Barbara Fritchie House, Frederick, MD, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

The Barbara Fritchie House at 154 W Patrick St in Frederick, Maryland, is a small brick house tied to one of the best-known legends of the American Civil War. The story says an elderly Frederick woman defied Confederate soldiers by waving the Union flag. The house you see today is a reconstruction, which makes the gap between legend and fact part of the visit.

The story behind it

Barbara Fritchie was a longtime Frederick resident, and she died in December 1862 at a very advanced age. Confederate troops marched through the town that September. In October 1863 the poet John Greenleaf Whittier published a poem about her in The Atlantic Monthly. It pictured an old woman leaning from her window to wave the Union flag at Stonewall Jackson's men, calling out "Shoot, if you must, this old gray head, but spare your country's flag."

Historians doubt that it happened this way, and the encounter with Jackson is generally considered fiction. Some accounts say she did wave a Union flag, but for Union troops. The poem was so popular that the legend outlived the doubts. Winston Churchill is said to have known it by heart, and on a wartime visit to Maryland in 1943 he asked to be driven past the house. The building itself is a 1927 reconstruction, because the original did not survive. Staff and volunteers have also passed on ghost stories, including a rocking chair that moves by itself and a pair of feet seen under a quilt. These are tales, not documented events, but they are part of the house's reputation today.

What to look for

• The modest scale of the brick house, which is far smaller than the legend that grew around it.
• The windows on the street side, and how easy it is to picture the moment Whittier's poem describes, with the flag taken up from the window.
• The way the house sits among the other buildings on West Patrick Street, a reminder of how close everything in downtown Frederick is.
• Any flag on display, which links the house back to the scene that made Barbara Fritchie famous.

Tips for your visit

• Allow 15 to 20 minutes to see the outside and read the story. If you want to go in, check current opening hours first, as the house is not always open.
• Daylight is best for photographs and for seeing the brickwork. Late afternoon is usually quieter than midday.
• The house is an easy walk from the rest of downtown Frederick, so combine it with a stroll along nearby streets, shops and cafes.
• Read Whittier's poem before you go. It takes only a few minutes and makes the house much more meaningful.

See it on a quest

The Ghost Hunt in Frederick, MD passes the Barbara Fritchie House, which suits a place with so many spooky stories. You reach it on foot as one stop on a longer route through the area, the app tells you about the house when you arrive, and you solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group, and you can start whenever you like with no guide to book.