TOURISM & TOURS
Frederick's Other City
Mount Olivet Cemetery proudly welcome tourists and family historians intent on exploring the grounds, varied grave monuments and most importantly, the 40,000+ magnificent stories of "lives once lived."
A self-guided tour is available, and wayside interpretive panels assist in presenting background on the cemetery and notable individuals residing within. Special history walking tours of the cemetery are offered as well as lecture presentations. Usually these are part of the Friends of Mount Olivet annual membership program. Usually, announcements of these events are made on this site's homepage and our FaceBook page. (See also special events calendar for exact dates/times). On occasion, anniversary and commemorative events are held on the grounds and are open to the general public. For over seven years, Maryland Heritage Tours continues to present admission-based, candlelit, history walking tours, generally in October, but also at other times.
Mount Olivet hopes to build on its standing as a leading historic resource and tourism site for both the local community and travelers from around the world. We will continue to proudly showcase Frederick County and City history, made and shaped by countless people interred in our cemetery. Our public outreach, education and entertainment efforts include the fore-mentioned tours, special events and lectures, along with adding more outdoor interpretive exhibits to the grounds, research and creation of informative web-based history articles, to this website, enhancing genealogy assistance to visitors and lot-holders, creating additional historical interpretation assets, producing web-based articles/blogs, and conducting monument restoration projects.
Mount Olivet Cemetery holds Trip Advisor's Certificate of Excellence Award (2019), consistently ranked in the Top 20 of the most popular “things to do” in Frederick County. Founded in 2010, the Certificate of Excellence award honors the upper echelon of hospitality businesses that achieve outstanding traveler reviews on TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site.
Mount Olivet Cemetery proudly welcome tourists and family historians intent on exploring the grounds, varied grave monuments and most importantly, the 40,000+ magnificent stories of "lives once lived."
A self-guided tour is available, and wayside interpretive panels assist in presenting background on the cemetery and notable individuals residing within. Special history walking tours of the cemetery are offered as well as lecture presentations. Usually these are part of the Friends of Mount Olivet annual membership program. Usually, announcements of these events are made on this site's homepage and our FaceBook page. (See also special events calendar for exact dates/times). On occasion, anniversary and commemorative events are held on the grounds and are open to the general public. For over seven years, Maryland Heritage Tours continues to present admission-based, candlelit, history walking tours, generally in October, but also at other times.
Mount Olivet hopes to build on its standing as a leading historic resource and tourism site for both the local community and travelers from around the world. We will continue to proudly showcase Frederick County and City history, made and shaped by countless people interred in our cemetery. Our public outreach, education and entertainment efforts include the fore-mentioned tours, special events and lectures, along with adding more outdoor interpretive exhibits to the grounds, research and creation of informative web-based history articles, to this website, enhancing genealogy assistance to visitors and lot-holders, creating additional historical interpretation assets, producing web-based articles/blogs, and conducting monument restoration projects.
Mount Olivet Cemetery holds Trip Advisor's Certificate of Excellence Award (2019), consistently ranked in the Top 20 of the most popular “things to do” in Frederick County. Founded in 2010, the Certificate of Excellence award honors the upper echelon of hospitality businesses that achieve outstanding traveler reviews on TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site.
Self-Guided Tour
"Historic Mount Olivet Cemetery/Key Gravesite and Monument
As the name suggests, this is a self-guided tour that can be performed on your own within the confines of regular cemetery hours. The route requires picking up the brochure/map guide in advance from the information kiosk adjacent the Francis Scott Key Monument, or the Mausoleum/office lobby. The brochure can also be found at other sites such as the Frederick Visitor Center and select Maryland Welcome Centers.
Click here for a view-able version of the brochure.
"Stories in Stone" Lectures*
These PowerPoint lecture presentations take the form of Lunch & Learn activities. Topics range from Mount Olivet's history as a burying ground, interesting lives of cemetery inhabitants, and local Frederick history. Length will usually be 1-1.5 hours with opportunity for discussion and exploration (weather permitting). Feel free to bring your lunch. (NOTE: With Covid-19, these lectures will be held virtually over Zoom for the remainder of 2020)
Presenter: Chris Haugh
When: See Friends of Mount Olivet schedule (check home page)
Where: Online via Zoom
Cost: Free with Friends of Mount Olivet membership
Length: 1 hour, plus optional "stone exploration" immediately following lecture for those able & interested (weather permitting)
Contact: Email Chris at [email protected] or (301) 662-1164
*Friends of Mount Olivet membership required
"Frederick's Other City"
Mount Olivet Cemetery's Heritage Tour
A 90-minute tour through the hallowed grounds of Mount Olivet Cemetery. Learn about the 150 year+ history of one of Maryland's first and most respected "garden cemeteries," and meet notable "inhabitants" found within the cemetery such as Francis Scott Key, Barbara Fritchie, Civil War soldiers and Thomas Johnson, Jr.
