20220626-CARROLLLIVING - Flipbook - Page 16
With the full attention of Karlleigh and Levi Dueck,
resident tinsmith Jeff Leister explains how he creates
cookie cutters out of a metal strip using pegs and
dowels at the Fall Harvest Celebration at Carroll
County Farm Museum in Westminster.
PHOTO BY DOUG KAPUSTIN
Historical Society. The Historical Society of
Carroll County, 210 E Main St. in Westminster,
was founded in 1939 to save the ShermanFisher-Shellman House (1807) from demolition,
according to hsccmd.org. Over the years, HSCC
also acquired the Kimmey House (c. 1800) and
Cockey’s (c. 1820). All three historic houses create
the backdrop for HSCC’s public charge — to tell
Carroll County’s stories and place them within
the larger context of the American experience.
According to its website, the HSCC collection
numbers more than 35,000 items, including
22,000 archival documents, 5,000 photographs,
and 9,000 three-dimensional objects.
Union Mills Homestead. The Union
Mills Homestead has been the Shriver family
homestead for six generations, according
to https://unionmills.org, and is a historic
landmark. Located at 3311 Littlestown Pike,
north of, Westminster, it’s a museum of American
rural culture that features original artifacts —
everything is much the same as when the Shriver
family lived there. Tours of the main house,
blacksmith shop and functioning grist mill
offer a step into the past. Its cultural and Civil
War history make Union Mills Homestead a
popular destination for school groups and history
buffs. The beautiful gardens and rustic meeting
barn provide a scenic venue for weddings and
gatherings. Additionally, the homestead hosts
events like a Civil War Encampment (July 16-17),
the Corn Roast Festival (Aug. 6), the Maryland
Microbrewery Festival (Sept. 24) and the MasonDixon Jeep Gathering (Oct. 16).
Other museums. Carroll boasts several other
museums worth checking out. Among them
is the Mount Airy Museum, 2 North Main
Street in Mount Airy, run by the Mount Airy
Historical Society featuring an expanded train
layout, historical displays and an interactive
display as well as the town’s Hall of Fame. Other
museums include the Gate House Museum, 7283
Cooper Drive in Sykesville; the New Windsor
Museum, 207 Main St. in New Windsor; the
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Historical Society,
5745 Bartholow Road in Sykesville; the Western
Maryland Railway Historical Society, 41 N Main
St. in Union Bridge; and the Taneytown History
Museum, 340 East Baltimore St. in Taneytown.
Outdoor activities
Go swimming. The lake itself might be
gone, but, under the same new ownership
16 | CARROLL LIVING 2022
Matteo Acampa of
Westminster shows off a
blue gill he caught while
fishing at Roberts Mill Park
in Taneytown. PHOTO BY
BRIAN KRISTA