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The Historical Society of Carroll County’s East Main Street Campus in Westminster comprises of three historic structures, dating back to the early 1800s. The Kimmey House, built around 1800, features the Shriver-Weybright Auditorium and Naganna Exhibits Hall & History Learning Center. Cockey’s, once known as Cockey’s Tavern, was built in 1820 and houses the Helen A. Gorman Library of Carroll County History and Visitor’s Center. Our third historic building known as the Sherman-Fisher-Shellman House dates back to 1807. HSCC was founded in 1939 to save the Sherman-Fisher-Shellman House from demolition. The “Shellman House”, for short, functions as a historic house museum. Surrounding these historic structures is the Shipley Memorial Garden, where visitors can stroll through a recreated 19th-century kitchen garden and pleasure garden. The Society’s Auditorium can be rented for small receptions, meetings, holiday parties, birthdays, and other events by contacting Outreach and Events Director Laura Bankard at lbankard@hsccmd.org
HSCC’s rental rates can be found here.
Parking is available behind 216 East Main Street, free parking is also available on our end of Main Street, and at the municipal lot behind Ascension Church (off of Ralph Street).
Kimmey House
Kimmey features the Society’s Auditorium, Exhibits Hall, and History Learning Center. The space is available for rental and currently houses HSCC’s 250 Semiquincentennial exhibit.
Check out more Kimmey images and history on our Collections Hub and Digital Library, Documenting HSCC History 1939-Present
Sherman-Fisher-Shellman House
The Sheman-Fisher-Shellman House was built in 1806 and serves as a house museum, interpreting the lives of the many people who lived and worked in the home. Tours of the house are free and no appointment is needed.
Check out more Shellman images and history on our Collections Hub and Digital Library, Documenting HSCC History 1939-Present
Cockey’s
Many local residents remember Cockey’s Tavern as their favorite restaurant to visit and share stories with dear friends. After the closing of Cockey’s Tavern, the Society acquired the building in 2000 and completed major renovations on the structure. in 2026, HSCC dedicated the Helen A. Gorman Library of Carroll County History in the space.
Check out more Cockey’s images and history on our Collections Hub and Digital Library, Documenting HSCC History 1939-Present
Shipley Memorial Gardens
The gardens behind the Sherman-Fisher-Shellman House were made possible through the generosity of the Paul Shipley family in memory of Miss Lillian Shipley, our first resident curator.
Visit in the spring and into the summer and you can see the kitchen garden beside the back porch. We’ve put in some of the more interesting and unusual plants that may have been grown in the period 1800-1850 and used for food or medicinal and domestic-industrial purposes. The larger portion of the garden, “the Pleasure Garden,” is planted with a wide variety of plants, shrubs, and trees that would have been available during the same early 19th century period.