The Thomas / Siegler House and Garden

The Thomas, also, Siegler House and Garden. . The home of Horace and Amanda Thomas built in 1884 was the first house to be completed in Takoma Park. It is a fine example of early residential development in Montgomery County. The house, carriage house, and spacious garden illustrate life as it was in the first year of this sylvan Victorian suburb. Mr. Thomas was Takoma Park's first postmaster, storekeeper and stationmaster. Soon after he died in 1889, Amanda Thomas added a two-story addition to the house on the Cedar Avenue side with a wraparound porch and turret. The Thomas house was originally covered with wood clapboards similar to those on the carriage house. , , In 1919 Franklin and Catherine Siegler purchased the property from the Thomas family. Their sons, E. Horace Siegler and Eugene Siegler, were noted Department of Agriculture scientists. Their botanical interest is reflected in the extensive landscaping of the one- story property. The grounds are dominated by large white oak trees with an understory of magnolias, American hollies, laurel, dogwood, and cherry treets. Among the flowering bushes are Glenn Dale azaleas. The Glenn Dale was hybridized in the 1930s by Takoma Park resident B.Y. Morrison, famed horticulturist, first director of the National Arboretum, and friend of the Sieglers. , , The property was threatened by development in 1984. Through the efforts of local citizens, the Trust for Public Land, the Maryland Open Space program, and the city of Takoma Park, the landscaped grounds were preserved for the enjoyment of the community. , , Erected by Historic Takoma, Inc., 1986.