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The Historical Society of Carroll County was founded in 1939 to save the Sherman-Fisher-Shellman House (1807) from demolition. As the organization grew, the Society expanded its historic campus to include the Kimmey House, Cockey’s, and the Shipley Memorial Gardens. Our historic buildings and gardens create the backdrop for the Society to tell Carroll County’s stories and place them within the larger context of the American experience. Currently, HSCC’s collections number nearly 40,000 items, including county-relevant archival documents, photographs, and three-dimensional objects. In 2023, HSCC’s Board of Trustees and Staff approved an ambitious Strategic Action Plan to reaffirm the organizations’ commitment to community and telling diverse stories of Carroll County’s past.
The Historical Society of Carroll County (HSCC) was founded in 1939 to save the Sherman-Fisher-Shellman House (1807) from demolition. Eventually, HSCC acquired two additional buildings—Kimmey House (c. 1800) and Cockey’s (c. 1820). All three historic houses create the backdrop for HSCC’s public charge—to tell Carroll County’s stories and place them within the larger context of the American experience. The Society has collected and continues to collect the tangible remembrances of Carroll County history dating from the settlement period to the present. The collections also document county businesses and institutions. Currently, its collection numbers more than 35,000 items, including 22,000 archival documents, 5,000 photographs, and 9,000 three-dimensional objects.
Our Values
- Authenticity: Authenticity means embracing and expressing one’s history and character, being genuine and true to one’s roots. Authenticity is unembellished, unfiltered, and demands impeccable scholarship. HSCC values artifacts and true stories of history.
- Collaboration: Collaboration is the way we work together to unlock our full potential. It is being inclusive, sharing our ideas and abilities, seeking the contributions and viewpoints of others, and reflecting that input in our work.
- Creativity: Creativity drives us to generate new ideas, innovative products and experiences and to imagine different ways of meeting people’s needs and expectations. It is important because it allows us to make history more interesting and fun for visitors and offers ways to present history that differs from what is done via books.
- Inclusion: HSCC reaffirms its goal to be inclusive and inviting to all members of the community, regardless of race, gender, orientation or creed, who share the common goal of preserving historical artifacts and telling the unembellished, unfiltered, and true stories of Carroll County in the spirit of HSCC’s core value of authenticity.
- Integrity: Integrity means being honest, ethical and fair. It is the foundation of trust on which our relationships, reputation and authority are built. It is of paramount importance in meeting our public trust responsibilities.
- Stewardship: Stewardship means protecting and caring for the tangible evidence of Carroll County history—its collections (artifacts, documents, historic houses, grounds).