Step back into Nineteenth Century culture. Take a stroll back over a hundred years. The Carroll County Farm Museum welcomes you into an era where self-sufficiency was the order of the day. The Nineteenth Century farm family worked their land to its fullest, produced their own food, churned butter, made soap, and spun wool into yarn. Our predecessors were also talented artisans, creative and skilled, and have left many examples of their ingenuity for us to enjoy.
The Farm Museum offers a virtual treasure trove of period antiques, many of which are donated by Carroll County families. The Carroll County Farm Museum presents rural life as it was in the 19th Century. In addition to the main house, which was built in 1852, the 140-acre museum includes barns, a smokehouse, springhouse, blacksmith shop, craftsmen's workshops and exhibit areas that contain an abundance of early farm memorabilia. Farm animals add to the authenticity of the setting. Recreational facilities include picnic tables, pavilions, and horseshoe pits.
Tuesday-Friday, July and August 10 AM to 4 PM,
Weekends, May through October Noon to 5 PM.
Complete your day with a visit to the Historical Society of Carroll County. The Society offers a taste of small city life in the 1800s in counterpoint to the agricultural life portrayed at the Farm Museum. The Historical Society campus encompasses three contiguous historic buildings on East Main Street in Westminster. The Sherman-Fisher-Shellman House at 206 East Main in Westminster is furnished to interpret the lives of the first owner, Jacob Sherman, and his family who lived in the house from 1807-1842. Behind the 1807 historic home is an inviting lawn and gardens. Costumed interpreters are on hand to guide your group through the house. The tour is appropriate for young people as well as for adults.
The adjacent Kimmey House (c.1800) is home to the Shriver-Weybright Gallery where a self-guided museum tour provides a sense of what went into the making of Carroll County through the contributions of residents. School girl samplers from the 18th century, the tall clock collection, Rinehart sculptures, a Hammond grave stone, a cup and saucer owned by Francis Scott Key and much more draw visitors into the fascinating foundations of our county.
Cockey's, our third historic building, is a former inn and home built around 1820. Dentil molding, fluted pillars and other architectural details add grace and charm to the grand dame of East Main Street. The parlor display is set to the era of ownership by a prominent family in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Visitors to The Shop at Cockey's find a treasure trove of unique items created in the county by artisans and authors. Local history and Civil War books abound, and there's even a nook with children's books and games from days gone by.
In the Wakefield Valley/New Windsor area of Carroll County, Robert Strawbridge formed the first Methodist class in America about 1763. Nearby, he built the first log meeting house. Although without official sanction, American Methodists first received Baptism and Holy Communion by his hand. The Strawbridge House was designated a National Methodist Shrine by the General Conference of 1940, and was purchased by the Strawbridge Shrine Association in 1973.
Today the Strawbridge House and farm, along with John Evans Meeting House Replica, are available for tours. Please call ahead and make an appointment.
The Sykesville Colored Schoolhouse Museum is being restored to its 1916 appearance. Built between July and December 1903, at a cost of $530.50, the building has lived many lives. Between January 1904 and May 1938 it was a one-room schoolhouse, managed by local community trustees, for children of the surrounding black community from both sides of the Patapsco River during the days of segregation. Between July 1939 and late 1981 the building served as a residence with its main floor divided into four rooms. Since 1982, the building was repeatedly slated for demolition, but was saved each time by the efforts of local residents.
By the mid-1990's, with support from the Town of Sykesville, the project was in line to receive state restoration seed grants. However, their implementation was delayed while deeds and other issues were resolved. Millennium celebrations provided a major boost in the effort to save the Schoolhouse. The White Millennium Council, in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, listed the Schoolhouse as a Save America's Treasures Project, and the Maryland Commission for Celebration 2000 selected it as a statewide Treasure of the Month. The same year the Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage selected the Sykesville Schoolhouse as the county and statewide beneficiary project for the year.
This historic schoolhouse has been restored and furnished to its 1904 appearance, but today teaches area children of all ethnicities and ages. A variety of field trips and tours are available for students and Scouts ages kindergarten through grade 12. A nominal fee will be charged for each student. In addition, community organizations may rent the structure upon request.
To schedule an appointment, contact Ms. Greenwald at 410-489-6540.
Opening at its present location September 7, 1997, the Sykesville
Gate House Museum serves as a destination for hundreds of visitors. The
Museum strives to interpret the abundant history of the Town of
Sykesville and its surrounding communities through its collections,
exhibits and special events.
Entering the front door, visitors will immediately immerse
themselves in the rich history of this community through an innovative
timeline. A wide variety of displays and artifacts located throughout
the building provide more detailed aspects of the Town of Sykesville's
history.
Historic home and architectural enthusiasts may opt to take the
guided tour of the building's other purpose - home to Springfield
Hospital Center employees from 1904 until the late 1980s. You will be
able to see how the Gate House gained its name as well as several of
its unique features.
Children will enjoy learning about the Shipley family, as well as the working antique telephone and attic filled with toys.
The collection at the Museum began with Sykesville resident Thelma
C. Wimmer's photographs, both amateur and professional, capturing life
in and around Sykesville over the past 140 years. Additionally,
clothing, business ephemera, postcards, Native American artifacts,
furniture and personal effects help to tell the story of an
ever-changing community. Over the last 200 years, Sykesville has
functioned as a small mill village and farming community, weathered a
Civil War and two World Wars, charted new territory as a growing rail
town, seen Victorian splendor as a summer-respite and acted as a
bustling 20th century Main Street.
Open Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and the first Sunday of the month, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Closed on major holidays.