Petersville, Maryland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Petersville, Maryland
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 Petersville, Maryland
Location in Maryland
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| Country |  United States of America |
| State |  Maryland |
| County |  Frederick |
| Elevation | 157 m (515 ft) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| Area code(s) | 301 & 240 |
| GNIS feature ID | 586495 |
Petersville is an unincorporated community in Frederick County, Maryland, United States. This means it's a group of homes and businesses that isn't officially a town or city with its own government. Petersville is located where two main roads, Maryland Route 79 and Maryland Route 180, meet. It's about 1.3 miles (2.1 km) northeast of a place called Rosemont.
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History of Petersville
The village of Petersville has a long and important history in Frederick County and the State of Maryland. It grew up along a main road that went from east to west. This road later became the Harpers Ferry and Frederick Turnpike, which is now MD Route 180. Petersville became a popular stop along this road. It had businesses that served both travelers and local farmers.
The land where Petersville sits was first claimed by Captain John Colvill in 1731. He called it the "Merryland Tract." After the American Revolutionary War, Petersville started to grow as a village. It had lots facing the turnpike and four cross streets. The village was also at a crossroads of a north-south road that went from Middletown to Berlin (now Brunswick).
An old map from 1808 shows Petersville. In 1813, the Petersville Post Office opened, but it closed in 1909. The Maryland General Assembly, which is Maryland's state legislature, officially created the Petersville District in 1829.
Historic Buildings in Petersville
Petersville is home to several old and important buildings. They tell stories about the community's past.
Barleywood Farm House
The farm house at Barleywood was built around 1800. It was made of logs. In the 1830s, this historic farm was home to a school for girls. A minister named Rev. R.H. Phillips ran the school.
Howard Marvin Jones House
This house was built between 1914 and 1920. It's a good example of the Colonial Revival style, built in a popular American Foursquare shape.
Levin West House
The West family was one of the first families to live in Petersville. The Levin West House was finished around 1815. It was built with stone in the Federal style, with brick parts added later. The grandson of the person who built the house, Dr. Levin West, used it as his medical office in the late 1800s.
Methodist Episcopal Church/Faith Reformed Church
Governor Francis Thomas built a two-story stone "town hall" for Petersville around 1850. He lived nearby at a place called Montevue. This building became the Methodist Episcopal Church of Petersville just before the Civil War. It served that church until the 1890s. In 1900, the building was renamed Faith Reformed Church. It was used as a church until 1938, when it was changed into a home.
Mount O'Donnell
This house was first called "Montevue." It was built in 1819 by Col. John Thomas, whose son, Francis Thomas, became the Governor of Maryland. During the Maryland Campaign of 1862, which was part of the Civil War, Mount O'Donnell was used as a headquarters for Union army officers. Their troops camped nearby in Petersville. Governor Thomas sold the home in 1861 to General Columbus O'Donnell, and that's when its name changed to Mount O'Donnell. The house is made of brick and built in the Federal style.
Oakland Farm House
The land where Oakland stands was once part of a large area called "Hawkin's Merry Peep-O-Day," claimed in 1753. The first house on the farm was a stone building, built by Dr. Grafton Duvall in the 1840s. The current house, built in the Greek Revival style, was put up in the 1850s by Horatio Claggett. The Claggett Family owned the home for many years into the 1900s.
Petersville Luther Chapel
Lutheran church services started in Petersville as early as 1870. Ministers from St. Paul's Lutheran Church in nearby Burkittsville led these services. The church group officially formed on October 28, 1873, and work on building a church had already begun. Petersville Luther Chapel was dedicated in 1874. It was built with brick and covered in stucco, costing $1,850.00 at the time.
St. Mark's Episcopal Church
St. Mark's Parish was created in 1789. The first church building, made of wood or logs, was built on this site in 1807. It was replaced in 1830 with a brick building. Under the leadership of Rev. Edward Trail Helfenstein, the church grew to include four churches in the area. Rev. Helfenstein also led the building of the current St. Mark's Church, which was finished in 1891. This brick church shows styles from both Gothic Revival and Romanesque designs. St. Mark's Church closed in the mid-1960s. Today, a different church group uses the building. The churchyard around it has several old graves, including that of Governor Francis Thomas, who lived nearby.
St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church
St. Mary's Church was started in the early 1820s. It was supported by money left by Maryland's second governor, Thomas Sim Lee, who lived nearby. The brick church was built in 1845 by enslaved men and women from the Needwood Plantation. It replaced an older building made of logs. The church has a unique design with a porch over the entrance and a bell tower at the back. In 2016, the porch was fixed up with new columns. St. Mary's Church also had a school for African American children, and many of its church members have historically been Black. Another church, St. Francis of Assisi Church in Brunswick, was started from St. Mary's in the 1890s.