Guide: Chris Haugh
When: Spring/Summer
Where: Leaves from Key Memorial Chapel
How: By appointment/reservation only
Cost: Suggested donation to the cemetery's accredited Preservation Fund (give what you feel)
Contact: Email Chris at [email protected] or (301) 662-1164
Private tours at varying lengths can be arranged for special groups/schools/bus groups and families. Free, but donations to the Mount Olivet Cemetery Preservation and Enhancement Fund (a 501 (c) (3) fund) are greatly appreciated. Please contact [email protected] to arrange.
"Candlelight History Tour of Mount Olivet Cemetery"
(presented by Maryland Ghost Tours)
Discover Frederick’s past while navigating by lantern and the light of the moon. This special seasonal experience takes participants on a leisurely tour through a labyrinth of graves, crypts and monuments of Historic Mount Olivet Cemetery. Costumed guides lead participants on a .09 mile journey through Mount Olivet’s hallowed grounds to pay respect to some of the cemetery's most famous and noteworthy figures.
For more information, reservations and updated schedule:
www.marylandghosttours.com
Presenter: Ron Angleberger
When: Fall 2020
Where: Meet by Mount Olivet's front gate/FSK monument
Cost: $12 adults $7 children (8-12) (rsvp appreciated)*
Contact: (301) 668-8922 or visit the website above for schedule/to make reservations
*NOTE: Please consider reserving tickets early as these tours sometimes sell out
"Frederick Under the Flag"
Veteran's Day Walking Tour *
A two-hour tour through Mount Olivet Cemetery that introduces visitors to some of the 4,000 veterans buried here. Connections are made to participants of almost every major military conflict in our country's history. These include Revolutionary patriots, Civil War soldiers from both sides, World War I doughboys and current era wars such as Korea and Vietnam.
Guide: Chris Haugh
When: Veterans Day (November 11, 2020) 12 noon
Where: Leaves from Key Memorial Chapel
Cost: FREE or donation to the cemetery's Preservation Fund (give what you feel)
Contact: Email Chris at [email protected] or (301) 662-1164
*Please RSVP as space will be limited
These PowerPoint lecture presentations take the form of Lunch & Learn activities. Topics range from Mount Olivet's history as a burying ground, interesting lives of cemetery inhabitants, and local Frederick history. Length will usually be 1-1.5 hours with opportunity for discussion and exploration (weather permitting). Feel free to bring your lunch. (NOTE: With Covid-19, these lectures will be held virtually over Zoom for the remainder of 2020)
Presenter: Chris Haugh
When: See Friends of Mount Olivet schedule (check home page)
Where: Online via Zoom
Cost: Free with Friends of Mount Olivet membership
Length: 1 hour, plus optional "stone exploration" immediately following lecture for those able & interested (weather permitting)
Contact: Email Chris at [email protected] or (301) 662-1164
*Friends of Mount Olivet membership required
"Frederick's Other City"
Mount Olivet Cemetery's Heritage Tour
A 90-minute tour through the hallowed grounds of Mount Olivet Cemetery. Learn about the 150 year+ history of one of Maryland's first and most respected "garden cemeteries," and meet notable "inhabitants" found within the cemetery such as Francis Scott Key, Barbara Fritchie, Civil War soldiers and Thomas Johnson, Jr.
Guide: Chris Haugh
When: Spring/Summer
Where: Leaves from Key Memorial Chapel
How: By appointment/reservation only
Cost: Suggested donation to the cemetery's accredited Preservation Fund (give what you feel)
Contact: Email Chris at [email protected] or (301) 662-1164
Private tours at varying lengths can be arranged for special groups/schools/bus groups and families. Free, but donations to the Mount Olivet Cemetery Preservation and Enhancement Fund (a 501 (c) (3) fund) are greatly appreciated. Please contact [email protected] to arrange.
"Candlelight History Tour of Mount Olivet Cemetery"
(presented by Maryland Ghost Tours)
Discover Frederick’s past while navigating by lantern and the light of the moon. This special seasonal experience takes participants on a leisurely tour through a labyrinth of graves, crypts and monuments of Historic Mount Olivet Cemetery. Costumed guides lead participants on a .09 mile journey through Mount Olivet’s hallowed grounds to pay respect to some of the cemetery's most famous and noteworthy figures.
For more information, reservations and updated schedule:
www.marylandghosttours.com
Presenter: Ron Angleberger
When: Fall 2020
Where: Meet by Mount Olivet's front gate/FSK monument
Cost: $12 adults $7 children (8-12) (rsvp appreciated)*
Contact: (301) 668-8922 or visit the website above for schedule/to make reservations
*NOTE: Please consider reserving tickets early as these tours sometimes sell out
"Frederick Under the Flag"
Veteran's Day Walking Tour *
A two-hour tour through Mount Olivet Cemetery that introduces visitors to some of the 4,000 veterans buried here. Connections are made to participants of almost every major military conflict in our country's history. These include Revolutionary patriots, Civil War soldiers from both sides, World War I doughboys and current era wars such as Korea and Vietnam.
