National Register of Historic Places

Scheifferstadt

Frederick, Frederick County, Maryland
Listed
July 21, 1974
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
74000952

About this property

Schifferstadt, Also known as Scheifferstadt, is the oldest standing house in Frederick, Maryland. Built in 1758, it is one of the nation's finest examples of German-Georgian colonial architecture. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2016. Home to the Frederick County Landmarks Foundation, the site is open to visitors on weekends from April through December as a local history and architectural museum. The stone house was completed in 1758 as were the three cast iron five-plate stoves used to heat the rooms. Only one survives. The house stands on land settled by German immigrant farmers Josephus and Cathrina Brunner (later alternately spelled 'Bruner' and 'Brooner') in 1736. In time, Brunner purchased 303 acres (123 ha) of a 7,000-acre tract land known as "Tasker's Chance" from Frederick Town (current-day Frederick) developer Daniel Dulany. Brunner named the property after Klein Schifferstadt, Cathrina's (nee Thomas) home town in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of southwestern Germany near Mannheim. Three grown sons and two married daughters settled on nearby parcels. One of which was Anna Barbara Bruner Getzendanner the eldest daughter. The Brunners first built a log cabin, but after 17 years in the log house, Josephus sold Schifferstadt to his sons, Jacob Brunner b.25 Feb 1703 and Heinrich (Elias) Bruner b.15 Feb 1723 • Both born in Klein-Schifferstadt, Rheinland, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. and both died d.1783 • Frederick, Frederick County, Maryland. In 1758 Jacob and Elias and his wife Albertina along with Christian Getzendanner and Anna Barbara Getzendanner (nee) Bruner built or completed the stone house that has stood for 260 years and today is a prized feature of Frederick’s early days. It is some 3000 square feet 4 story counting the "Summer Kitchen" (slaughterhouse ground floor on the creekside) and the attic used for drying herbs and the like. It featured two huge hearth fireplaces and four "5 plate" stoves for heating the bedrooms. One stove has survived and the date on it is the reason for the estimated date of completion for the main stone house. There is one huge bedroom for the traveling Preacher and Teachers that the families used. There were secondary cabins used along the stream property as there was about 2800 acres in all. Josephus Bruner and family built a log houses on the site, cleared land, established a farm and lived there for several years. Brunner died Feb 17, 1753, and the property ultimately went to his youngest son Elias , who clearly prospered enough to build the fairly large stone house that stands today. Josephus had moved into the nearby town of Frederick possibly because of ill health as the property was some distance from town at the time.

Location

Frederick, Frederick County, Maryland
39.42344, -77.42708

Categories

ARCHITECTURESOCIAL HISTORY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Hood College Historic District
Civil War
0.4 mi
One-Million-Liter Test Sphere
Industrial
0.8 mi
Frederick Armory
Industrial
0.8 mi
Motter, John C., House
Industrial
0.9 mi
Frederick Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Listed
0.9 mi

Nearby Battles

Frederick MD Skirmish 1864 (Early's Raid)
1864Civil War
1.1 mi
Confederate Occupation of Frederick Maryland
1862Civil War
1.1 mi
Battle of Frederick (1864)
1864Civil War
1.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Scheifferstadt listed on the National Register?

Scheifferstadt was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 21, 1974.

What type of historic resource is Scheifferstadt?

Scheifferstadt is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Scheifferstadt?

The period of significance for Scheifferstadt is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Scheifferstadt?

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