot Amelia, executive director of the Maryland Office of Tourism. "It's a route that honors the War of 1812's Chesapeake Campaign -- a focus of upcoming bicentennial activities."

Amelia also mentions an Eastern Shore driving tour that honors the legacy of Harriet Tubman, the Maryland native who led enslaved family and friends to freedom along the Underground Railroad in the mid-19th century. Events that mark the 100th anniversary of Tubman's death are planned for 2013.

Here are more notable women from Maryland history, grouped by geographic region with tips on nearby tourism attractions and destinations.

Western Maryland

Alta Schrock -- To showcase and preserve Appalachian culture, Schrock established Penn Alps Restaurant and Craft Shop in the late 1950s in Garrett County. Spruce Forest Artisan Village (open May through October), an offshoot of Penn Alps, has 10 resident artisans. Penn Alps also hosts a summer concert series. Schrock was the first Mennonite woman in the U.S. to receive a doctoral degree. She taught biology at Frostburg State University during the 1960s and 1970s. Tourism tips: Deep Creek Lake, Maryland's largest fresh-water lake with 65 miles of shoreline in Garrett County is a hub of year-round outdoor recreation. Wisp Resort has a prominent golf course.

Mary Titcomb -- After coming to Hagerstown from New England in 1902, Titcomb -- a professionally-trained librarian -- developed an idea for making library books more accessible. In 1904, the Washington County Free Library became the first library in the U.S. to operate a book wagon, which brought books to Marylanders in remote areas. Tourism tips: Washington County Museum of Fine Arts is in Hagerstown. Also visit the Bridges of Washington County.

Capital Region

Clara Barton -- Best known as founder of the American Red Cross and the National First Aid Society, Barton was also active in various reform movements during the mid-19th century. She supported free public schools and was also connected to civil rights and women's rights campaigns -- she worked with Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony. In her later life, Barton lived in a dormitory for Red Cross volunteers, site of the organization's first headquarters in Glen Echo. The property is now administered by the National Park Service (NPS) as the Clara Barton Historic Site. Tourism tips: Glen Echo Park, a former amusement park and now a Park Service property, is nearby. The park offers cultural exhibitions and performances, and is home to resident artists. Montgomery County includes two arts and entertainment districts, in Bethesda and Silver Spring.

Barbara Fritchie -- This Frederick native was the inspiration for John Greenleaf Whittier's poem Barbara Frietchie, in which the title character confronts Gen. Stonewall Jackson and his invading Confederate troops during the Civil War: "Shoot, if you must, this old gray head, But spare your country's flag," she said. Fritchie's house is a stop on Frederick's walking tour. Tourism tips: Frederick is part of the Heart of the Civil War heritage area. The downtown district has a variety of galleries, eateries and cultural venues. The Frederick Wine Trail includes seven wineries in Frederick County. Also, the Francis Scott Key Monument -- burial site of another famous Frederick native -- is at Mount Olivet Cemetery.

Mary Surratt -- Surratt House Museum, built in 1852, was the Surratt family's plantation home. It was also a tavern and hotel, post office and polling place -- all before the Civil War. In 1864, the recently-widowed Mary Surratt leased the property and moved to Washington, D.C., where she opened a boardinghouse that became a refuge for the Confederate underground. John Wilkes Booth kept weapons and supplies at Surratt's country home in connection with his plan to kidnap President Lincoln. Following the assassination, Mary Surratt was arrested and convicted of conspiring with Booth. She became the first woman executed by the U.S. government. Tourism tips: Surratt House is on the Escape of an Assassin driving-tour route. It's on Rt. 5, which goes by the Dr. Samuel A. Mudd House -- where Booth stopped for medical assistance. National Colonial Farm, an outdoor living-history museum (part of the Accokeek Foundation's 200-acre portion of Piscataway Park) is nearby on the edge of the Potomac River.

Central Maryland

Mary Pickersgill -- The woman who made the huge (30 ft. x 42 ft.) Amer
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