A Look Back

Pressing Matters

By Rebecca Crago, Research Center Coordinator, Historical Society of Frederick County

Located on the southwest corner of Church and Market streets, the building seen here in 1870 was built around 1780. It housed the Examiner Printing Office that published the Frederick Political Examiner newspaper, starting in 1813, which changed its name to the Frederick Examiner in 1842.

It was known first for its staunch support of the Whig party, later backing the Know-Nothings and then the Republicans. According to diarist Jacob Engelbrecht, in September 1862 the building was vandalized by Confederate soldiers, leaving all the equipment and furniture destroyed. In 1877, the structure was extended 20 feet west. Sometime between then and 1892, the Examiner Printing Office moved to East Church Street. The newspaper ceased publication in 1913.

Although still known as the Examiner Building, the location has held many businesses since, and today is home to medical offices and The Orchard restaurant. While it has been altered several times, the building retains important architectural features such as Georgian-style stone stucco, an 18th-century wooden cornice along the roof and arched Federal-style dormer windows.