HAGERSTOWN
Hagerstown is a city in Washington County, Maryland, and is also the county seat of Washington County. Hagerstown is Maryland’s sixth largest incorporated city.
HISTORY
A German immigrant named Jonathan Hager purchased 200 acres in 1739 known as the Great Appalachian Valley between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains in Maryland and called it Hager’s Fancy. Soon after, Jonathan Hager and his wife, Elizabeth, officially founded the town of Elizabethtown which was named after Jonathan’s wife, Elizabeth. Fourteen years later, Jonathan Hager became known as the “Father of Washington County” after his efforts helped Hagerstown become the county seat of newly created Washington County which Hager also helped create from neighboring Frederick County, Maryland.
Hagerstown’s strategic location at the border between the North and the South made the city a primary staging area and supply center for four major campaigns during the Civil War. Throughout the Civil War, private physicians and citizens of Hagerstown gave assistance or aid to men from both the North and South in a number of locations. Hagerstown’s nickname of the “Hub City” came from the large number of railroads (and roads) that served the city. Hagerstown was the center of the Western Maryland Railway. One of the most recognizable symbols of Hagerstown is the weathervane known as “Little Heiskell”. It was named after the German tinsmith Benjamin Heiskell who crafted it in 1769 in the form of a Hessian soldier.
ATTRACTIONS/TOURISM
Visitor Welcome Center
6 North Potomac St.
Hagerstown, MD 21740
301-791-3246
SCHOOLS
Hagerstown, Maryland offers public as well as private schools including a Washington County Technical High School.
www.greatschools.org-maryland/hagerstown
PARKS
Pangborn Park
591 Pangborn Blvd.
Hagerstown, MD 21740
301-739-8577
Fairgrounds Park
351 N Cleveland Ave.
Hagerstown, MD 21740
Hagerstown City Park
501 Virginia Ave
Hagerstown, MD 21740
301-739-8577
www.hagerstownmarylandparks.com
EVENTS
Hagerstown, Maryland, is host to many events including The “Interstate BBQ Festival”, the Hagerstown Duathlon, and a semi-pro baseball team, The Hagerstown Suns. An annual tradition in Hagerstown, “The Western Maryland Blues Fest held on the first weekend following Memorial Day in City Center and the City Park in Hagerstown among many other events held throughout the year.