Figure A Figure B Figure A (top) Citizen's National Bank (located on the corner of South Market and East Patrick Streets) circa 1890. Figure B (bottom) View of Record Street circa 1905.

Established in 1745 as a speculative land venture, Frederick has evolved over the years from a small, frontier settlement, to the second largest city in the State of Maryland. Two and a half centuries of growth has turned the City into an important regional center for commerce and industry as well as a convenient commuter location for those working in Washington, DC and Baltimore. Remarkably, because most growth has occurred within the 340 lots originally platted by Daniel Dulany, the Frederick Town Historic District remains relatively intact today and constitutes the largest, contiguous collection of historic resources in the state. As a result, the Frederick Town Historic District contains a broad spectrum of architectural styles that reflect our country's built history. In 1741 Daniel Dulany the Elder, an Annapolis lawyer and proprietary official, bought approximately 20,000 acres from Benjamin Tasker. Mr. Dulany sought to resell the land to German settlers. Using a portion of his extensive land holdings, Mr. Dulany created 340 lots along a grid plan. When Mr. Dulany sold these parcels, he stipulated that buyers improve properties by erecting structures within a specified period. After three years the town was so successfully developed that Frederick Town became the county seat for the newly created Frederick County. This act was significant because at the time Frederick County encompassed all of the area west of present Baltimore and Howard Counties to the east to the Maryland border to the west. By the end of the eighteenth century, the City's population had reached 2,606. There were 449 house, seven churches, two markets and numerous schools. Throughout most of the nineteenth century, Frederick Town was the second largest city (Baltimore being the largest) in Maryland. Frederick Town was home to a number of citizens who played important and influential roles during the early years of the nation's development. In 1773 John Hanson established residency on West Patrick Street. He went on to chair the Second Continental Congress as President of the United States Congress Assembled in 1781. In 1801, Roger Brooke Taney moved to Frederick and established a law practice. He shared law offices at 104 Court Street (which is still standing) with his brother-in-law Francis Scott Key, author of the "Star Spangled Banner". Over the next 21 years, Mr. Taney was a major political force before becoming Maryland's Attorney General and eventually Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. While serving as Chief