| Maryland (Montgomery County), Barnsville — Barnesvile Station |
| | Dedicated October 8, 1977 Built about 1930 as the first metering station for the Washington area gas supply, this building was saved from imminent destruction by concerned citizens dedicated to both the preservation of the visible past and revitalization of the railroad. On February 16, 1977 it travelled 23 miles by road from Rockville to begin a new existence as the Barnesville railroad station. Its rescue and renovation were made possible by: Montgomery County Washington Gas Light Company . . . — Map (db m18379) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Barnsville — Barnesville — “... a bad night of it...” — Gettysburg Campaign |
| | The advance of Union Gen. John F. Reynolds’ I Corps began slogging through Barnesville on the morning of Friday, June 26, 1863, having crossed the Potomac River the afternoon before and camped west of town. Continuous heavy rain made marching muddy and camping soggy, but recently mowed straw from a nearby farm provided dry bedding for some. A Pennsylvania officer wrote, “The troops had a bad night of it—the more dismal from their inability to cook supper, and the incessant braying . . . — Map (db m1678) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Barnsville — Barnesville — “Before night our town changed hands five times!” — Antietam Campaign 1862 |
| | On the evening of September 5, 1862, Gen. Wade Hampton’s and Gen. Fitzhugh Lee’s Confederate cavalry brigades bivouacked around Barnesville. They rode the next day to their base camp at Urbana, leaving the 9th Virginia Cavalry to guard Barnesville. The next few days were peaceful here, but on September 9 the war came to Barnesville in a hurry, past this very spot. The 8th Illinois Cavalry, following a skirmish with the 12th Virginia Cavalry at Monocacy Church, pushed on to Barnesville and . . . — Map (db m1679) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Beallsville — Beallsville — Squabble at the cemetery: Whose flag flies today? — Antietam Campaign 1862 |
| | On September 9, 1862, the running engagement between Illinois, Indiana, and Virginia cavalry units that began the day before in Poolesville continued in Beallsville when two Federal regiments forced the single regiment of Virginia cavalrymen posted here to flee to Barnesville. The fight cost the Virginians two dead, their captain and six enlisted men made prisoners, and their regimental flag captured as well. The Indiana troopers pressed into Barnesville where skirmishing continued. During . . . — Map (db m1681) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Bethesda — Battery Bailey |
| | During the Civil War, fortifications were constructed around the perimeter of Washington to defend the city from attack by the Confederate Army. Paramount to survival under siege was protection of the city's water supply. Forts Sumner and Mansfield and a string of connecting batteries, including Battery Bailey, were constructed to guard the receiving reservoir of the Washington aqueduct and the Potomac River shoreline. Battery Bailey, named for Colonel Guilford D. Bailey of the Union Army, is . . . — Map (db m17647) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Bethesda — Col. Guilford Dudley Bailey — The Fallen Union Officer for Whom the Battery Was Named |
| | [Panel 1]
Born June 4, 1834, in Martinsburg, New York, this 1856 West Point graduate returned to his alma mater as an instructor following a tour of duty in the west and midwest. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Bailey organized the First New York Light Artillery and was appointed its colonel on September 24, 1861. During the Battle of Seven Pines near Williamsburg, Virginia, on May 31, 1862, Colonel Bailey was killed instantly at the tragic young age of 28.
[Panel 2] . . . — Map (db m17695) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Bethesda — Five Points, Historic Crossroads |
| | This commemorative site known as "Five Points," has been used as a commercial crossroads for almost 300 years. Its name was derived from the old Indian trails which are now merged and identified as Edgemoor Lane, Wisconsin Avenue, East West Highway and Old Georgetown Road.
The Bethesda Metro Center, now located at this historic site, continues as a focal point and hub for travel, lodging and business.
Dedicated to the Citizens of Montgomery County by Rozansky & Kay Construction Company, Bethesda, Maryland. 1685–1985 — Map (db m84) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Bethesda — Fort Sumner |
| | Forts Alexander, Ripley and Franklin, built to protect the Washington water system in 1861, were connected by earthworks in 1863 and renamed Ft. Sumner to honor Maj. Gen. Edwin V. Sumner, A hero of Antietam. The fort’s 28 cannon providea a formidable bulwark against raiding Confederates. Nothing remains of the fort but an outline of it appears on the reverse. — Map (db m3448) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Bethesda — 12 — Madonna of the Trail |
| | (East Face) N.S.D.A.R. Memorial to the Pioneer Mothers of the Covered Wagon Days.
(North Face) This the first military road in America beginning at Rock Creek and Potomac River, Georgetown, Maryland, leading our pioneers across this continent to the Pacific.
(South Face) Over this highway marched the army of Major General Edward Braddock, April 14, 1755, on its way to Fort Duquesne.
(West Face) The National Old Trails Road. — Map (db m18437) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Bethesda — Robert W. Leibling |
| | In loving memory of Robert W. Leibling, Husband, Father, WWII Captain, Community Leader, Executive. 1923–2000.
Robert W. Lebling gave to the community with passion, just as he loved his family and friends. Highly respected for his civic and business leadership, Mr. Lebling served on numerous boards and committees for the economic betterment of Bethesda.
As President of the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Chamber of Commerce during 1964 and 1965, he led the Bethesda Beautification Project . . . — Map (db m85) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Bethesda — The Georgetown Branch Railroad |
| | The Capital Crescent Trail follows the route of an old railroad line called the Georgetown Branch of the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O). It's all that remains of an unrealized attempt by the B&O to construct a major rail link between the Baltimore-Washington area and southern states. Had it been successfully developed, this part of the Washington area might look very different today.
In the late 1880s, the B&O was eager to capture more business in southern states but lacked a good Potomac River . . . — Map (db m83) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Bethesda — The Linden Oak — - 1976 - |
| |
Known locally as "The Linden Oak," this white oak tree (Quercus alba) is the fourth largest of its species in the state of Maryland and the largest in Montgomery County. How it came to be called "The Linden Oak" is unknown.
