Clarksburg in Montgomery County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Dowden’s Ordinary
Photographed By Mike Stroud, 2011
1. Dowden's Ordinary Marker
Dowden's Ordinary
Where Gen. George Edward Braddock
and Col. Dunbar's Division
of the Colonial and English Army
made a second encampment
In Maryland April 15-17, 1755
Erected 1915 by Janet Montgomery Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, French and Indian. In addition, it is included in the Braddock’s Road and Maj. Gen. Edward Braddock, and the Daughters of the American Revolution series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is April 15, 1827.
Location. 39° 14.194′ N, 77° 16.629′ W. Marker is in Clarksburg, Maryland, in Montgomery County. Marker is on North Frederick Road (Maryland Route 355) just south of Stringtown Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 23214 Frederick Road, Clarksburg MD 20871, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Archaeology at Dowden's Ordinary (within shouting distance of this marker); Dowden's Ordinary: A French & Indian War Site (within shouting distance of this marker); Tavern Life at Dowden's Ordinary (within shouting distance of this marker); Dowden's Ordinary: The Elephant Comes to Clarksburg
this page online
Regarding Dowden’s Ordinary. In early America, taverns or "ordinaries" offered food and shelter both for travelers and their horses. The term "ordinary" originally applied to a tavern meal regularly offered at a fixed price, but later designated the tavern itself. The Maryland Assembly, like other legislatures, not only required a license for operation and a bond for good conduct, but also
mandated a listing of the set prices for food, drink, and accommodations.
Because of poor roads, early taverns were generally 15 to 20 miles apart, a convenient day's travel. On the Great Road (now MD Route 355), a traveler from Georgetown to Frederick could stop at a tavern in Rockville before spending the next night at Dowden's Ordinary in Clarksburg. In his petition for a tavern license in 1750, Michael Dowden wrote that because
his house was situated
Photographed By Mike Stroud, June 18, 2011
2. Dowden's Ordinary Marker
In addition to providing meals and lodging, taverns served as places for the locals to socialize, argue politics, conduct business, play cards, or bet on a horse race. At Dowden's, stagecoaches stopped twice a week bringing mail and news from communities along the route. More than a place to have a drink, taverns were the hub of community life.
Also see . . . The Fort Edwards Foundation Searching for Dowden's Ordinary. Celebrating Braddock's Trip through Maryland by Digging for Dowden's Ordinary. (Submitted on June 21, 2011, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.)
Additional commentary.
1. The Daughters’ Mistake
It should be noted that this marker gets General Braddock’s name wrong. Braddock’s first name was not George, it was Edward. Perhaps the DAR in 1915 deeply wished to commemorate George Washington but they had only Braddock and in a cast-in-bronze slip-of-the-tongue gave General Braddock Washington’s first name.
— Submitted August 11, 2012, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 
Photographed By Mike Stroud, June 18, 2011
3. Dowden's Ordinary Marker found in a small Montgomery County Park
Photographed By Mike Stroud, June 18, 2011
4. Dowden's Ordinary Marker seen near the Stringtown Road and MD 355 intersection
Photographed By Mike Stroud
5. Dowden's Ordinary , taken from nearby interpretive marker
Maryland Historical Society
6. Dowden's Ordinary
Photographed By Senate Document 392, 64-1 Plate 37
7. Dowden's Ordinary Marker
Site of second encampment in Maryland of the army of Gen. Braddock
Photographed By Mike Stroud, June 18, 2011
8. Dowden's Ordinary Sign
Photographed By Mike Stroud, June 18, 2011
9. Dowden's Ordinary , replica of the structure on its exact spot seen today
Credits. This page was last revised on September 22, 2019. It was originally submitted on June 21, 2011, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 1,466 times since then and 40 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. submitted on June 21, 2011, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.
