You Are Here - 1931

You Are Here - 1931. Mapping Silver Spring's Success. , Brick Is Enduring. In 1931, the Lansdale, PA engineer Frank HM Klinge published the Atlas of Montgomery County; Volume One. Real estate atlases were created to assist fire insurance companies in assessing the risk associated with insuring a specific property. (Brick buildings, shaded in red on the plat, weren't likely to burn, so were a lower risk.) These historic atlases, commonly known as plat maps, provide important and detailed information to researchers wishing to understand the history and evolution of a community. , The above plat depicts buildings on a portion of the original "Main Street" -- Georgia Avenue. The majority of the buildings on Georgia Avenue between Wayne and Eastern avenues were built in the first half of the 20th century. , These one- to three-story durable brick buildings continue to be used nearly a century later. Virtually intact in 2009, these structures are enlivened by multicultural small independent businesses and institutions, offering goods and services to the community, just as when originally constructed. Addition of subsequent commercial and institutional structures presents a veritable timeline of Silver Spring's history and architectural style from the early 1900s to the present. , The site of the 1937 Silver Spring Post Office, 8412 Georgia Avenue, was previously occupied by a single family home known as The Elms. Built ca 1897, the wood frame house was occupied by Gist Blair, who served as Silver Spring's first postmaster from 1899 to 1906. It was later the home of Silver Spring's second postmaster, Frank L. Hewitt, and his family during the 1920s.