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33-609: The race is run in honor of Barbara Fritchie , who was an American patriot during the American Civil War . According to legend, Fritchie, a 95-year-old woman at the time, stood in the street and attempted to block or at least antagonize Confederate General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson and his troops by waving the Union flag as they marched through Frederick, Maryland, on their campaign to the Battle of Gettysburg . The Barbara Fritchie Handicap

66-455: A bird/dragon creature said to abduct livestock and people from the surrounding valley. The main method of travel to and from Middletown is by road, and there are two primary highways serving the town. U.S. Route 40 Alternate follows Main Street through Middletown, and connects eastward to Interstate 70 near Frederick and westward to Boonsboro . Maryland Route 17 follows Church Street through

99-507: A cannon at him from her window, tells him to march on, and says, "I may be patriotic, but I'm not crazy." James Thurber included this poem with his pictures in his Fables for Our Time and Famous Poems Illustrated . Ogden Nash 's poem "Taboo to Boot", about the joys of scratching an itch, contains the following stanza: Middletown, Maryland Middletown is a town in Frederick County, Maryland , United States. The population

132-413: A colonel in 1755, he was to accompany General Braddock on the old Indian Trail that ran through the valley on his way to Fort Cumberland. The early German and English settlers started to arrive in the valley in the 1730s. Among them was Michael Jesserong, who paid £66 for 50 acres (200,000 m ). He named his property Middletown and sold the first lots there in 1767, the date officially marked as that of

165-509: A male householder with no wife present, and 21.4% were non-families. 18.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.16. The median age in the town was 39.6 years. 29.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.2% were from 25 to 44; 29.7% were from 45 to 64; and 10.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of

198-531: A memorial was erected there in her honor. Whittier's poem was published in the October 1863 edition of The Atlantic Monthly . The poem brought him strong national attention at a time when the magazine's elite northern audience was seeking emotional resonance in response to the Civil War. No firsthand account of the actual incident survives, and disputes over the poem's authenticity came up almost immediately after it

231-502: A plot to free British prisoners in Frederick and join with General Cornwallis in Virginia. All seven were convicted and sentenced to be hung, drawn, and quartered. Four of the defendants were pardoned, but Fritchie and two of his co-conspirators were executed two months later (whether to the full extent of the sentence or simply by hanging being unclear). She became famous as the heroine of

264-417: A shrine to the legend. In 1943, Winston Churchill , who knew the poem from memory, insisted he pass by the house during a trip through Frederick with President Franklin D. Roosevelt . When the house was open to the public, some volunteers there claimed that Fritchie haunted it and reported seeing her rocking chair move on its own. The house began to fall into disrepair in the early 21st century. In 2015, it

297-548: Is open to fillies and mares age three and up, running seven furlongs on the dirt. It offers a purse of $ 300,000 and has been run since 1952. The Barbara Fritchie Classic motorcycle races run annually on July 4; top riders from all over compete on the dirt oval at the Frederick County Fairgrounds. The race has been running for almost 100 years. Musician Michael Clem of the Virginian folk group Eddie from Ohio penned

330-452: The "Rocky and Bullwinkle" segment " Bullwinkle's Corner " acted out a humorous version of Whittier's poem, starring Bullwinkle J. Moose ( Bill Scott ) as Fritchie and Boris Badenov ( Paul Frees ) as Jackson - who shoots her red long underwear off the line. As Bullwinkle/Frietchie reaches out the window and grabs it, "'Shoot, if you must, this old gray head; but spare my union suit,' she said." When Boris/Jackson prepares to shoot, she points

363-645: The Dorothy Donnelly and Sigmund Romberg operetta My Maryland (1926), which ran for 312 performances. The play was adapted for film in 1915 and 1924 . One of the Mid-Atlantic states' top-ten horse races was named in her honor; it is one of only seven Grade I or Grade II races run in the state of Maryland. The Barbara Fritchie Handicap is an American race for thoroughbred horses, run at Laurel Park Racecourse in Laurel, Maryland, each year. A Grade II race, it

