History Pub Crawl: Downtown Frederick

Uncover stories from Frederick’s Civil War nightlife on a historically-inspired pub crawl presented by the National Museum of Civil War Medicine and Jake Wynn – Public Historian

Civil War soldiers loved Downtown Frederick for the same reasons we love it today. Stores hawking anything from clothing to home furnishing, busy restaurants filled with hungry patrons, and notorious drinking establishments. The bustling streets of Downtown Frederick in the 1860s were filled nightly with soldiers looking for a strong drink and night away from their concerns about the war. On the other side were the military authorities and local police seeking to stop the booming alcohol trade in Frederick. What played out was a cat-and-mouse game featuring drunken riots, shoot-outs in the street, and chaotic evenings under the glow of the city’s gaslights.

The tour will gather at the National Museum of Civil War Medicine at 4:30 p.m. Tickets are $25/person and $20 for members.