The Shriners of Shriner Hall

​AUTHOR'S NOTE: The following "Story in Stone" was researched and written by Hood College senior Jim Ledford as part of his internship with us here at Mount Olivet Cemetery (spring semester 2026)

When walking through Hood College, there are many buildings that make up its campus, including academic, administrative, and residential buildings. One of these buildings is named Shriner Hall. Initially, upon seeing and hearing the name of the building, one might think of Shriners Hospital for Children. The Shriners Hospital is a network of non-profit pediatric hospitals that offer specialized medical care to children at no cost to patients and their families.

​There is no correlation between Shriners Hospitals and Shriner Hall in Hood College. Instead, the term "Shriner," in the hospitals' case, is connected to an American Masonic society called Shriners International and formally known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (AAONMS). Founded in 1872 in New York City, this organization is headquartered in Tampa, Florida, and has over 200 chapters across nine countries, with a global membership of nearly 1.7 million "Shriners". The organization is known for its colorful Middle Eastern theme, elaborate participation in parades and festivals, and the Shriners Children's network of nonprofit pediatric medical facilities.

Shriner Hall on the Hood Campus takes its name from an old Frederick family by the name of Shriner. It was built in 1914, which makes it the oldest dormitory on campus. The structure was built in Georgian style and opened its doors to students in the fall of 1915. Shriner Hall was built at a cost of $68,000 at the time, equivalent to $2,222,138 in today’s currency. It would receive its name the following summer. 

Frederick News (June 13, 1916)

​Shriner Hall stands at five stories tall and can house about 100 to 130 students. There have been renovations done to the dormitory that have preserved the historic character of the building while improving accessibility, performance of facilities in the building, and the quality of spaces students occupy. Social gathering places within Shriner Hall have been expanded and improved upon to enhance functionality and comfort within the dormitory, adding updated finishes and modernized bathrooms. These renovations also added improvements to the infrastructure of the building, adding new mechanical, electrical, and safety systems while still maintaining the historic feel of the structure. An elevator was also added to provide easy access to the whole building.

When the building was first built, it was simply known as "Residence Hall A," but was later renamed to Shriner Hall to thank the generosity of Edward Derr Shriner and memorialize his parents, Edward A. Shriner and Margaret Elizabeth (Derr) Shriner.  Edward Derr Shriner Sr. was the second cousin of Margaret Hood, from whom Hood College gets its name.

Edward D. Shriner

Margaret Hood (1833-1913)

​The Frederick Shriners
Edward Augustus Shriner was born on the 25th of January in 1830 in Ceresville, located just northeast of Frederick City and below Walkersville. The hamlet takes its name from Ceres, the ancient Roman goddess of agriculture, grain crops, fertility, and maternal relationships, often depicted as a nurturing yet powerful matron. 

Edward Augustus was married to the forementioned Margaret Derr, "the girl next door," and the couple had son Edward Derr Shriner. Mrs. Shriner met an untimely death at the age of 31, nine days after giving birth, on the 22nd of January, 1862.

Edward Augustus Shriner's  parents were Cornelius Shriner and Rebecca Scholl Shriner. He had one sister, Ann Elizabeth Shriner, and six half-siblings. Edward A. Shriner was the only son of Cornelius Shriner, who was a prominent businessman and miller in the Frederick area.

Edward A. Shriner

​Edward A. Shriner was born on the family homestead, which was attached to the family business known as Ceresville Mills, located on the east banks of the Monocacy River where Israel Creek empties into the Monocacy to the north of Frederick. The Ceresville Mills and estate consisted of roughly 600 acres of land.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the Ceresville estate was owned by the celebrated Revolutionary War Brigadier General Otho Holland Williams. Between the years of 1812 and 1816, his son, William Elie Williams, built the mansion-house, a sawmill, and built/operated the Ceresville flouring and gristmills on the plantation farmstead. The mill house, built out of stone, was roughly 40 feet by 60 feet, and stood four stories tall. It  was fitted and equipped with all the required machinery, enabling the mill to manufacture about 60 barrels of flour per day.

1858 Beers Atlas of Frederick County showing Ceresville northeast of Frederick City

1858 Beers Atlas showing close-up of Ceresville vicinity on the east side of the Monocacy on the Liberty Road (MD 26)

Ceresville Mill and estate

​The mill used the flowing waters from the Israel Creek to move two overshot waterwheels that stood 16 feet high. Subsequently, the mansion-house was the home of Charles Johnson, the father of Confederate Brigadier General Bradley T. Johnson, and Major Daniel Hughes, who distinguished himself in the earlier conflicts during the Seminole Wars. In 1826, Cornelius Shriner (b. 1800), the father of Edward A. Shriner, leased the Ceresville Mills and purchased the mills and estate the following year. In 1840, Cornelius bought a half-interest in the Linganore Mills, and in 1844, purchased the Carroll Creek flouring mills from Colonel Edward Schley. In 1850, Cornelius Shriner purchased the remaining interest in the Linganore Mills and estate from Lewis V. Scholl.

Cornelius Shriner and family in the 1850 US Census. Father and son are listed as millers

Cornelius Shriner dealt largely in grain to supply the Linganore and Carroll Creek flour mills and became one of Maryland's largest flour manufacturers. He also dealt largely in grain and livestock, which he shipped to Baltimore, where his son, Edward A. Shriner, was associated with George Sauerwein in the produce and commission house of G. Sauerwein and Co.

Cornelius Shriner died at age 54 on September 13th, 1854, after being thrown from his horse while riding to church. He was paralyzed as a result of the fall after being brought back to his Ceresville home unconscious and then suffered a brief illness before his death. Mr. Shriner was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in a family plot in Area G. Mount Olivet had formally opened just months earlier in May.

