By Olivia Millunzi, Heritage Frederick

New Market was settled in 1745 as trade routes developed between Baltimore and Frederick. In 1788 Nicholas Hall tried to expand New Market by platting the land. Platting is a process where land is subdivided into parcels; modern plats are usually 5 acres or smaller. Unfortunately, Hall ran into disputes with William Plummer, an adjacent landholder, and was forced to delay his project. On Aug. 1, 1792, Plummer laid out 36 lots for the center of town; Hall added 134 lots the next January to form the bulk of New Market.

New Market is known as the Antiques Capital of Maryland, and is a featured town for Main Street Maryland, a program run by the state Department of Housing and Community Development that promotes traditional main streets and neighborhoods. There are 33 Main Street Maryland locations, including Middletown, Frederick, Thurmont, Brunswick and Mount Airy, as well as New Market.

As with most towns on the National Pike, New Market was a frequent stop for travelers. According to a marker near the center of town, travelers paid about 25 cents for lodging and 5 cents for whiskey in 1805; by then New Market was well known as the first stop on the road west from Baltimore.