Recognized in the Bicentennial year of 1976, this white oak tree is more than 250 years old and was a seedling 25 years before George Washington was born. The tree, a symbol of the state of Maryland, is over 95 feet in height and has a crown spread in excess of 132 . . . — Map (db m22317) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Brookeville — Brookeville — Prisoners Paroled |
| | On June 28, 1863, Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart left Rockville with three cavalry brigades, 125 captured Union supply wagons, and more than 400 military and civilian prisoners, arriving in Brookeville that night. At every opportunity, prisoners Maj. James C. Duane (Chief Engineer, Army of the Potomac) and Capt. Nathaniel Michler (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) urged Stuart to parole them. Finally consenting, Stuart prepared paroles at Brookeville and at Cooksville the next morning, slowing his . . . — Map (db m366) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Brookeville — Brookeville Angel |
| | Sculptor Stefan Saal created the Brookeville Angel over a three-month period in 1994 from a white oak tree (Quercus alba) located on the east side of Georgia Avenue (Rt. #97) south of town. "Father Don" (Donald Van Alstyne) of the Marian Fathers Novitiate had commissioned the sculpture to commemorate the Town of Brookeville's Bicentennial celebration that year. The sculpture represents the artist's depiction of the Archangel Gabriel and is dedicated to "All of God's Children."
Unforeseen . . . — Map (db m368) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Brookeville — Historic Brookeville |
| | Welcome to Historic Brookeville. Founded 1794. United States Capitol for a Day. August 26, 1814. Incorporated 1808. — Map (db m3565) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Brookeville — In This House |
| | In this house August 26-27, 1814, President James Madison and Richard Rush, Attorney General, were sheltered after the burning by the British of the public buildings at Washington August 24-25, 1814. — Map (db m364) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Brookeville — Madison House |
| | On August 26, 1814 this house provided shelter for President Madison and his official party during the British burning of the federal buildings in Washington, D.C. in the War of 1812. The following day, August 27th, the Secretary of State James Monroe joined the President here and they returned to the Capitol. — Map (db m365) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Brookeville — Newlin’s Mill |
| | In 1800, Thomas Moore, Jr. and his wife, Mary Brooke Moore sold to David Newlin four acres inherited from Mrs. Moore's father, Roger Brooke IV, described as "standing below Newlin's Mill dam". Initially, Newlin operated an oil mill on this site, grinding flax seed into linseed oil. A covenant prevented Newlin from grinding grain and competing with Richard Thomas' mill on the east side of Brookeville. By 1825 however, a notice to sell the mill described Newlin's as a grist, saw, oil and clover . . . — Map (db m369) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Brookeville — Newlin’s Mill Millstone |
| | Newlin's Mill was located on the west side of Brookeville in the vicinity of Brookeville Road and Market Street (Route 97) and was operated from the early 19th century to the early 20th century. This versatile mill sawed lumber, pressed oil from castor and flax seeds, hulled clover seed, and ground lime-stone for plaster. Physicians of the day pronounced its castor oil of "superior quality to that which is generally imported."
This millstone, according to a manuscript by Edith (Brooke) . . . — Map (db m367) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Brookeville — Oakley Cabin |
| | This log structure, acquired as part of Reddy Branch Stream Valley Park, was once part of Oakley Farm. Built before or just after emancipation, the cabin is representative of slave or tenant housing and is a rare surviving example. Reddy Branch, which flows through the parkland to the rear of the cabin, once provided water power for a mill in nearby Brookeville. The mill race, a trench engineered to carry water to the mill, still flows the contour of Brookeville Road. — Map (db m5415) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Brookmont — A Canal Home |
| | “When I was 7, we moved [to the] lock, and we were very happy. My mother was so happy to have a home; she was just about wild. And we did love it here, as a locktender, you know?” —Lavenia Cross Waskey
The canal company supplied locktenders with a house next to the lock which enabled them to work the lock day and night. The house provided more than a roof over their heads: it was a stable home for their families. For children, used to the transient canal . . . — Map (db m728) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Brookville — August 26, 1814 |
| | In this village President Madison and members of his official family found refuge in the home of Caleb Bentley, first Postmaster of Brookeville, following the burning of the Capitol and the White House by the British army. Many other refugees from Washington also found shelter here. — Map (db m363) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Cabin John — Cabin John |
| | [ Panel 1] “... in our midst exists one of the most imposing and wonderful structures which engineering skill could devise ...” --William T.S. Curtis, November 1, 1897, from a paper read before the Columbia Historical Society. As late as the mid-19th century, Georgetown and Washington, D.C. lacked a plentiful and reliable source of safe drinking water and adequate water for fighting fires. In 1851 Congress commissioned studies to solve the city’s water problem well into . . . — Map (db m22636) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Chevy Chase — Colonel Joseph Belt |
| | 1680 Maryland 1761. Patentee of "Cheivy Chace", Trustee of first free schools in Maryland, one of the founders of Rock Creek Parish, member of the House of Burgesses, Colonel of Prince George's County militia during the French and Indian War. — Map (db m378) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Colesville — Smithville Colored School — A Julius Rosenwald School |
| | Built in 1927, the Smithfield Colored School was one of sixteen schools for African Americans constructed in the county with financial assistance from the Julian Rosenwald Fund. The Smithville school was built near Colesville, Maryland to provide "colored" students a better opportunity for education. The land for the school was donated, and the community raised money to supplement the Rosenwald Fund and donated materials and labor. The school name came from the surrounding community which had . . . — Map (db m329) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Comus — Mt. Ephraim Crossroads — Sharpshooters Hold the Line — Antietam Campaign 1862 |
| | You are looking at Sugarloaf Mountain, where the running cavalry fight that began in the late afternoon on September 9, 1862, in Barnesville came to a halt. By the next morning, the 7th and 9th Virginia Cavalry had been brought to bay here at the southern base of the mountain by the 8th Illinois and 3rd Indiana Cavalry. Both sides had been reinforced, and each had brought up artillery. Dismounted sharpshooters of the 2nd Virginia Cavalry looked down on the Federals from among the trees and . . . — Map (db m1683) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Darnestown — Darnestown — Confederate Visit — Gettysburg Campaign |
| | On June 25-27, 1863, the Federal Army of the Potomac used two temporary pontoon bridges to cross the Potomac River from Virginia back into Maryland at Edwards Ferry. On the evening and morning of June 27-28, Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart led 5,000 cavalrymen in three brigades into Maryland at Rowsers Ford. His men captured and questioned local Chesapeake and Ohio Canal boatmen who provided information that led to the seizure of several vessels, including a barge with 150 U.S. Colored Troops . . . — Map (db m1684) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Dawsonville — White’s Ferry |
| | → 12 Miles →
And old ferry and ford across the Potomac River often used during the war between the states by Confederate forces under Generals Robert E. Lee, Jubal Early, J.E.B. Stuart and others during campaigns and raids in Maryland. — Map (db m1680) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Dickerson — 1862 Antietam Campaign — Lee Invades Maryland |
| | Fresh from the victory at the Second Battle of Manassas
General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia crossed the Potomac River on September 1-6, 1862,
to bring the Civil War to Northern soil and to recruit sympathetic Marylanders. Union Gen. George B.
