Jonathan Hager House Museum

Visit the refurbished home of Hagerstown's founder, Jonathan Hager, built circa 1739. This one-of-a-kind house museum is staged with historic furniture and artifacts. 
 
 Take a guided tour of the restored limestone homestead fortress built over a never-failing spring for an authentic educational heritage experience unlike any other. 
 
 Located at 110 Key Street in Hagerstown City Park in Washington County, Maryland.  

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Hours of Operation

Open Seasonally March 27 - October 4
Fridays & Saturdays 10am - 4pm
*NEW* beginning April 12, Open Sundays 12pm-4pm

Private tours are available by appointment. Please call at least 48 hours in advance: 301-739-8577 x 170 or email hagerhouse@hagerstownmd.org.

Admission Rates

$6.00 Adults
$4.00 Seniors (62+), Students (13-17), & Military
$4.00 Group Rate (8 person min.)
$3.00 Children (6-12)
  5 & under Free Admission

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This is a cashless site. Debit/Credit Card payment only

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2026 Special Events 

German Easter Tours
Fridays & Saturdays, 10am, Noon & 2pm
March 27 & 28, April 3 & 4

Learn how spring-time traditions came to life, who is the Easter bunny and why does she lay eggs? More Eastertide folklore and its ties to German heritage are revealed in this seasonal tour offering. $5/person, children 12 & under free.

2026 German Easter

Plein Air Art Festival 
Saturday, August 8, 2026

The Hager House welcomes all to Hagerstown City Park for an open-air day of creativity! Artists are invited to bring your own supplies and create original works of art outdoors inspired by nature. Free to the public; artist registration includes free tour.  Click here to learn more about this annual event!

City Park Fall Fest presented by Maryland Physicians Care
September 19, 11am – 4pm

Living history, pony rides, petting zoo and more with free admission during City Park Fall Fest. www.hagerstownmd.org/fallfest 

New this year, celebrating Herbstfest (German Fall Fest) at the Hager House! Special activities available 4pm-7pm. Stay tuned for more details.

America 250 Events

Jonathan Hager, The Patriot Tours
Fridays & Saturdays, 10am – 4pm, Sundays 12 – 4pm
May 22 – July 5

Tour the Jonathan Hager House and learn about the town founder’s legacy as a patriot leader in the decade leading up to the American Revolution, as well as his family’s contributions to the war, and the creation of Washington County.

1776: Hager’s Town at War
Saturday, June 6, 10am – 4pm

Commemorate the roles that the people of Washington County played in the fight for independence during the American Revolution. Meet with living historians and reenactors representing civilians, farmers, soldiers, blacksmiths, and gunsmiths during the year 1776. Featuring militia drills and 18th century musket and rifle firing demonstrations. Free.

Hagerstown 250

Jonathan Hager 1775 Founder of Hagerstown, MD


Jonathan Hager Week & Founder's Footsteps Walking Tour

Join us as we honor the life and legacy of Jonathan Hager—the founder of Hagerstown, Maryland—with a weeklong series of events marking the 250th anniversary of his passing. Visit www.hager250.org.

Museum Update

Updated 7/18/2025

For the next several months, the lower level of the museum will be closed for renovations. Please use the stairs to access the temporary museum space on the upper level to check in for tours, view artifacts, and browse the museum giftshop. If you have any questions or concerns about the change please call the office at 301-739-8577 x170.

Visitor Center Renovation

Beginning in 2025, the Jonathan Hager House Museum will be partially under construction as part of the renovation of the adjacent building for the future Jonathan Hager House Visitor Center. Phase I of this project is funded in part by an Appalachian Regional Commission Grant. The City of Hagerstown is proud to reach this phase of the project after five years of planning. 

Phase I includes the demolition of the existing museum exhibits (completed in 1967), renovation of the space including flooring, lighting and wall finishes, & the completion of the pre-production designs for brand new museum exhibits . Phase II will involve the fabrication and installation of the new exhibits into the space.

Follow our Facebook page for updates on the overall project, artifact highlights, and to stay involved in our progress.

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Hager House Trading Post
Hager House Cellar
Hager House Bedroom


 Situated in Hagerstown's City Park, the Hager House is built of uncut fieldstones carefully fitted by the young German immigrant who had traveled to the wilderness of Western Maryland for a fruitful future. Jonathan Hager arrived on the new colonies' shores in 1736, debarking at the Port of Philadelphia. In 1739 made his first land buy here, which was then part of Frederick County, and built this house where he settled in to embark on the grand ambitions that lay before him in the colonial western frontier of Maryland. 

Browse the Gift Shop

Nelson Book
Mish Book

Shop the Gift Shop

Shop the selection of books on colonial life and Jonathan Hager, historic reproduction items, plus games & toys for kids!

Site History

On June 5, 1739, Jonathan Hager purchased 200 acres of land from Daniel Dulany for 44 pounds. He dubbed his tract "Hager's Fancy." With the location carefully chosen over cool spring water, construction of the now 3 1/2-story home began. In 1740 Hager married German neighbor, Elizabeth Kershner and presented her with the new house. 

The new home must have evoked many pleasant memories for the Hagers. Styled in the German tradition, the large central chimney added warmth to the stone structure, while a fill of rye straw and mud between floors and partitions served as insulation against the cruel winters. During the summers, the family could retreat to the cellar where the spring water provided coolness, safety, and convenience. The Hagers must have been comforted by their home's twenty-two-inch walls, which stood firmly against man and nature. Structurally impregnable, with a protected water supply, Hager's home served as a frontier fort in case of Indian attack. 

Hagers Fancy
Visitor Center Entrance

The Hagers lived at "Hager's Fancy" for several years. During that time, Jonathan grew prosperous. He opened a trading post within his home while acquiring land. On May 8, 1745, "Hager's Fancy" was sold to Jacob Rohrer for 200 pounds. The house remained within the Rohrer family until 1944. At that time, it was acquired by the Washington County Historical Society under the leadership of Hager historian Mary Vernon Mish, the house was restored to its former colonial beauty. It was presented to the City of Hagerstown in 1954. In September 1962 the home was opened to the public on the bicentennial anniversary of Hagerstown.

Today, the Hager House is completely outfitted with authentic period furnishings. It depicts a life long since forgotten. Not many American cities older than the country itself can present the homes of their founders completely restored. Hagerstown, Maryland, has been given such a gift for stepping into the Hager House is like walking through the past.

Little Heiskell Original at Jonathan Hager House Museum

Evincing leadership from the moment of his arrival in Western Maryland, Hager quickly became a leading citizen. He was involved in many activities: farmer, cattleman, even a gunsmith. Hager was a volunteer Captain of Scouts during the French and Indian War. In 1762 he founded Hagerstown, and in 1771 and 1773, he was elected to the General Assembly at Annapolis, qualifying him as the first German to make his mark in politics.

On November 6, 1775, Captain Hager was accidentally killed while supervising the building of the German (now Zion) Reformed Church on land that he had donated. At the time, he was serving on various critical pre-Revolutionary War Committees. Hager has been called the "Father of Washington County" because he laid the groundwork for its separation from Frederick County in 1776 and the subsequent creation of Hagerstown as County.

Paranormal investigations and equipment are not permitted inside the Jonathan Hager House during private or public tours.