HCWHA US 250th GeoTour
Historic Westminster
Party like it’s 1776 with the Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area’s 250th GeoTour! Designed for beginner and veteran geocachers, participants will travel through time, solving puzzles and following clues to learn more about mid-Maryland’s rich history. In honor of the 250th anniversary of the United States, our 250th GeoTour will take you throughout Carroll, Frederick, and Washington Counties to sites of historical significance, including battlefields, houses of worship, museums, parks, and more!
Our tour is an opportunity to learn more about the people, places, and events that laid the foundation for our country. While supplies last, those who collect 15 or more will earn this Geotour’s limited edition geocoin commemorating the 250th. Happy hunting!
Courtesy of Maryland Historical Trust
Founded in 1939, the Historical Society of Carroll County today preserves and interprets Carroll County’s diverse stories. Born July 1, 1849, Mary Shellman lived in the Sherman-Fisher-Shellman House from 1864 until 1921. Shellman dedicated her life to the service of her community as a poet, political writer, local leader, and later, influential suffragette, and was a prominent figure in the history of women’s rights in the United States.
Shellman was a nurse during the Civil War. After the war, she advocated for veterans and in her poetry, she argued that Americans should not conflate sympathy for lost Confederate lives with complacency for treason and slavery, which “had no place in the country’s future.” You can learn about Shellman’s many causes and activities at the Historical Society of Carroll County, including helping to establish Westminster’s first public library and serving with Clara Barton in the Red Cross.
Shellman was an advocate for women’s right to vote, organizing meetings and marches advocating for women’s suffrage. The suffrage movement was racially divided: many white suffragists distanced themselves from advocating for Black women’s right to vote, and Mary’s advocacy primarily centered on the rights of white women. Shellman’s contributions to Westminster throughout her life left a resounding impact on Carroll County and the country today.
Barrett, Heather and Pamela Young. “Mary Bostwick Shellman (1849 - 1938).” Maryland Women’s Heritage Center. https://mdwomensheritagecenter.org/directory-suffragebios/listing/mary-bostwick-shellman-1849-1938/.
Barrett, Heather. “Mary Bostwick Shellman: Carroll County Activist and Suffrage Leader.” Our History, Our Heritage: The Maryland Historical Trust Blog (2021). https://mdhistoricaltrust.wordpress.com/2021/03/.
“Mary Bostwick Shellman: From Civil War to Suffrage.” Historical Society of Carroll County. https://digitallibrary.hsccmd.org/digital-exhibits/mary-bostwick-shellman/.
The geocache is at the given coordinates. Please keep the ink pad and stamp in the geocache. They are not trade items. Please do not attempt this cache at night.
Thanks to the following members of the Maryland Geocaching Society in placing the hides for this Geotrail: deepdish23, hunterKat, GR8Caches, Snurt, Phos4s, JediTrashPanda and AL's Guide.