McClellan’s Army of the Potomac pursued Lee, who had detached Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson’s
force to capture the Union garrison at Harper's Ferry.
After the Federals pushed the remaining Confederates
out of the South . . . — Map (db m809) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Dickerson — Chesapeake & Ohio Canal |
| | Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park. The canal and towpath are dedicated to Justice William O. Douglas of White Ferry. — Map (db m810) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Dickerson — Chesapeake and Ohio Aqueduct — Across the Monocacy River |
| | Largest of eleven C&O aqueducts. Finished 1833, Alfred Cruger, Principal Engineer. Constructed of quartzite from Sugarloaf Mountain. It served until 1924, when after a flood, commercial operations ceased. Administered by the National Park Service. — Map (db m15016) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Dickerson — Gettysburg Campaign — Invasion & Retreat |
| | After stunning victories at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, Virginia, early in May 1863, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee carried the war through Maryland, across the Mason and Dixon Line and into Pennsylvania. His infantry marched north through the Shenandoah Valley and western Maryland as his cavalry, led by Gen. J.E.B. Stuart, harassed Union supply lines to the east. Union Gen. Joseph Hooker, replaced on June 28 by Gen. George G. Meade, led the Army of the Potomac from the Washington . . . — Map (db m808) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Dickerson — Historic Site [ B&O RR station] |
| | Historic Site
Montgomery County Master Plan
For Historic Preservation — Map (db m4288) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Dickerson — Monocacy Aqueduct — Too Tough To Crack — Antietam Campaign 1862 |
| | Confederate Gen. D. H. Hill’s division crossed the Potomac at Point of Rocks on September 4, 1862, and marched south to clear Union forces from the area. His men breached and drained the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal at several places, burned canal boats, and damaged the Spinks Ferry Lock (Lock 27) south of here. They also breached the Little Monocacy Culvert but did not have enough tools or spare gunpowder to damage the vital Monocacy Aqueduct.
On September 9, Confederate Gen. John G. Walker’s . . . — Map (db m712) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Dickerson — Springing Over the Monocacy — The Enduring Aqueduct |
| | Springing Over the Monocacy. Captain William McNeill of the U.S. Topographical Engineers called this aqueduct “...a work which, while it is highly ornamental, unites...in its plan and execution, ‘the true principles of economy, usefulness and durability.’ ” Much of that durability was the result of its design and construction.
Building the Monocacy Aqueduct required four years, 200 men, and thousands of tons of cut stone. Benjamin Wright, the canal’s Chief Engineer, designed . . . — Map (db m714) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Dickerson — Washington's Farm |
| | 519 acres owned 1794-1799 by the First President Thomas Sprigg, Jr., patented in 1725 as "Woodstock" 1,102 acres here, inherited in 1782 by Sprigg's three granddaughters, Sophia, Rebecca, and Elizabeth. Sophia married John Francis Mercer (later Governor of Maryland, 1801-1803.) in 1794. Nearly half of the property was conveyed to George Washington to settle a debt owed by Mercer's father. Washington owned this land at his death in 1799. — Map (db m5098) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Dickerson — White’s Ferry |
| | Before you is the last operating ferry on the Potomac River. Early settlers recognized these relatively still waters would provide an ideal location for a ferry. The first known ferry operation here was Conrad’s Ferry in 1817. After the Civil War, former Confederate soldier Elijah White purchased and made many improvements to the service. He named his ferry boat in honor of his former commander General Jubal Early.
More than a convenient river crossing, the ferry provided a place of . . . — Map (db m741) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Dickerson — White’s Ferry — Invasion or Liberation. |
| | Antietam Campaign 1862 The serenity of the Maryland countryside was
shattered on September 4-6, 1862, as 35,000 Confederate soldiers of the Army of Northern Virginia
waded across the Potomac River. Gen. Robert E. Lee, hoping to rally support in the divided
state, sent the bulk of his army across at White’s Ford two miles north of here. The military operations would change the lives of the fighting men and affect local residents and businesses.
The largely indifferent reaction to the . . . — Map (db m807) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Dickerson — White’s Ford — Crossing the Potomac — Antietam Campaign 1862 |
| | A wing of Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia commanded by Gen. James Longstreet, as well as part of Gen. J.E.B. Stuart’s cavalry, crossed into Maryland just south of here on September 5-6, 1862. Other parts of the 40,000-man force, supported by 246 cannons, crossed elsewhere.
