Community Corner
Harbingers of a Bygone Era Near the MARC Station
Germantown Historic District was once known as Germantown Station, an 19th century neighborhood that developed around Clopper and Liberty Mill roads.
If you do not commute on the MARC train you may not even be aware that Germantown has a Historic District hidden away just a block from the main thoroughfare of Germantown, off Germantown Road (Route 118). This charming late 19th century neighborhood developed around the train station after the railroad came through in 1873.
Harbingers of a bygone era — the sweeping lawns, grand old trees, and unique Victorian houses — call to mind a less harried and more sedate time; bringing up images of women in long flowered dresses and men in boater hats and bow ties sitting in wicker chairs sipping lemonade.
It was called Germantown Station to distinguish it from the original town at the intersection of what is now Clopper and Liberty Mill roads. There are no buildings left from this first town which once had a Methodist church, a general store, a blacksmith, a harness maker and several homes.
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The coming of the railroad marked a big change in the way of life of the local people. For the first time the upper county became accessible to the city-dwellers of Washington, D.C., for weekends in the country. The markets of D.C. became accessible to the Upcounty farmers to sell perishable produce such as milk and fruit.
A steam-powered mill was built next to the train station, taking over the business of the many water-powered mills nearby, since the processed grain could be immediately loaded from the mill onto trains bound for the city markets. It grew to be the second largest mill in the state.
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Two general stores were built in Germantown Station, one on either side of the tracks. There was a thriving carriage-making business, a saddle and harness making shop and a barbershop. The carpenter, Mr. Appleby, had no end of work building houses and making coffins – he was also the undertaker. John Gassaway opened a seed and fertilizer store near the train station to service the farmers. Henry Mateny brought up spent cows and unpromising yearlings from the local farmers and held them in a pen downwind (usually) from the stores.
Up Blunt Avenue there was a blacksmith shop and a livery stable to rent out horses and buggies to the drummers or traveling salesmen, as well as people from the city coming to partake of the fresh air and lovely countryside. Houses were built for the store-keepers and mill workers, and the bell in the tower of the new Presbyterian Chapel would ring for fires or train wrecks. A bank with a huge walk-in vault and rows of safe deposit boxes was constructed to serve the local people in 1922.
It was a prosperous time for the people of the village. The train came through several times a day, adding a tinge of excitement, but at the same time a regular schedule to everyday life. In the morning, the farmers would load up their milk and produce on the train and the mill would pack in its bags of flour and cornmeal for the city market. In the evening, tired visitors from the city would line up for the last train home. Also, older children from the area traveled by train to the nearest high school, located in Rockville.
The historic district was created by the County in 1989, preserving Germantown’s roots in agriculture, railroading, and a more serene and less-complicated way of life.
If you would like to see the Germantown Historic District up close and in detail, the Germantown Historical Society will be giving free walking tours on Saturday, June 25 between 12 noon and 4 p.m. as a part of the County’s Heritage Days celebration. Meet at the Historic Germantown Bank, 19320 Mateny Hill Road, across from the MARC train station. Refreshments and entertainment will be provided.
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Montgomery County Heritages Days are Saturday, June 25, and Sunday, June 26. Four of the 36 sites are in the Germantown area: The King Barn Dairy MOOseum, the Button Farm Living History Center, the Boyds Negro School, and the Historic Germantown Bank (open Saturday only). For more information on Montgomery County Heritage Days go to: www.montgomeryheritage.org. For the month of June this column will describe each of these four sites.
