During the early days of the US, settlers arrived at the ports of
Philadelphia and Baltimore from Europe. To find land, they moved west
into Pennsylvania, Maryland and south into the Shenandoah Valley. Many
settled in the Frederick area and made significant contributions to the
young nation. Francis Scott Key was one of them. He was born in the
county and is buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery.
In the early 1700's German settlers began to move into this part of Maryland. (Land in Pennsylvania had become too expensive for new arrivals.) The Bruner family bought 303 acres and named it after their home region of Germany. The first house was wood, but in 1758 this stone house was built. In 1974, the house was purchased by the Fredrick County Landmarks Foundation and is now a museum.