Frederick County officials cut the ribbon on September 16, 2026, on a new 6,000-square-foot carriage museum at Rose Hill Manor Park & Museums, replacing the outdated Morton building that had housed the county's horse-drawn vehicle collection for half a century. The new climate-controlled facility, named the Robert H. Renneberger Carriage Museum, now displays more than two dozen historic carriages, sleighs and wagons under modern environmental controls designed to better preserve and showcase the collection.
County Executive Jessica Fitzwater and Parks & Recreation Manager Kari Saavedra were among those on hand for the ceremony, according to the Maryland Daily Record. Fitzwater said the new facility represents an important investment in preserving Frederick County's history, noting that projects like the carriage museum strengthen the county's commitment to preserving its places, collections and stories while creating opportunities for residents and visitors to experience that history firsthand, per the same report. The project drew on both the state capital budget and Frederick County's capital budget, the outlet noted. Guests toured the new building and viewed the collection after the ceremony concluded.
A Building Meant to Outlast the Last One
The outdated Morton building that served as Frederick's carriage museum for 50 years had severe environmental and moisture infiltration problems that put the collection's wood, leather and upholstery at risk, according to ConstructConnect. The new single-story commercial facility was designed with dedicated classroom space, public restrooms and storage areas alongside expanded exhibit galleries, according to Frederick County Parks and Recreation.
Crews broke ground on the project on August 25, 2025, and finished construction roughly 13 months later, just ahead of the September 16, 2026 ribbon-cutting, according to a notice from PublicInput. The Maryland Historical Trust's Section 106 review team worked alongside Frederick County Parks and Recreation during the design process to protect the property's historic architecture and any subsurface archaeological resources while the new building went up, the trust said in a Facebook post.
State Dollars Meet a Milestone Anniversary
The project received a $500,000 state grant, which supplemented funding from Frederick County's Capital Improvement Program, according to Frederick County Parks and Recreation. Saavedra said the new space gives staff an opportunity to tell a more complete story about transportation and its role in the lives of Rose Hill residents, according to the Daily Record's report, and that the expanded exhibit space and improved climate controls will enable better care for the collection while creating more hands-on, engaging ways for visitors to explore travel history.
The timing is no accident. The completion of the facility coincides with the 50th anniversary of the carriage collection itself, as well as nationwide commemorations of the United States Semiquincentennial in 2026, according to Frederick County Government. The carriage collection examines various modes of transportation and connects visitors to the lives and experiences of people associated with Rose Hill Manor, offering, as the museum aims to, an intriguing and hands-on account of transportation's evolution.
A Park With Deep Roots in Frederick History
Rose Hill Manor itself dates to the mid-1790s, when it served as the retirement home of Thomas Johnson, Maryland's first elected governor and later an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, according to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Frederick County Commissioners acquired the 43-acre property in 1968 and opened the Children's Museum of Rose Hill Manor in 1972, according to Journey Through Hallowed Ground.
Today the 43-acre Rose Hill Manor park complex includes historic buildings.
