|
A Little History
Welcome to Quynn’s Attic. Please join us for a meal in Historic Downtown Frederick at the former site of Quynn’s hardware store, a business that operated for more than 200 years at this location. The Quynn store was formerly a private residence. Early photos show the windows of the shop in the style of normal homes and not that of a store. The first Quynn ledger, dated 1796, shows that many well-known Frederick families of the present day were Quynn’s customers in the 18th century and that the volume of business for the year 1796-1797 was at least ten thousand pounds, a great deal of money for those days.
The store seems to have handled all sorts of merchandise: hardware, dry goods, groceries, tobacco, shoes, clothing, hair powder, knee buckles, sword blades and belts, loaves of sugarcane, bearskins, umbrellas, ladies twist tobacco, whiskey, diamonds, pocket pistols, snuff boxes, hearing trumpets, coffin lace, various medicines, bar iron (for which a miniature railway was constructed in the building in order to bring iron from the cutting room to the front door), and an enormous selection of books. This great diversity of goods continued through the first half of the 19th century, when the establishment became a true hardware store.
In the main and private dining rooms you will notice a door that allowed access to the attic space. Thousands of pounds of goods would be hauled through these openings from a pulley below via a pulley near the roof, which is still visible outside today.
Having grown up in nearby Walkersville, executive chef and owner Michael King, hopes to keep Quynn’s history alive through good food, friendly service, and a warm atmosphere. Thanks for joining us!
|