As the Confederates forded the Potomac River, regimental bands played “Maryland, My Maryland,” a poem written by James Ryder Randall after the Baltimore Riot of April 1861, and put to music by . . . — Map (db m812) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Dickerson — White's Ford — A Civil War Crossing and a Desperate Escape |
| | During the Civil War, White's Ford on the Potomac River was employed by Confederate troops on three separate occasions. Lee's troops crossed here in their invasion of Maryland, September 4-7, 1862. General Jubal A. Early's II Corps, after an abortive attack on Washington's defenses, returned to Virginia using this ford on July 14, 1864. Major General J.E.B. Stuart used this ford to cross into Virginia on October 12, 1862, following his raid to Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. Federal cavalry under . . . — Map (db m10145) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Emery Corners — Early Blacksmith Shop |
| | Originally a blacksmith shop, this home was built in the middle of the eighteenth century. It stands on a tract once known as “Magruder’s Honesty.” Believed to have been built by Ninian Magruder, Senior (d. 1751), it is one of the oldest standing structures in Montgomery County. — Map (db m916) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Gaithersburg — A Center of Culture and Commerce |
| | In July of 1889, John A. Belt, a leading merchant in Gaithersburg, purchased the southwest corner of Diamond and Summit Avenues for $200. On this site, Belt built a general store with a large upstairs public room, known as Norman Hall. The building soon became a pivotal structure in Gaithersburg's social, cultural and governmental activities. Norman Hall began its first functions as Post Office, Town Hall, and Polling Place. It was not long before it became the social and cultural center of . . . — Map (db m3355) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Gaithersburg — Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Station |
| | Built: 1884. The Gaithersburg Railroad Station and freight house were built in 1884 as handsome replacements for the adjacent small frame structure which served as a freight depot when the Metropolitan Branch of the B & O Railroad was extended to Gaithersburg in 1873. The picturesque Victorian brick station house, with separate ladies’ and gentlemen’s waiting rooms on either side of the ticket office, was proof of Gaithersburg’s success as a major shipping center and commercial crossroads. . . . — Map (db m1039) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Gaithersburg — Building The Future |
| | The completion of the railroad and the city's incorporation in the 1870's established a solid base upon which Gaithersburg could grow and flourish. Following the City's incorporation in 1878, Henry Ward became the president of the town's Commissioners. By 1891 the First National Bank of Gaithersburg opened, and not long after that, Gaithersburg became the first community in Montgomery County to have telephone service. Then, in 1898, George W. Meem, was elected to be the first mayor as the town . . . — Map (db m3347) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Gaithersburg — DeSellum Family Cemetery |
| | Gravestone Inscriptions
James DeSellum // Born June 14 1773 // Died June 27 1847 // Aged 74 years // A useful citizen and sincere Christian. Cathrine DeSellum // Born July 20 1770 // Died June 20 1856 // Aged 88 years // Her Christian virtues were shown in her daily example and deportment Sarah Ann DeSellum // Born Sep 26 1812 // Died Sep 9 1885 // Aged 73 years // Her devotion to her aged parents was a living example of filial affection. // Her patient suffering ended in . . . — Map (db m1725) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Gaithersburg — Gaithersburg — Summit Hall Farm — Gettysburg Campaign |
| | On Sunday, June 28, 1863, Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart and an estimated 5,000 cavalrymen arrived in Rockville en route to Gettysburg. Armed with a list of Union supporters, Stuart’s men planned to arrest John T. DeSellum as he left Presbyterian services, but shopkeeper Dora Higgins warned him in time to escape. Stuart’s cavalrymen seized new mounts and supplies around Rockville, including some of Summit Hall’s horses, forage, and foodstuffs. Though a slaveholder, John T. DeSellum was an . . . — Map (db m1709) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Gaithersburg — Gaithersburg Washington Grove Volunteer Fire Department |
| | The completion of the railroad in the 1870's brought increasing prosperity to Gaithersburg. As the town grew so did the need for protection from the ever present dangers of fire. In September of 1892, a committee of volunteers formed the Gaithersburg Rescue Fire Company. Often with only bucket brigades to extinguish the flames, these early volunteers valiantly fought the city's fires. Two of the most significant turn-of-the-century fires were the Summit Hotel fire in 1895 and the original Belt . . . — Map (db m3352) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Gaithersburg — General Edward Braddock |
| | General Edward Braddock in April 1755, accompanied by Gov. Horatio Sharpe of Maryland, traveled this road in a coach and six horses, on his way to Frederick, Md. to meet Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, to arrange for teams for the Fort Duquesne expedition. — Map (db m1012) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Gaithersburg — John A Belt Building |
| | Built 1903. According to an 1880’s newspaper report, John A. Belt was the proprietor of the largest mercantile establishment in Montgomery County. Belt’s store and upstairs hall, known as Norman Hall, became the pivotal structure of Gaithersburg’s social, cultural, and civic activities. The present 1903 brick structure replaced an earlier wooden one lost to fire. The early 20th century commercial building also housed one of the first Gaithersburg post offices and a 1928 automobile . . . — Map (db m5199) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Gaithersburg — Schwartz House / City Hall Built 1895 |
| | The house that would one day become City Hall was built for Henry Miller, an active businessman in early Gaithersburg, and his wife Rosa. In 1913, the house was bought by Edward P. Schwartz, a Washington, DC real estate broker. Here he established a famous flower garden containing 410 varieties of peonies obtained from all over the world. The beautiful garden which stretched from the railroad tracks to what is now Hutton Street was visited by President Woodrow Wilson and photographed by the . . . — Map (db m3312) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Gaithersburg — Second Lieutenant William J. Christman, III |
| | The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross posthumously to Second Lieutenant William J. Christman, III, United States Marine Corps Reserve, for service as set forth in the following Citation:
For extraordinary heroism while serving as a Platoon Commander with Company A, First Battalion, Ninth Marines, Third Marine Division, in connection with operations against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam. Early on the afternoon of 22 February 1969, Company A was . . . — Map (db m331) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Gaithersburg — Serving the Community's Health Care Needs |