Guide: Chris Haugh
When: Veterans Day (November 11, 2020) 12 noon
Where: Leaves from Key Memorial Chapel
Cost: FREE or donation to the cemetery's Preservation Fund (give what you feel)
Contact: Email Chris at [email protected] or (301) 662-1164
*Please RSVP as space will be limited
Mount Olivet's history experts: Chris Haugh (left) and Ron Pearcey (right).
For History's Sake
Mount Olivet is fortunate to have two local history experts on its full-time staff: Ron Pearcey and Chris Haugh. Both do their best to make sure Mount Olivet's visitors grasp the impact and importance of the cemetery on the Frederick community, both past and present.
Superintendent J. Ronald Pearcey has been working at Mount Olivet for over 50 years, nearly a third of the cemetery's existence. He has seen quite a bit of change to both the cemetery and Frederick over his tenure, all the while assisting families with thousands of burials of loved ones. Ron is also a genealogy enthusiast, and has constructed a personal family tree that holds over 7,000 names, many of which rest in peace here.
Countless visitors have entered Mount Olivet's gates over the years, and Ron has been on hand to share his vast knowledge of the cemetery's business history with them. He has also fielded more than his share of questions regarding Francis Scott Key, Barbara Fritchie and Confederate Row. Ron has been influential in assisting with commemorative ceremonies such as the 150th anniversary of Mount Olivet (2004), the centennial celebration of the FSK monument (1998) and the Bicentennial of Francis Scott Key's writing of the Star-Spangled Banner (2014). He has co-authored a written history of Mount Olivet "Frederick's Other City" and another on War of 1812 Veterans found in the cemetery. Ron is often called on to assist with cleanup or advice on other smaller historic and private burying grounds in the area.
Mount Olivet is fortunate to have two local history experts on its full-time staff: Ron Pearcey and Chris Haugh. Both do their best to make sure Mount Olivet's visitors grasp the impact and importance of the cemetery on the Frederick community, both past and present.
Superintendent J. Ronald Pearcey has been working at Mount Olivet for over 50 years, nearly a third of the cemetery's existence. He has seen quite a bit of change to both the cemetery and Frederick over his tenure, all the while assisting families with thousands of burials of loved ones. Ron is also a genealogy enthusiast, and has constructed a personal family tree that holds over 7,000 names, many of which rest in peace here.
Countless visitors have entered Mount Olivet's gates over the years, and Ron has been on hand to share his vast knowledge of the cemetery's business history with them. He has also fielded more than his share of questions regarding Francis Scott Key, Barbara Fritchie and Confederate Row. Ron has been influential in assisting with commemorative ceremonies such as the 150th anniversary of Mount Olivet (2004), the centennial celebration of the FSK monument (1998) and the Bicentennial of Francis Scott Key's writing of the Star-Spangled Banner (2014). He has co-authored a written history of Mount Olivet "Frederick's Other City" and another on War of 1812 Veterans found in the cemetery. Ron is often called on to assist with cleanup or advice on other smaller historic and private burying grounds in the area.
Chris Haugh holds the title of Mount Olivet's Community Relations and Historic Preservation Manager. For nearly 25 years, Chris has researched, produced and published numerous award-winning presentations on Frederick County history. In 1995, he told the City of Frederick's rich story using the Ken Burns documentary approach with a 10-hour epic history of the City of Frederick entitled “Frederick Town.” Haugh's 2012 documentary film “Maryland’s Heart of the Civil War,” received an Emmy®Award having been produced by the Tourism Council of Frederick County in partnership with Maryland Public Television (MPT) and shown on public television stations across the United States. Additional video works have centered on the region's pre-historic roots and inhabitants , Frederick's unique African-American heritage, the town of Thurmont and adjacent Catoctin Mountain, and most recently, Frederick's Civil War heroine, Barbara Fritchie.
Most recently, Haugh served for over 8 years with the Tourism Council of Frederick County, following 17 years overseeing Cable Channel 10 for GS Communications and Adelphia Communications. Today, Chris runs his own business entitled History Shark Productions, which specializes in history consulting, research, writing and family legacy documentation. He is a frequent lecturer, step-on tour guide and also teaches public history courses for Frederick Community College’s Institute for Learning in Retirement.
Contact Chris with a cemetery history question
Most recently, Haugh served for over 8 years with the Tourism Council of Frederick County, following 17 years overseeing Cable Channel 10 for GS Communications and Adelphia Communications. Today, Chris runs his own business entitled History Shark Productions, which specializes in history consulting, research, writing and family legacy documentation. He is a frequent lecturer, step-on tour guide and also teaches public history courses for Frederick Community College’s Institute for Learning in Retirement.
Contact Chris with a cemetery history question