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396-557: The 1863 poem "Barbara Frietchie" by John Greenleaf Whittier in which she pleads with an occupying Confederate general, "Shoot if you must this old gray head, but spare your country's flag." Three months after this alleged incident, Frietchie died. She was buried alongside her husband, who died in 1849, in the German Reformed Cemetery in Frederick, Maryland . Later, in 1914, her remains were moved to Mount Olivet Cemetery and

429-535: The Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church (1859–1860) and Christ Reformed Church United Church of Christ (1818). With the coming of the Hagerstown and Frederick Railway in the 1890s, the town expanded to the east, where several examples of various Victorian-era styles can be seen, including Queen Anne , Gothic Revival , and later examples of Colonial Revival styles. The economic prosperity experienced in

462-433: The aftermath of those battles, Middletown opened its churches and homes to care for the wounded. Middletown preserves many historic structures indicative of its various periods of development and prosperity. The core of the old town, comprising the several blocks along West Main Street ( US Route 40 Alt ) and South Church Street ( MD Route 17 ) contains several examples of Federal and Greek Revival architecture, including

495-403: The average family size was 3.21. In the town, the population was spread out, with 32.0% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.6 males. The median income for a household in the town

528-412: The incident and other similar ones. The Confederate general in the poem most likely was not Stonewall Jackson, but another Confederate officer (probably A. P. Hill ), since none of the men with General Jackson that day remembered the incident—although while passing through Middletown, Maryland, two young girls did wave Union flags in the presence of General Jackson, who bowed, removed his hat and laughed

561-413: The incident off. Gen. Jackson and Barbara Fritchie both died before publication of the poem. Historians and reporters noted other discrepancies between the patriotic poem and witness accounts. The Barbara Fritchie House is located at 154 West Patrick Street in Frederick, Maryland . It is a 1927 reconstruction, based on the original house, which was washed away during a storm. The site had since become

594-405: The population. There were 960 households, out of which 44.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.6% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.1% were non-families. 18.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and

627-548: The removal of a Union flag flying from a window in the George Crouse family home, young Nancy Crouse took it down, draped it over her body, and returned to the front door to taunt them, and was not challenged, an act earning her the sobriquet of "the Middletown Maid". In addition to confusing Fritchie with Quantrell, the poem was likely embellished, as Whittier was a distant poet working from second- or third-hand accounts of

660-659: The town during the first quarter of the twentieth century led to the alteration of older commercial structures and the construction of new ones in the first few blocks of Main Street, including the Beaux-Arts styled Valley Savings Bank (today the Middletown Valley Bank). Many of these structures are registered in the Middletown Historic District . According to the United States Census Bureau ,

693-513: The town has a total area of 1.74 square miles (4.51 km ), all land. Catoctin Creek flows due south from approximately one mile west of town to several miles south of town. To the east, Middletown borders Braddock Mountain , named after the British general Edward Braddock . The mountain itself, along with its community, Braddock Heights , is often said to be the roost of the mythical Snallygaster ,

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726-540: The town was 48.8% male and 51.2% female. As of the census of 2000, there were 2,668 people, 960 households, and 728 families living in the town. The population density was 1,577.3 inhabitants per square mile (609.0/km ). There were 981 housing units at an average density of 580.0 per square mile (223.9/km ). The racial makeup of the town was 96.89% White , 1.46% African American , 0.07% Native American , 0.34% Asian , 0.22% from other races , and 1.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.82% of

759-445: The town was 91.9% White , 2.8% African American , 0.3% Native American , 2.8% Asian , 0.1% Pacific Islander , 0.6% from other races , and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.1% of the population. There were 1,484 households, of which 45.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.8% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.4% had