| | In 1893, Dr. Elisha C. Etchison purchased the northwest corner property at Diamond and Summit Avenues from John B. Diamond and opened a pharmacy / drug store. Although the business at this site has changed owners several times over the years, there has always been a drugstore at this location. Etchison's business card boasted that customers could have a "prescription carefully compounded," or could pay 25 cents to buy one-half pint of "Elliot's Emulsified Oil Liniment Rub," guaranteed to stop . . . — Map (db m3354) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Gaithersburg — Summit Hall Farm |
| | Summit Hall, a 251-acre ridge-top farm in the heart of Gaithersburg, was officially named and patented in 1857 by John T. and Sarah DeSellum. The topography and 500-foot elevation with its panoramic view has attracted settlers since colonial times and probably inspired the name. Today the property encompasses 57 acres of traditional rolling green lawns, reflective ponds, swimming pool, miniature golf course, and activities building. The historic resources include a two-story part-log house . . . — Map (db m1721) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Gaithersburg — Supplying an Agricultural Community |
| | Gaithersburg began as an agricultural community. With the coming of the railroad in the late 1800's, markets in Washington, D. C. and Baltimore were opened to area farmers. Wheat, vegetables, fruits, meats, dairy products, and cider could be easily moved to markets in larger cities. The Gaithersburg area flourished and soon became the center of farming activity in Montgomery County. In addition to commercial farming, domestic farming was also common. A family often raised its own chickens, . . . — Map (db m3350) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Gaithersburg — The Business of Agriculture: — Cannery and Mills |
| | As the area's agricultural community flourished and the railroad was introduced, Gaithersburg soon became the commercial hub of the mid-county region. The Gaithersburg town center shifted from Frederick Avenue to Diamond Avenue near the train station and along the railroad tracks. Commercial mills and a cannery sprang up, providing a local market for area farmers, offering jobs, and fueling the economic growth of the community. Built in 1917, Thomas and Company Cannery and its store house were . . . — Map (db m3349) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Gaithersburg — The Early Years |
| | Before the arrival of the first European settlers, the area that is now the City of Gaithersburg was a land of dense forests and gently rolling hills. Frederick Avenue was a well-traveled path for the Piscataway and Tuscarora Indians, who hunted the area's abundant wildlife. The region's landscape changed in the mid 1700's as the first settlers of European descent formed the beginnings of a new community. Several prominent land owners established plantations, and a handful of families formed a . . . — Map (db m3346) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Gaithersburg — The Gaithersburg School |
| | The original Gaithersburg High School was formerly located where Gaithersburg Elementary School now stands at 35 North Summit Avenue. Built in 1904, the school initially provided two general levels of education under the same roof: an elementary program for grades 1 to 7, and a three-year high school program. In 1907, the first graduating class consisted of only three students. Ten years later, the Montgomery County Board of Education approved the first four-year high-school program. To . . . — Map (db m3351) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Gaithersburg — The Schwartz House / Gaithersburg City Hall / Schwartz Peony Garden |
| | The building that now houses Gaithersburg's City government offices and Council chambers was originally a private residence built in 1895 by Rosa and Henry Miller. In 1913, this five-acre estate was purchased by Edward P. Schwartz, a successful realtor from Washington, D. C. The distinguished country property was replete with tennis courts, a cook's cottage, a two-car garage, a windmill and a pump house. The Schwartz home was the first residence to be supplied with the luxurious amenity of . . . — Map (db m3348) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Gaithersburg — The Summit Hotel |
| | Built in 1881, the Summit Hotel was regarded as a trendy spring and summer resort for those fortunate enough to take a holiday from the hustle and bustle of Washington, D. C. The hotel was located nat the northeast corner of Summit and Frederick Avenues where Saint Martin's Church now stands. The elegant hotel was surrounded by stately elm trees and could accomodate as many as 100 guests.
During the spring and summer months, the Summit Hotel was open to the many vacationers escaping the . . . — Map (db m3353) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Garrett Park — Garrett Park Waiting Room |
| | In 1989, this passenger waiting room was taken down from its location in Landover, MD., and brought to this site and re-assembled by the Montgomery County Conservation Corps. On behalf of the citizens of Garrett Park, the Mayor and Town Council hereby express the thanks of the people of the town for the excellent services of the Corps in their exemplary completion of this task. — Map (db m219) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Garrett Park — Garrett Park, Md. — Incorporated 1898 |
| | In 1887, the Metropolitan Investment and Building Company laid out the town, named after Robert W. Garrett, President of the B. & O. Railroad. It was to be primarily residential, a short commuter train ride to Washington, D.C. Now, over one hundred years later, it remains residential with several small commercial firms located in the town-owned, Penn Place, a Post Office to which residents still come to pick up their mail, and a Town Hall, built in 1897 as a chapel. In 1975, the town was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. — Map (db m218) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Glen Echo — 1921 |
| | The Coaster Dips came to the park in 1921. Higher climbs and deeper dips added over the next 48 years guaranteed the ride remained a favorite. The roller coaster was dismantled after the park closed in 1968. — Map (db m3214) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Glen Echo — 1921 |
| | The Dentzel carousel came to the park in 1921 as a replacement for a smaller carousel. Built in the Philadelphia style, the hand-carved, wooden animals create a menagerie type featuring rabbits, ostriches, a giraffe, a lion, a tiger and a deer in addition to horses and two chariots. — Map (db m3224) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Glen Echo — A Trolley Returns to Glen Echo |
| | Development of Trolleys. Electric trolleys were introduced to the United States in 1888 in Richmond, Virginia, and quickly became the predominant mode of public transportation used throughout the first third of the 20th century. These vehicles ran more efficiently than horse and cable cars, and changed people's perception of speed and distance. Nearly all cities built trolley lines.
