MONTGOMERY COUNTY—HISTORY WHERE YOU LEAST EXPECT IT!!
Montgomery County is only minutes away from our nation’s capital and many people only know its commercial centers, such as Bethesda, Silver Spring and Rockville or its suburban neighborhoods. But there is so much more to explore. Come and sample Montgomery County’s rich heritage, incredible natural and recreational sites, and its vibrant cultural life. Eighteenth century homes, preserved railroad communities from the late 1800s, horse farms, weathered barns and notable Victorian architecture wait for you to discover them. You will be saying “Hum! History where you least expect it!”
Visit the 91,000 - acre Agricultural Reserve in the western part of the County and you will find yourself on rural roads with landscapes that look much as they did in 19th and early 20th century America, with historic sites, pick-your-own farms and antique stores dotting the rolling landscape. The Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) Canal National Historic Park–with views to the Potomac, a National Heritage River, provides access to whitewater recreation as well as to onshore activities like hiking the towpath and birding. At Great Falls Tavern famous since the 17th century, you can thrill to the nearby roaring falls,.
You can also visit nearby:
1. Glen Echo Park for Arts and Culture, originally a Chautauqua retreat and then an amusement park, home to the Dentzel Carousel and its 52 hand carved animals, in operation for 80 years. The Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and Culture oversees numerous art, history and recreation programs in this outstanding setting.
7300 MacArthur Boulevard
Glen Echo
301-320-7757
info@glenechopark.org
2.Clara Barton National Historic Site, home of the Red Cross founder; built in “Steamboat Gothic” Victorian style.
7300 MacArthur Boulevard
Glen Echo, Maryland
www.nps.gov/clba
3. Seneca Schoolhouse Museum, built in 1865 of Seneca sandstone, and operated as a one-room schoolhouse until 1910. Now an interpretive museum.
16800 River Road
Poolesville, Maryland
301-972-8588
www.historicmedleydistrict.org
Head northwest to Poolesville, settled by English and German families in the 1740s, and an important staging area during the Civil War. In 1861, 12,000 Union troops were stationed in the vicinity because of Poolesville’s proximity to the river.
4. John Poole House and General Store Museum, a one room log store built in 1793 was enlarged several times and served as the first post office. Now an interpretive museum.
19923 Fisher Avenue
Poolesville, Maryland
301-972-8588
www.historicmedleydistrict.org
5. Monocacy Confederate Chapel and Cemetery, established in 1747 as an Anglican chapel in whose cemetery fallen Confederate soldiers lie buried.
Route 28 and Route 109
Beallsville, Maryland
301-770-3122
6. Historic Whites Ferry, a unique cable ferry crossing the Potomac every 20 minutes, a short distance downriver from White’s Ford where J.E.B. Stuart’s cavalry crossed in the Civil War. Whites Ferry has been transporting passengers and vehicles (no longer do livestock climb aboard!) for over 200 years.
24801 Whites Ferry Road
Poolesville, Maryland
301-349-5200
7.Monocacy Aqueduct on the C&O Canal, a seven-arched aqueduct, 500 feet in length, built in 1833 and recently restored.
http://www.nps.gov/choh/historyculture/themonocacyaqueduct.htm
Leaving Poolesville head east to Sandy Spring. Take time to visit Hyattstown, a center of commerce on the Great Road west, where General Braddock’s troops, including a young George Washington, camped during the French and Indian War. Continue on to Sandy Spring. Quakers,who lived here did not believe in slavery and the Society of Friends was instrumental in the earliest days of emancipation movement. The Quaker community, has an 1817 Friends Meetinghouse that is still in active use. Sandy Spring was also the home to one of the oldest free black communities in the country. Many homes in the area are believed to have been part of the Underground Railroad. Drive to Brookeville and find out why this historic Quaker village served as the Nation’s capital for a brief time in 1814.
8. Hyattstown Mill Arts Project, located in a restored mill that served nearby residents and those traveling the Great Road from Frederick to Georgetown starting in the 18thCentury.
14920 Hyattstown Mill Road
Hyattstown, MD
301 874-2452
hmap4art@aol.com
9. Oakley Cabin, constructed from logs in the 1820s to house enslaved people; now a living history site and museum.
3610 Brookeville Road
Brookeville, MD
301-258-4044
10. Sandy Spring Slave Museum, the majority of whose art and artifacts collection is housed in the Great Hall. A clipper ship, an African hut, and a log cabin are also on site.
18524 Brooke Road
Sandy Spring, Maryland
301-774-4066
www.SandySpringSlaveMuseum.org
11. Sandy Spring Museum, organized in 1980 to preserve a vanishing agricultural landscape of the Quaker tradition. The museum also houses an interesting collection of Montgomery County artifacts.
17901 Bentley Road
Sandy Spring, Maryland
301-774-0022
www.sandyspringmuseum.org
12.Woodlawn Cultural Park, an 18th century brick manor house, stone barn and outbuildings surrounded by extensive meadows, woods and streams. The Pioneer and Underground Railroad Trails are featured in its history.
6501 Norwood Road
Sandy Spring, Maryland
301-299-5026
www.montgomerytrails.org
Other sites of interest in Montgomery County are:
13. Red Brick Courthouse, built in 1891 to house all County government functions–legislative, administrative and judicial.
29 Courthouse Square
Rockville, Maryland
301-762-0096
www.peerlessrockville.org
14. Beall-Dawson House, constructed as a 15 room residence for the Beall family and now a home to the County Historical Society. The Stonestreet Museum of 19th Century Medicine, the outfitted office of a country doctor, is also on site.
103 West Montgomery Avenue
Rockville 301-762-1492
www.montgomeryhistory.org
15. National Capital Trolley Museum, founded in 1959 to preserve and interpret the history of area electric street railways. Ride one of the 17 streetcars operating on a one mile track.
1313 Bonifant Road
Silver Spring 301-384-6088
www.dctrolley.org
16. History Center at the Waters House is a large farm first worked in the 18th Century, the existing historic home houses a small museum with a chnagingcollection.
12535 Milestone Manor Lane
Germantown 301-515-2887
www.montgomeryhistory.org
17. The Gaithersburg Community Museum, located in the B&O Railroad Station, features exhibits of Gaithersburg life and the commuter/excursion trains that served the community.
9 South Summit Avenue, Gaithersburg
301-258-6160
Become a time traveler! Visit Montgomery County’s heritage areas.
For more information, contact
Director@HeritageMontgomery.org
Back to Maryland Heritage Areas
