Hagerstown, County seat in Washington County, Maryland, United States.
Hagerstown is the county seat of Washington County in Maryland, nestled across stone ridges of upper Stonehenge Limestone at roughly 164 meters in the western part of the state. Streets run through a valley near the Pennsylvania border, where residential and commercial areas spread between gentle hills and riverbanks.
Jonathan Hager, a German immigrant, founded the settlement in 1762, initially naming it Elizabethtown. During the American Civil War, it grew into a major supply center for troops and military goods.
The Maryland Theatre presents performances throughout the year, while the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts displays collections in Hagerstown City Park. German heritage remains visible in older brick buildings and family names that recall the first settlers.
The intersection of Interstates 81 and 70 provides easy access to the city, which maintains regular bus services for local transportation needs. Most attractions lie in the center and in parks, reachable on foot or with short rides.
The weathervane Little Heiskell from 1769 bears a bullet hole from a Confederate sharpshooter and remains preserved in the Washington County Historical Society Museum. The small metal piece tells a story about tensions and skirmishes that marked this region during the Civil War.
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