They carried people to work and to their homes, and stimulated the development of suburban communities . . . — Map (db m306) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Glen Echo — c. 1926 |
| | Known in the 1920’s as The Skooter and in the 1930’s as the Dodgem, Glen Echo Park’s bumper car ride was one of the first in any amusement park in the world.
The Art Deco facade was added in the 1930’s.
Today’s rehabilitated Bumper Car Pavilion hosts hundreds of dances and events each year. — Map (db m3230) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Glen Echo — c. 1931 |
| | In the midst of the Great Depression, the Crystal Pool provided a haven. It was big enough for 3,000 swimmers and featured a sand beach. The Art Deco style of the pool became Glen Echo’s new look. — Map (db m3229) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Glen Echo — Glen Echo From Past to Present |
| | For more than 100 years this land, now Glen Echo Park, has been dedicated to the people: first in 1891 as a National Chautauqua Assembly, a center where people could participate in the sciences, arts, languages, and literature; second in 1899 as a famous amusement park; and finally in 1971, again as a park emphasizing arts and cultural education for the community.
Now, as a National Park Service cultural and historic site, Glen Echo Park visitors may dance in the historic Spanish Ballroom, . . . — Map (db m380) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Glen Echo — Glen Echo Park c. 1930 |
| | The entrance to Glen Echo Park has undergone many changes. The 1940 art deco design has been restored, but prior entrances included a stone entrance in the 1890's with the early trolley lines in front and the 1911 entrance, which featured numerous lightbulbs and two towers, and was in place for 30 years. — Map (db m5754) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Glen Echo — Glen Echo Park: Aerial View c. 1954 |
| | Among the familiar structures in this aerial photo are old attractions - the Fun House, Coaster Dips, Crystal Pool, and Flying Scooter. Still present in the park today are the Ballroom, the Arcade and the Dentzel Carousel as well as other smaller structures. — Map (db m5752) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Glen Echo — Glen Echo Park: Chautaugua c. 1891 |
| | The Chautaugua Program at Glen Echo opened June 16, 1891 and offered classes and lectures in all areas of the liberal and practical arts. The education program ran for only one year, but the buildings were used by the amusement park for decades. The Stone Tower is the only Chautaugua structure that remains intact today.
Caption of photo in the upper right hand corner of the marker
The Ampitheater was the main assembly hall and centerpiece of the 1891 Chautaugua. — Map (db m5753) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Glen Echo — Glen Echo Park: Protest Years 1960 |
| | On June 30, 1960 local university students and citizens began a sit-in confrontation and picket line to challenge the long-standing segregation policies at the Park. Their efforts succeeded in 1961 when the Park's private owner, Rekab, Inc., finally opened the doors to all races.
Caption of photo in upper left hand corner of marker
The demonstrators included national figures, local residents and student activists.
Caption of photo at bottom center of marker . . . — Map (db m5750) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Glen Echo — Glen Echo Park: Spanish Ballroom c. 1943 |
| | Social dancing has been an important attraction at Glen Echo since the 1890's. The Spanish Garden Ballroom, built in 1933 in the Spanish Mission Revival style of architecture, boasted a 7,000 square-foot maple dance floor, colorful columns and red roof tiles. Many famous dance bands of the day performed in the exotic space.
Caption of photo in upper right hand corner of marker
Dancers pack the Ballroom on a warm night in 1943. The picnic grove was a popular place to cool off and socialize during the dance break. — Map (db m5751) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Glen Echo — Glen Echo Park’s Crystal Pool |
| | For the trolley parks of the 1900’s, pools were important, lucrative attractions. They provided a place for people to swim without having to travel the long miles to the beach. One such pool, Kennywood Park Pool in Pittsburgh, opened in 1925 and was once the site of the Miss Pittsburgh Pageant. Palisades Amusement Park’s “Surf Bathing” pool (1913) was America’s largest salt-water pool! Along with the Crystal Pool, these pools provided a perfect setting for many amazing memories.
. . . — Map (db m3227) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Glen Echo — Glen Echo’s Art Deco Arcade |
| | Beginning in 1940, a new Art Deco arcade was added to Glen Echo park. Designed by the firm of Edward Schoeppe of Philadelphia, also the chief architect of the Crystal Pool and Spanish Ballroom, the arcade was constructed in stages from 1940 to 1958.
A New Entrance.
The new entrance, built in 1940, greeted visitors getting off the trolley with an 11-foot high Glen Echo Park green neon sign supported by 48-foot pylons.
Fun Along The Arcade.
A new Art Deco arcade was built . . . — Map (db m3231) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Glen Echo — The Changing Face of Glen Echo |
| | Lost Attractions.
From its beginnings as a National Chautauqua to its years as an amusement park, Glen Echo has experienced countless changes. Some of the old Glen Echo Park remains, but much of it has not survived. Many old amusements, like the Whip, Crystal Pool, and the Coaster Dips no longer exist. But perhaps the most amazing of these lost entertainments was the Chautauqua Amphitheater, later known as “The Funhouse.”
The Chautauqua Amphitheater.
When Edward . . . — Map (db m3228) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Glen Echo — The Clara Barton House |
| | Early headquarters of the American Red Cross and home of Clara Barton, founder and First President, who lived here until her death in 1912. Located just south of this marker, the house had an unusual interior of Steamboat Gothic design with railed galleries and a suspended captain's room. — Map (db m303) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Glen Echo — The Glen Echo Park Yurts |
| | How they got here and what goes on inside them.
