Make a pilgrimage to Middletown

BY JOSEPH PETERSON Special to The News-Post

Middletown is getting ready to shine under a prestigious spotlight. The Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage, in its 86th year, chose the historic Frederick County community as one of its host locations featured in this year’s showcase of the Free State’s most pristine examples of historical architecture.

Established in 1937, the MHGP has a mission “to preserve and to support the restoration of architecturally and historically significant properties throughout the state of Maryland,” and the day-long event on May 6 will see visitors from near and far taking part in the beloved tradition of touring architectural gems and historically significant landmarks not often open to the public.

“For Middletown, this is a big deal,” said Becky Axilbund, executive director of Main Street Middletown, the organization charged with promoting the town to visitors. “Generally, the MHGP chooses counties [instead of towns], and the last time they hosted a tour in Frederick County, it was over 20 years ago, if not more,” she added.

Building A History

With a storied history that stretches across three centuries, Middletown will not only showcase some of its prized architectural beauties from each significant era, but the backdrop of Middletown Valley provides a picturesque setting, said to have been described by a young George Washington as one of the most beautiful places he’d ever laid eyes on.

In its own citation of Middletown, MHGP notes that “today, stately homes, expansive views of the valley, and enduring community spirit convert many a traveler into residents.” And it’s among those stately homes that nonresidential structures, which have long served to foster that community spirit, have also been selected as part of the official tour.

Of course there’s the dramatically prominent church at 107 W. Main St., with its lily-white facade and steeple towering above the street that is the first eye-catching landmark to visitors entering Middletown. Built by the Zion Lutheran congregation in 1859, this Greek Revival structure, complete with stately Ionic columns, was used shortly after its construction as a hospital during the Civil War. Not to miss is its blossoming Reflection Garden as well.

Other communal buildings include the Stonebraker and Harbaugh Shafer Building, the grand Memorial Hall and the Christ Reformed United Church of Christ, each with its own intricate and detailed histories, most of which tie in to either the Revolutionary War or Civil War and the soldiers or generals who occupied them.

But these buildings don’t tell their own stories. Emphasizing structural icons as part of the town’s cultural tapestry is the intentional work of Axilbund and her team.

“As one of our strategic goals to