Kensington in Montgomery County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Kensington Cabin

It Takes a Community

— …The oldest Commission-constructed park activity in Montgomery County. —

Kensington Cabin Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, April 9, 2022

1. Kensington Cabin Marker

Inscription. In 1924, steps to construct a park on town-owned lots was initiated by the Woman's Club of Kensington. Blanche Armstrong, chair of the Civic Committee, deemed this location ideal, since the park “would serve as an attractive introduction to our village, to all approaching it...and could at the same time become a pleasant meeting place for those who enjoy out-of-door recreation.” Local officials sought a partnership with the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) in the hopes of developing a site for tranquility and leisurely pursuits. Over a handshake agreement, a deal was reached on May 17, 1930.

The temporary burst of enthusiasm generated for the project was overshadowed by the Great Depression, a protracted period of economic hardship that the nation had recently entered. President Franklin D. Roosevelt had developed several public relief programs to get Americans back on their feet. The Civil Works Administration (CWA) favored projects of permanent value, including the development and construction of public parks. The playground at Kensington was part of a successful proposal submitted

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

by M-NCPPC to the CWA. Scheduled to start on March 23, 1934, “Project 31” came to an abrupt halt only a week later. Political pressures forced President Roosevelt to discontinue the CWA by April 1934.

Relief workers walked away from the site, but the dust did not settle here for long. Under the direction of Chief Engineer Irving Root, M-NCPPC finished what the CWA started—at a cost of $506.50. The CWA had left the necessary supplies behind. Root projected that with the help of several skilled laborers, construction of the cabin would be completed in 75 days. Only six months later, after all seemed lost, the citizens of this community gathered at the completed Kensington Cabin to admire this symbol of persistence and optimism—the very qualities that we associate with the “greatest generation.” More recently, Kensington Cabin was designated to the Montgomery County Master Plan for Historic Preservation in 2011, a symbol of the spirit of those times.

Erected by Montgomery Parks, M-NCPPC.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Parks & Recreational Areas. In addition,

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, April 9, 2022

2. Kensington Cabin Marker

it is included in the Maryland, Montgomery Parks series list.

Location. 39° 1.188′ N, 77° 4.472′ W. Marker is in Kensington, Maryland, in Montgomery County. It is on Kensington Parkway, on the right when traveling south. Marker is in Mayor Jane H. Plank Kensington Cabin Local Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 10000 Kensington Parkway, Kensington MD 20895, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies

and also the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Millstone From Alfred Ray's Property (approx. 0.4 miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.4 miles away); Clum-Kennedy Park (approx. 0.4 miles away); Photos of Historic Kensington (approx. 0.6 miles away); 9-11 Memorial • KVFD

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, April 9, 2022

3. Jayne Plank

In honor of his mother, Kevin Plank helped fund the 2017 rehabilitation of the Kensington Cabin. Jayne Plank was elected to the Town Council in 1967 and then elected to four terms as mayor of the Town of Kensington from 1974 to 1982.
Close-up of photo on marker

(approx. 0.7 miles away); Edith Throckmorton (approx. 0.9 miles away); Another Time (approx. one mile away); Welcome to Seminary Park (approx. one mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Kensington.

Kensington Cabin image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, April 9, 2022

4. Kensington Cabin

Close-up of image on marker

Completing Project 31 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, April 9, 2022

5. Completing Project 31

Completing Project 31 required manpower supplied by M-NCPPC staff, including carpenters, masons, and plumbers. Courtesy Maryland News, September 14, 1934.
Close-up of photo on marker

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, April 9, 2022

6. Kensington Cabin

The Cabin officially opened on October 13, 1934, at a special ribbon-cutting ceremony. Here, the cabin is shown in operation during the mid-20th century. Courtesy M-NCPPC
Close-up of photo on marker

Credits. This page was last revised on April 24, 2022. It was originally submitted on April 9, 2022, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 466 times since then and 36 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on April 9, 2022, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.