A type of early colonial architecture in Maryland would not be complete without the idea of the Schifferstadt house, named by Joseph Brunner after his childhood home near Mannheim, Germany. Joseph and his family arrived in Philadelphia around 1729. In 1746 he purchased 303 acres of a tract known as "Tasker's Chance" from Daniel Dulany, and built a Schifferstadt, the oldest known house in Frederick still standing, was completed in 1756. It was around 1756, during the time that Elias Bruner owned the farm, that the stone house was built. Although no evidence of a log home has been found, the stone house likely replaced one. German settlers would replace their modest homes with larger, more permanent structures as their families grew and they found financial security. The Germanic tradition of building in this country was a combination of the use of inherited building modes and availability of materials. In the Monocacy Valley region German settlers built several types of houses. The three common types were: a Holzbau, a simple three-room log cabin, the Fachwerbau, a half-timber dwelling that usually replaced the smaller log cabin home, and the Steinbau, a stone cabin that was also built in place of a log home. Form and function of the house can more or less be described by physical characteristics added to the home. Certain Schifferstadt's sandstone walls are two feet thick and its hand-hewn beams are pinned together with wooden pegs. Reinforced arches of stone above the windows and doors on the first floor provide support for the outside walls above them. The roof's unusual kick-up and flared eaves, tremendous "wishbone" chimney, paling insulated interior walls and ceilings, and exposed half-timbering make Schifferstadt an important landmark in the study of German architecture in Maryland. Built around 1758, Schifferstadt Architectural Museum is the one of the oldest and most historic buildings in the City of Frederick, Maryland, and among the best examples of early Colonial German Architecture in the country. Built at the beginning of the French and Indian War as frontier settlers abandoned their western Maryland farms in fear of raids from the French and their Indian allies, Schifferstadt could have been planned to provide a refuge for families west of Frederick who chose to stay on their land should they need it. Below is a photo perspective of the Schifferstadt: Much of the civic art displayed in Frederick would not be done justice without mentioning Carroll Creek Linear Park. Carroll Creek Park began as a flood control project in late 1970’s - an effort to remove downtown Frederick from the 100-year floodplain and restore economic vitality to the historic commercial district. New elements to the Park includes brick pedestrian paths, water features, planters with shade trees and plantings, pedestrian bridges and a 350 seat amphitheater for outdoor performances. Public art is incorporated into the fabric of the park itself, including the Community Bridge; scrolling plants, flowers and the occasional water creature, 24 water mosaics along the path between Market and Court Streets and sculptures to be installed in the near future. While providing an obvious recreational and cultural resource, Carroll Creek Park also serves as an economic development catalyst.

This 21st-century attraction, a three-quarter-mile stretch of walkway, looks different from the rest of Frederick. There is a number of bridges over the creek. They are all different and nice.

This is another bridge over Carroll Creek - Community Bridge. William Cochran and his assistants painted it using the entire structure by hand, using trompe l'oeil (trick the eye) techniques of perspective illusionism.

It is easy to walk by it and never realize that it is actually an illusion of an old stone bridge. An example of many elaborate walkways in Carroll Creek Linear Park paved with stone and brick. The purpose of this art, as well as architecture, is a celebration of past dreams, and future aspirations of success. Not only is history clearly represented by the Schifferstadt's long lasting "foundation" in Frederick history, it also stands firm, the ideals of a country being established, and persevering thru hardship and attaining triumph against all odds. Frederick's Carroll Creek clearly shows the resilience of turning an industrial "water over flow" into something that is beautiful, comforting to the populace, and pleasing to the eye of any "passer-by" that may choose to visit Frederick on an day and/or evening outing. I enjoyed both concept of Art and Architecture because it shows an inherent ideology that beauty can be found from with-in, when displayed for all to see, whether it would be a cottage/farmhouse, or a beautiful river walk in the middle of downtown Frederick.

References

Frederick County Landmarks Foundation,(2007). Saving the Past of Frederick County's Future, Frederick, Md.

Janaro, Richard Paul, (2009). The Art of Being Human: The Humanities as a Technique for Living, Ninth Edition, New York, NY

The City of Frederick Department of Economic Development,(2007). Economic Development: Carroll Creek Park, Frederick, Md.