Yurts Around the World. These interesting and unusual buildings function as studios and classrooms in Glen Echo Park. Yurts have a long history. In Mongolia, yurts have been practical homes for thousands of years. In fact the word yurt means "homeland" or "domain." To nomadic herders of the steppes they were the ideal mobile home. They were portable, strong, and could be insulated from the high winds of the Asian Steppe. Consisting . . . — Map (db m308) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Glen Echo — The Roller Coasters of Glen Echo Amusement Park |
| | Roller Coasters.
The first primitive version of a roller coaster called the “Flying Mountain” emerged in Russia in the 1400’s. Americans encountered their first taste of a roller coaster-like thrill ride in 1827 when Josiah White constructed the Mauch Chunk Railway, better known as the Gravity Road. The Gravity Road came to be a thrill ride by accident since its original purpose was to transport coal 9 miles downhill to the town of Mauch Chunk in Pennsylvania. Soon the run . . . — Map (db m3226) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Glen Echo — Trolley Parks In America |
| | The Early Trolley Park.
In 1888 in Richmond, Virginia, Frank Sprague revolutionized American travel with his invention of the electric trolley. A new fast and economical transportation dawned. Suburban communities, like Glen Echo, soon opened up along many trolley lines. Along with a revolution of transportation came a new means of entertainment, the trolley park. Trolley parks were usually owned and operated by the transit company. They provided an incentive for evening and weekend . . . — Map (db m24185) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Hillandale — Mother Jones — “Grand Old Champion of Labor” |
| | Mary Harris “Mother” Jones, the legendary labor organizer, spent a life fighting for unions and the rights of workers. She died at the Burgess Farm near here on November 30, 1930, aged 100 years. — Map (db m2435) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Hyattstown — Hyattstown — Uninvited Guests — Antietam Campaign 1862 |
| | The roadside village of Hyattstown became the front line when Confederate cavalry stationed to the north in Urbana clashed with Union cavalry reconnoitering from Clarksburg to the south. On the evening of September 8, 1862, Maj. Alonzo W. Adams and his 1st New York Cavalry topped the crest south of town, spotted Confederates, charged down the hill and into the town, and captured two Southern troopers. A little later his men skirmished with the 1st North Carolina Cavalry north of town, briefly . . . — Map (db m1727) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Martinsburg — Warren Historic Site |
| | The Warren Historic Site is dedicated to preserving three historic buildings erected at this location on the grounds of the Warren United Methodist Church. These buildings served as the nucleus of a small rural African-American community known as Martinsburg, which flourished after the end of the Civil War. Martinsburg began before the Civil War as a crossroads village consisting of a store, post office and blacksmith's shop. Following the war, free blacks and former slaves purchased land in . . . — Map (db m4613) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Martinsburg — White’s Ford |
| | About 2 miles northwest was White’s Ford. This Potomac crossing was used by Gen. R. E. Lee entering Maryland in September, 1862, and Generals J.E.B. Stuart and Jubal A. Early returning to Virginia in 1862 and 1864, respectively. — Map (db m811) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Montgomery Village — Middlebrook Mills |
| | Abraham Faw built a grist mill here on Seneca Creek about 1790. By 1795 the mill had four pairs of grinding stones. There was also a saw mill and a tavern on the site. The mills were bought in 1797 by James McCubbin Lingan who named the area Middlebrook after one of the battles in which he participated during the Revolutionary War. The mills were sold to Col. John Tayloe in 1827. By the time of the Civil War, the town of Middlebrook had a post office, a general store, a school, two . . . — Map (db m2804) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Montgomery Village — Watkins Mill |
| | A water-powered grist mill was located here on Seneca Creek as early as 1783 on property known as Grey’s Neck owned by Adin Grey. In the mid-19th century, it was operated first by Levi Snyder, then by Remis Snyder as both a grist and saw mill and the road was known as Snyder’s Mill Road. In 1877, the mill was bought by Levi Watkins who operated it as a grist mill powered by an overshot wheel running two pairs of stones. It was destroyed by fire in 1908. The nearby miller’s house burned down in . . . — Map (db m2866) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Olney — Olney House |
| | Also known as “Little Olney”. Built by Whitson Canby c. 1800. Roger Brooke acquired the property for his daughter Sarah and her husband Dr. Charles Farquhar in 1822. They named the home after the town of Olney, England, the hometown of their favorite poet William Cowpers. When Charles became postmaster he changed the name of the town from Mechanicsville to Olney after his home. The Brooke-Farquhar family owned the home until 1925. — Map (db m371) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Poolesville — An Ideal Crossing |
| | The Potomac River is calm and narrow here, making it an ideal location for a ferry crossing. In 1791 Edwards Ferry began to operate here, connecting Maryland farmers to the Goose Creek Canal in Virginia and to the Leesburg markets. The ferry closed in 1836 but the community that grew around it continued, carrying on the name. Over time, a general store, a warehouse, and 36 residents composed the Edwards Ferry community. With the coming of the C&O Canal the small village prospered from the . . . — Map (db m1686) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Poolesville — Edward’s Ferry |
| | A major crossing of the Potomac River guarded by Union troops throughout the Civil War. In Oct. 1861 a Union unit crossed during the Battle of Ball’s Bluff, but did not participate.
From Dec. 1861 to March 1862 the base of balloon operations of Thaddeus Lowe was located here.