792-533: The town's founding. Main Street spread to the west with construction of the National Pike through the town in 1806; the telegraph lines from Frederick to Hagerstown were routed through Middletown in 1854; and in 1896, car 11 of the Frederick Middletown Railway made its first run to Middletown. During the Civil War, both armies passed through the town to the battles of South Mountain and Antietam. In

825-408: The town, extending northward to I-70 at Myersville and southward to U.S. Route 340 near Brunswick . As of the census of 2010, there were 4,136 people, 1,484 households, and 1,166 families living in the town. The population density was 2,377.0 inhabitants per square mile (917.8/km ). There were 1,569 housing units at an average density of 901.7 per square mile (348.1/km ). The racial makeup of

858-471: The tune "Miss Fritchie" and recorded it on the group's third album, I Rode Fido Home . Stan Freberg Presents the United States of America Volume Two: The Middle Years , a radio play, parodied the story, with a man attempting to cajole Mrs. Fritchie into staging the supposed incident, but finds her appalled to hear it involves offering to be shot. Tyne Daly portrayed Fritchie. Circa 1962, an episode of

891-603: Was 4,136 as of the 2010 census. Located in the Middletown Valley that stretches between the Catoctin Mountains on the east and South Mountain on the west, the town reportedly gained its name from its location midway between those ranges. A young Lieutenant George Washington , while surveying the South Mountain area, reported that Middletown Valley was one of the most beautiful places he had ever seen. Later, as

924-589: Was a Unionist during the Civil War . She became part of American folklore in part from a popular poem by John Greenleaf Whittier . Fritchie was born Barbara Hauer in Lancaster, Pennsylvania . On May 6, 1806, she married John Casper Fritchie, a glove maker. Her father-in-law, John Caspar Fritchie, was one of seven British loyalists convicted of high treason against the United States in Frederick, Maryland, in June 1781, based on

957-415: Was downgraded to Grade III status in 2019. The race was run in two divisions in 1982, 1984 and 1985. Speed record: Most wins by an horse: Most wins by a jockey : Most wins by a trainer : Most wins by an owner: Barbara Fritchie Barbara Fritchie (née Hauer ; December 3, 1766 – December 18, 1862), also known as Barbara Frietchie , and sometimes spelled Frietschie ,

990-707: Was ill at the time. In fact she did wave a union flag—but at Ambrose Burnsides's Union troops on September 12, 1862. The actual woman who inspired the poem may have been Mary Quantrell, who lived on Patrick Street, and who, in a letter to the editor published in The New York Times in February 1869, wrote that her flag, waving from a second-story window, had been ripped down and trampled by Confederate soldiers passing through in 1862, then picked up and held close by her daughter. Further, when Confederate troops moving west from Frederick and passing through Middletown demanded

1023-552: Was published. However, her descendants successfully promoted her reputation, and the city of Frederick, Maryland , has used her name and image to attract tourists ever since the early 1900s. The flag incident as described in the poem likely never occurred at the Barbara Fritchie house, although Fritchie was a Unionist and did have a Union flag. Friends of hers stated that she shook a Union flag at and insulted Confederate troops, but other neighbors said Fritchie, over 90 years old,

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1056-482: Was purchased by the Ausherman Family Foundation. In January 2018, it was purchased by Bryan and Charlotte Chaney with the intent of repairing and reopening it for overnight stays through Airbnb . Clyde Fitch adapted the story for the play Barbara Frietchie (1899), which ran for 89 performances and was criticized for its further departure from historical fact. It was revived several times and inspired

1089-465: Was run at Bowie Race Course in Bowie, Maryland , from 1952 to 1984 before being moved to its present location at Laurel Park. The race was a grade 3 race from 1973 to 1991 before being upgraded to grade 2 status for the 1992 running. The race was not held in 1960, 1972 and 2006. Its distance was six furlongs from 1957 to 1959 and 1963, and it was run at one mile in 1961. Tosmah won this race in 1966. The race

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