Roger Brooke Taney House

The Roger Brooke Taney House, a historic site of the Historical Society of Frederick County, interprets the property owned by Roger Brooke Taney (1815-1823), a Frederick lawyer who later served as the fifth Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. The site, including the house, detached kitchen, root cellar, smokehouse and slaves’ quarters, explores life in the early 19th century for middling families throughout the Frederick region and the life of Roger B. Taney. The exhibit explores the tumultuous relationship between the sixteenth President and the Chief Justice. Lincoln’s condemnation of the Supreme Court’s Dred Scott decision during his campaign debates with Stephen Douglas helped to set the tone for a problematic post-election relationship with Taney.  In 1861, Taney challenged Lincoln’s authority and decision to suspend habeas corpus in Ex Parte Merryman. Lincoln ignored Taney’s demands and focused his attentions on the war.