Taverns & Hotels

The Buffalo and City Hotels, predecessors on the FSK Hotel site	General Lafayette

There has been a tavern, a public house, or an “ordinary” on the site of The Dreaming since the Revolution. Forerunners to the FSK Hotel include the City Hotel, Talbott’s Hotel, and probably one or more eighteenth century taverns whose names have not survived.

In early America, taverns were in many ways the center of social and cultural life. Often located at crossroads, they were a meeting ground for people of different classes and social backgrounds. Some included an entrance for women and children that allowed them to avoid the bar area. Plays, oration and musical performances would be mounted there by traveling performers or by local amateurs before there were dedicated buildings for the performing arts. Shakespeare was a perennial favorite all over the new nation. The plays were so popular and well known that politicians would often reference the Bard to help them make their point.

Hotels and taverns were centers for other types of arts as well. Traveling paintings might be found on display there, and the place could be turned into a concert hall if needed. More often, the customers themselves would sing and play music for their own entertainment. Some tavern owners kept instruments on hand just for this purpose. Tavern owners were often respected figures in the community. James A. Helman's History of Emmitsburg, Md, 1909, describes one of the town's founders: "John Rogers, tavern keeper. That did not mean the keeper of a grogery. Oh, no. It meant a fine gentleman. Such as engaged in that occupation at that time."

Hotels and taverns were centers for other types of arts as well. Traveling paintings might be found on display there, and the place could be turned into a concert hall if needed. More often, the customers themselves would sing and play music for their own entertainment. Some tavern owners kept instruments on hand just for this purpose.

Englebrecht, the Frederick diarist of the 1800s recorded many such cultural happenings in the hotels, taverns, and fire halls in Frederick.

“Mr. Kelly of Baltimore gives (this evening) a concert of vocal and instrumental music at Mr. Talbotts Hotel.”
-Jacob Engelbrecht Wednesday July 17th 1822

Perhaps the most important event in this site’s cultural history was the grand ball held for General Lafayette in 1824.

“Major General LaFayette arrived in this town…He was received with…pomp & parade…There are two triumphal arches one at the corner of Market & Patrick Street & one at the corner of Market & Fifth Street. He last night attended a public dinner at Talbott's Tavern. He is now receiving the citizens & strangers at Talbotts…& tonight he will attend a ball at Talbotts. Our whole town is in an uproar all about LaFayette.”
- Thursday December 30th 1824 Jacob Engelbrecht

The current Francis Scott Key Hotel building was named for the author of the Star Spangled Banner who was born locally and briefly practiced law in Frederick. The building was an important community gathering place from the time it was built as a 200-room hotel in January 1923. The original site of the ball to welcome the Marquis de Lafayette to town was thus able to continue the tradition of balls and cotillions in the second floor ballroom. The FSK Hotel was the home for service clubs and families would come weekly, partaking of what many considered the best dining in the region and musical entertainment nightly for ten years by the FSK Ensemble. Famous guests in the second half of the twentieth century included Marilyn Monroe and John F. Kennedy (but not at the same time). In 1936, local radio station WFMD first went on the air from the hotel.

Content contributed by Marie Anne Erickson