In June 1863 the Union Army crossed here over twin pontoon bridges on the way to Gettysburg. Rebel raiders crossed here in Aug. 1863, July 1864, and Feb. 1865, damaging the canal and Union equipment. — Map (db m1136) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Poolesville — Edwards Ferry — Strategic Crossing — Gettysburg Campaign |
| | Gen. Joseph Hooker’s 75,000-man, seven-corps Army of the Potomac crossed the Potomac River here, June 25-27, 1863, on the way to Gettysburg. The army crossed on two 1,400-foot-long pontoon bridges. Heavy rains during those three days made the single road to and from the bridges extremely muddy. On the afternoon of June 28, Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart’s cavalrymen, having crossed the Potomac into Maryland just south of here at Violettes Lock, burned 15 barges loaded with government stores . . . — Map (db m1667) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Poolesville — Historic Poolesville |
| | Located on the doorstep of the Confederacy and possessing, what was then, a sizable population, the Town of Poolesville was a strategic military crossroads during the Civil War. Union Soldiers were encamped in Poolesville throughout the Civil War, in spite of the Confederate sympathies of its residents. The presence of these encampments and the conduct of the military operations had a profound effect on life in Poolesville and the surrounding farming community. The historic 1826 Methodist . . . — Map (db m2113) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Poolesville — Poolesville — Warm Reception — Antietam Campaign 1862 |
| | Located at the intersection of the two main roads, mid-19th century Poolesville was Montgomery County’s second-largest town. Its residents had decidedly secessionist tendencies and many sons fighting for the South. In the fall of 1862, as the Confederates approached, the town was still recovering from a 15,000-man Union occupation one year before. A large group of inhabitants rushed to White’s Ford, about five miles northwest, to welcome the Confederate liberators. The first military action . . . — Map (db m1729) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Poolesville — Poolesville — Strategic Union Encampment — Gettysburg Campaign |
| | During the Civil War, more soldiers passed through Poolesville than any other Montgomery County town. Union forces occupied this bustling village throughout most of the war, protecting the strategic road network, lines of communication and supplies. Confederate cavalry sporadically raided the Federal cavalry units posted here, and Company B of local resident, Confederate Col. Elijah Veirs White's 35th White's Ferry Cavalry Battalion included Poolesville natives. When the Army of the Potomac . . . — Map (db m1730) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Poolesville — The Civil War at Poolesville |
| | Famed commander, Lt. Col. E.V. (“Lige”) White, of the 35th BN Va. Cavalry C.S.A., and many members of his command were natives of this area. This town became the headquarters of Union Brig. Gen. Charles P. Stone’s 12,000-man corps of observation from June 1861, until March 1862. Four regiments from this command fought at Balls Bluff on the Virginia side of the Potomac, six miles from this sign, on October 21, 1861. Col. Edward Baker, of Oregon, was killed and funeral services were . . . — Map (db m2112) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Potomac — Gold Mining in Maryland |
| | Most gold found in Maryland came from the Potomac area. Mining operations began shortly after gold was discovered near Great Falls during the Civil War and continued until 1940; incidental prospecting continued until 1951. From 1884–1940 the US Mint in Philadelphia received 5,000 ounces of gold from the Maryland, Ford, Sawyer, Harrison, Potomac, Irma, Eagle, and Union Arch mines, and from smaller operations and prospecting; a larger quantity was sold locally in Washington and Baltimore. — Map (db m1121) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Rockville — “Out of Robb’s Window, Montgomery County Courthouse.” |
| | Architect Benjamin Latrobe came to “Montgomery Court House” in 1811 hoping that the fresh air would help his ailing young son recover his health. He stayed at Adam Robb’s tavern that may have been located on Lot 4 on Jefferson Street across from the Court House lot. Its precise location is unknown. His drawing is the earliest known view of Rockville.
Early 19th century Rockville had rutted dirt roads shared with pigs and livestock in 1811. This drawing shows a pig at the steps . . . — Map (db m92) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Rockville — 1803 Plan of Rockville and Boundary Stone |
| | Rockville began when Owen's Ordinary, an inn and tavern, was established in this area around 1750. It functioned as the seat of lower Frederick County and in 1776 became the seat of Montgomery County when it was created. In 1784, William P. Williams subdivided 45 acres of his land into building lots and called it "Williamsburgh." Fifteen years later, structures had been built on 38 lots. The Williamsburgh plat had legal problems and in November 1801, the Maryland General Assembly directed that . . . — Map (db m63) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Rockville — Beall-Dawson House — Slavery in Rockville |
| | Gettysburg Campaign In April 1862, Congress abolished slavery in Washington, D.C. District slaveholders were eligible for monetary compensation when they manumitted (freed) their slaves. Because the Beall sisters held several slaves who worked in the District, they qualified for compensation and received $9,400 for 17 people. During the war, the congregation of the Rockville Methodist Episcopal Church split over the issue of slavery. The congregation included both whites and blacks. . . . — Map (db m5416) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Rockville — Beall-Dawson House and Park |
| | The Beall-Dawson property originally extended from Montgomery Avenue west to Forest Avenue and north to Martins Lane. The house was built in 1815 by Upton Beall, Clerk of the Montgomery County Court. It is a 2 1/2 story brick Federal-style home distinguished by elegant, high-style architecture that was more common in Georgetown where the family first lived. It stood out from the more typical and smaller Rockville log and clapboard houses at the time. Now owned by the City of Rockville, it is . . . — Map (db m224) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Rockville — Boundary Stone |
| | This stone, dated 1803 and located on this site, marked the southeast corner of the original town of Rockville. The letters "B.R." on its face stand for "Beginning of Rockville" — Map (db m62) |
| Maryland (Montgomery County), Rockville — Christ Episcopal Church — Vestrymen Arrested — Gettysburg Campaign |
| | Early Sunday morning, June 28, 1863, 5,000 of Confederate Gen J.E.B. Stuart's cavarlymen rode into Rockville and arrested Union supporters. They sought merchant John H. Higgins at his home, but he had already left for Christ Episcopal Church (across the street). Dora, his wife, ran to the church to warn him, fellow vestrymen Judge Richard Johns Bowie, enrollment officer Lawrence Dawson, and enrollment clerk Richard Williams to remain in the vestry room. On her way home, Dora Higgins also warned . . . — Map (db m68) |
Subscribe
— Privacy Policy
— Terms of Use
— About Us
— Contact Us
HMdb.org