Thurmont, Maryland

Thurmont is a town in Frederick County, Maryland, United States. The population was 6,170 at the 2010 census. The town is located in the northern part of Frederick County (north of Frederick, Maryland, the county seat), approximately ten miles from the Pennsylvania border, along U.S. Highway 15. It is very close to Cunningham Falls State Park and Catoctin Mountain Park, which contains the presidential retreat of Camp David. Thurmont is also home to Catoctin Colorfest, an arts and crafts festival that draws in about 125,000 people each autumn.

In 2005, Thurmont was designated as a "Main Street Maryland Community."

History

Originally incorporated as the Town of Mechanicstown in 1751, the name of the town was changed to Thurmont by an act of Maryland General Assembly on January 18, 1894.

The Western Maryland Railway built its main railroad line to Thurmont in 1871, connecting the town with Baltimore, and later with Hagerstown and Cumberland.

In May 2012, the 38th G8 summit was held at Camp David, a short distance from the town of Thurmont itself. Hundreds of protesters, who were attempting to gain attention for Ethiopia, stopped all traffic on Main Street and Sheriff Deputies were called into service to keep control of the peaceful protest.