Gate House Museum of History

Visit the interactive Gate House Museum website

Meet our new Curator!

Adrienne has served as a volunteer at the Gate House Museum since 2018. She has her Bachelor’s degree in history from the College of Charleston and Master’s degree in teaching from Clemson University. Her experience includes teaching in both public and private schools, researching almshouses and asylums in Maryland, organizing oral history and reference library cataloging protocols, and has assisted with all existing public programs at the Gate House including research assistance, programming, and volunteer recruitment.

We are happy to have Adrienne as a member of the Sykesville Team.

Opened at its present location on September 7, 1997, the Sykesville Gate House Museum of History strives to preserve and interpret the abundant history of the Town of Sykesville in Carroll County, MD, and its surrounding communities through its collections, exhibits, and special events. The Gate House Museum facility was originally part of the Springfield Hospital Center, one of the nation’s largest psychiatric institutions in the early to mid-1900’s.

The Gate House didn't serve long in its original purpose as a controlled entry point to Springfield Hospital.  Beginning in 1913, the family of William Shipley lived in the Gate House.  Shipley served as the chief purchasing agent for the hospital, and lived there until his death in 1954.

After the Shipley's left, the house fell into disrepair, and when Route 32 cut the house off from the hospital, the Gate House became further neglected.  Eventually, the Town bought the house from the State.

A group of volunteers put in countless hours, gathering artifacts, analyzing paint, battling termites, and turning the old house into the Town museum.  

Please take some time to visit our museum and learn more about the history of Sykesville.