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Best Western, Carroll County
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Enjoy our beautiful, contemporary rooms,
just minutes from the city center.
<< PreviousNext >>
Enjoy our beautiful, contemporary rooms,
just minutes from the city center.
<< PreviousNext >>
Enjoy our beautiful, contemporary rooms,
just minutes from the city center.
<< Previous| Next >>
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Welcome to Westminster, Maryland
The Best Western Westminster Catering and Conference Center is within easy access
to most highways, offering the perfect location for both leisure and business travelers.
Gettysburg & Baltimore
The Best Western Westminster Catering and Conference Center is less than half an
hour from Baltimore, Inner Harbor, and the Gettysburg Battlefield. Relive our history
with Gettysburg’s antique shops and museums, or experience the charm of Baltimore’s
Inner Harbor with its restaurants, shops and renowned aquarium. The Best Western
Westminster Hotel provides the perfect home base while exploring the surrounding
areas!
The Town
Westminster was founded in 1764 by William Winchester. The town lay at the junction
of the main route north from Washington D.C. and the turnpike from Baltimore to
Pittsburgh. Westminster saw Confederate cavalry pass through three times during
the war and Union troops twice. A skirmish between cavalry in June of 1863 led to
a delay in a report of Union troop movements to General Robert E. Lee in Gettysburg.William
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 Winchester
was born in Westminster England in 1711 and arrived at Annapolis in 1731 as an indentured
servant. He established himself as a farmer in Baltimore County and in 1747 married
Lydia Richards, daughter of Edward Richards. Richards was one of the Quaker founders
of a community, which became Hampstead, along the Patapsco-Conewago Road in the
current Carroll County. In 1754, William Winchester purchased 167 acres located
at Patapsco Falls and Little Pipe Creek. This parcel was first granted to John White
in 1733 and was called White's Level. Winchester built a home in 1760 on what is
now Stoner Avenue. He helped build the town's first log Church, which stood near
the old cemetery at the end of Church Street. Winchester served in the French and
Indian War in 1757 and was active in the support of the American Revolution. William
Winchester died in 1790. His wife, Lydia died in 1809. Both are buried alongside
their children in the old cemetery. Founded in 1764 and originally named Winchester,
the town changed its name to Westminster in 1768 because the mail was often delivered
in nearby Winchester, Virginia. When Carroll County was created in 1837, Westminster
was chosen as the county seat as it was the largest town and central to the area.
Westminster lay at the junction of the main route north from Washington D.C. and
the turnpike from Baltimore to Pittsburgh. Westminster became known as a trading
center populated by English from Annapolis, Germans from Pennsylvania and Scots
and Irish from Virginia. Local farmers and craftsmen traded with merchants travelling
to Baltimore from central Pennsylvania. Agriculture and leather-making was the town's
principal industries. The town saw Confederate cavalry pass through three times
during the war and Union troops twice. A Civil War skirmish between General J.E.B.
Stuart and Captain Corbit’s Company C and D of the Delaware Cavalry slowed Stuart's
march to Gettysburg and delayed his report to General Robert E. Lee concerning Union
troop movements.
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The Battlefields
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The Battle of Antietam, or Sharpsburg, on September 17, 1862, was the devastating
result of the Confederate’s first invasion of the North.The Battle of Gettysburg
opened on July 1, 1863 and closed two days later with the climactic "Pickett's Charge".
The Union Army successfully turned back the second invasion of the North by General
Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. It was the last effort by Lee to take the fighting
out of Virginia and into northern states.At Monocacy Battlefield on July 9, 1864,
Confederate General Early was advancing toward the Capitol when his troops encountered
Union forces. Although greatly outnumbered, General Wallace’ troops delayed the
Confederates advance until reinforcements arrived to defend the Capitol.
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Local Interest
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The Carroll County Farm Museum offers a treasure trove of period antiques, many
of which are donated by Carroll County families. The Carroll County Farm Museum
presents rural life as it was in the 19th Century and hosts encampments and other
special events.Just north on Route 97 is Union Mills or The Shriver Homestead. Two
brothers originally established the Shriver Homestead in 1797. Their children divided
the property and the slave owners living at the Homestead were loyal to the North,
and their kin living across the road were loyal to the South, although against slavery.Follow
Route 31 west to Uniontown Road and travel back in time to a quaint village with
eclectic architecture. General Hancock stayed at the home of Dr. Jacob Weaver, 3406
Uniontown Road, and met with his staff at the Uniontown Hotel, 3477 Uniontown Road.On
Route 140 west, Taneytown and the surrounding area are rich in historic landmarks
that affect the character of the area. Taneytown was a respite on the Road to Gettysburg.
Part of the City is designated as an Historic District on the National Register
of Historic Places.
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Frederick County to the west has numerous historical sites and old-fashioned rail
excursions. The town of Frederick is three miles from the Monocacy Battlefield and
fifteen miles from Antietam Battlefield. Harper’s Ferry is on the southern border
of the county across the Potomac River.Baltimore, with its ethnic and cultural neighborhoods,
historical sites and Chesapeake Bay dishes is twenty-five miles southeast. The Inner
Harbor features the National Aquarium and vintage ships.Washington D.C. has great
historic attractions such as the George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Arlington National
Cemetery, Smithsonian Museums, National Museum of Natural History, the National
Art Gallery, and the memorials on the Mall. The nation’s Capitol is only forty miles
from Westminster.Hanover, the county seat of York County, Pennsylvania is a short
drive from Westminster (fifteen miles north on Route 94).
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