Baltimore Sun (Sept. 21, 1854)

Edward A. Shriner received his training as a miller thorough mentorship from his father since childhood. Before entering the milling business, he completed his formal education at Mercersburg College. In 1850, his father granted him an interest in the company, and by 1852, he was sent to Baltimore to associate himself with Mr. Sauerwein. Edward returned home to take over the Ceresville operation upon his father's tragic death. In 1858, Edward A. Shriner married Margaret A. Derr, the daughter of next door neighbor John Derr. She was the great-granddaughter of early German immigrant Sebastian Derr (1727-1802), the man who patented Dearbought. As stated earlier, Mary would die on January 21st, 1862 at the age of 29.

1870 US Census showing father and son living at Ceresville without Mary.

​Edward A. Shriner made many improvements to the mills. As for the Ceresville Mills property, it included three burr mills and one chopper mill, and was capable of manufacturing flour by using the most modern processes known at the time. Under the ownership of Edward A. Shriner, the mill operation was capable of grinding 50,000 bushels of wheat annually, producing roughly 8,000 barrels of flour per year. Of these, 7,000 barrels would be shipped to markets for sale elsewhere.

Ceresville Millhouse

Because the mills had been owned by the Shriner family for so long, both the Shriners and the mills had built up a reputation as a result of the quality of the products they produced. The Ceresville Mills would produce some of the purest flour made only from the best wheat. The flour was so well made that it was thought that the Ceresville Mills were among the best flour mills south of the Mason-Dixon Line and was known in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore markets as the “Ceresville, Bloomingdale, and E. A. Shriner brands of family flour.”

Edward Derr Shriner, the son of Edward A. Shriner and Margaret (Derr) Shriner, entered the family milling business at Ceresville as a book-keeper after completing his education. He would eventually purchase the Ceresville Mills from his father and establish the E. A. Shriner Milling Company.

Edward D. Shriner was head of household at Ceresville in the 1900 US Census. He married Nannie Getzendanner in 1890. Edward's father and son of the same name also lived with the couple.

​Edward A. Shriner died on the 22nd of December in 1901 in Frederick. He was buried alongside his father in the family plot within Mount Olivet Cemetery. 

Frederick News (Dec. 26, 1901)

Frederick News (Dec. 23, 1901)

Shriner Monument in Area G/Lot 138

The Mill continued to flourish under Edward Derr Shriner's ownership. He was quite active in the Frederick community and his church. He also took a great interest in the new campus for the former Frederick Women's College. 

1930 US Census showing Edward Derr Shriner and family at Ceresville

Edward Derr Shriner would die on April 29th, 1930 at the age of 67. He would be buried with his parents in the family plot in Mount Olivet under the large monument that stands mere yards from the cemetery's well-known Confederate Row.

Frederick News (April 30, 1930)

Among the names appearing on the west side of the Shriner monument are wife Nannie Getzendanner (1867-1952) and Edward Derr Getzendanner Shriner, Jr. and wife Margaretta (Fromke) Shriner (1904-1999). Edward Derr and Nannie's  son lived from 1894-1979. Interestingly, his photo was featured in the History of Frederick County by T.J.C. Williams and published  in 1910 while a young teenage boy. He went on to have a career in the oil business and did quite well for himself. ​

Frederick Post (Aug 22, 1979)

Shriner Hall (highlighted in red) in relation to the Hood Campus

To understand the connection between Hood College and the Shriners, one must look to the person that the college is named after. Margaret Elizabeth (Scholl) Hood was a very well-educated and wealthy woman, once married to James Mifflin Hood regarded as one of the most enterprising and successful men in Frederick County.

James Mifflin Hood (1821-1894)

Margaret Elizabeth (Scholl) Hood

To help with the establishment of Hood College, known as Woman’s College of Frederick at the time, Mrs. Hood donated $25,000 (which in today’s currency is roughly $994,617) to institute the College’s endowment. She also donated a 28-acre tract of land worth roughly $2,800 at the time ($111,397 adjusted for today's currency rates) on which the college stands today. In Mrs. Hood’s will, she left an additional $30,000, which equates to roughly $1.1 million today. The money left in her will was the driving force for the construction of both Alumnae Hall and Shriner Hall.

​Because of Mrs. Hood’s support and generosity, the Women’s College of Frederick was renamed Hood College in commemoration of her significant contributions. One might wonder how Edward A. Shriner and Margaret Hood are connected? The mother of Mr. Edward A. Shriner (Rebecca Scholl - 1807-1838) and the father of Mrs. Hood (Daniel Scholl -1798-1873) were siblings, making Mr. Shriner and Mrs. Hood first cousins. Because their families remained close with one another and continued to live within the Frederick area, Mrs. Hood’s second cousin and son of Mr. Edward A. Shriner was very familiar with the development of Hood College. Edward Derr Shriner would serve as another very generous donor and contributor to Hood College. To recognize his generosity, the college decided to name its first residence hall in memory of of his parents.

​Today, Shriner Hall is at the heart of Hood’s Campus. Students live within, or walk by, the dormitory daily while classes are in session. Likewise, Frederick locals inevitably pass and  perhaps ponder the name of Shriner Hall year-round. If it were not for the support of Mrs. Hood, Shriner Hall might not even be standing today. If it were not for the generosity of Edward Derr Shriner, the dormitory would certainly not have received the name it still holds today.

This is not the only monument still standing to the Shriner family. the family homestead is still standing in the form of The Ceresville Mansion and is a very popular wedding venue and special event facility. The old Ceresville Mill, also know later as Kelly's Mill can be seen by passersby on Route 26. Of course, there is the family monument in Mount Olivet Cemetery as well.