Hager House (Hagerstown, Maryland) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Hager House
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 Location in Maryland
Location in the United States
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| Location | Hagerstown, Maryland |
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| Area | 2 acres (0.81 ha) |
| Built | c. 1740 |
| Built by | Hager, Jonathan |
| NRHP reference No. | 74000974 |
| Added to NRHP | November 5, 1974 |
The Hager House is an old stone house in Hagerstown, Maryland, United States. It has two stories and was built around 1740. A German immigrant named Jonathan Hager built it. He came from a place called Westphalia and was the person who started Hagerstown.
The house has a special basement with two pools of water fed by springs. These springs gave the house a safe and steady water supply. Jonathan Hager later sold the property, which he called Hager's Fancy, to Jacob Rohrer. The Rohrer family owned the house until 1944. Then, the Washington County Historical Society bought it.
In 1954, the restored house was given to the City of Hagerstown. It opened to the public in 1962 as a historic house museum. Today, you can find the Hager House in Hagerstown City Park, off Key Street. It is open for visits from April through December. Tours happen every hour from 10 AM to 4 PM. The Hager House also hosts fun events all year, like Fall Fest, Doll House Tours, Ghost Tours, and Archaeological Dig-It Tours.
History of Hager House
On June 5, 1739, Jonathan Hager bought 200 acres of land. This land was in the Great Appalachian Valley in Maryland. It was located between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains. Today, this land is part of Hagerstown City Park and downtown Hagerstown.
Hager built his stone house on top of two freshwater springs. He named his property "Hager's Fancy." In 1974, the Hager House was added to the National Historic Registry. This means it is an important historical place in the United States.
House Design and Features
The Hager House was built in a German Colonial style. It has one chimney in the middle of the house. This central chimney helped keep the home warmer. It kept more heat inside compared to English Colonial homes. In the summer, if the kitchen fireplace made the house too hot, families could use the Summer Kitchen. This was in the much cooler basement.
The house sits over two freshwater springs. These springs naturally stay at 40 degrees Fahrenheit all year. The springs helped keep the rooms cool in summer and warm in winter. They also provided drinking water. Plus, they kept food fresh, much like a modern refrigerator. Near the springs, there was a fireplace. Hager likely used it for blacksmithing, making things out of metal.
The basement walls are very thick, about 17 inches of stone. This offered protection from attacks and bad weather. A large wall separates the springs from the other part of the basement. This wall has an opening called an embrasure. It is like an arrowslit in a Medieval castle. This embrasure could be used to defend the house from intruders.
The other half of the basement was used to keep animals safe. Animals were brought inside during bad weather or in winter. Their body heat helped warm the home. A large Double Dutch Door was used to bring the animals in. The top half of this door could be left open for light or fresh air.
To enter the basement without using the Double Dutch Door, there was once a trapdoor in the kitchen. Today, the Hager House has stairs from what used to be the pantry. The first floor of the house has four rooms: the kitchen, parlor, hall, and trading post. Upstairs, a hall leads to two rooms. A third room branches off the Master Bedroom. This room was often used for children, so parents could watch over them. Finally, another staircase leads to an attic. This attic was once used as a bedroom by people who rented parts of the home.
Outside the house, there used to be a barn. However, it was torn down during renovations. Now, a museum stands in its place, with a small apartment upstairs.
See also
In Spanish: Casa Hager (Maryland) para niños
