Montgomery County Historic Preservation Commission

the Preservationist
Fall 2002

Modernism Symposium Set for February

Open to a broader audience, the afternoon
session will include presentations about Modern
architecture in Maryland and Montgomery
County and a discussion of how best to preserve
buildings from the recent past.
Speakers will include Dr. Isabelle Gournay,
Professor at the University of Maryland School
of Architecture who will speak on the Modern
Movement in Maryland, subject of a future
book; Gwen Wright, Historic Preservation
Section Coordinator, who will speak on
preservation opportunities and incentives for
Modern-era communities; Joey Lampl,
Architectural Historian at the Historic
Preservation Section, who will speak on the
work of architect Charles M. Goodman in
Montgomery County and the Washington
region; and others.
Wheatoncrest, a c. 1950 Do you live in a “California Contemporary”? Is
subdivision in southeastern After these presentations, residents of
your house or apartment largely defined by glass?
Montgomery County, Modern/Contemporary houses, members of
Are you part of a civic association or group that
features site planning and preservation organizations, and builders,
appreciates post-World War II design?
architecture by Charles M. architects, and landscape designers involved in
If so, then the Historic Preservation Section the creation of Modern communities are invited
Goodman & Associates,
and the University of Maryland School of to talk in an open session about the experience
Architects and Engineers.
Architecture would like to hear from you. of designing and/or living in a Contemporary
In This Issue: home or community.
These two organizations are hosting a
symposium on Montgomery County’s Modern Exact times for the two-part session have not
•Underground Railroad residential architecture, landscape architecture yet been decided, but will be soon. Anyone
hike commemorates and community planning on February 8, 2003 at interested in attending the symposium should
Emancipation Day. the University of Maryland School of call Joey Lampl at the Historic Preservation
Page 2 Architecture. Section, Tuesday - Fridays at 301-563-3414. If
you reach voicemail, please leave your name,
• County birthday The symposium will consist of two sessions.
phone number, and address, so that you can be
celebrated. Page 2 The morning session will be an informal
sent a written invitation to attend the event.
discussion among architects, landscape
• Magical Montgomery. architects, builders/developers and original
Page 2 residents of Modern or Contemporary
architecture. The purpose of the discussion will
• Gaithersburg history be to glean firsthand information of Modern
published. Page 2 design from the people actually responsible for
influencing its spread in the area.
• Preservation Grants
awarded. Page 3
 Historic Preservation
News and Notes ship Pearl in 1848, and the Promises of God
Maryland Emancipation Day gospel choir sang period pieces. Montgomery
The day was bright and crisp-perfect hiking County Planning Board Chairman Derick
weather, as more than 70 adventurers Berlage welcomed visitors. For more information
accompanied historian Anthony Cohen for 1-1/2 on Oakley Cabin and the Friends group, call
miles on a re-creation of an Underground Susan Soderberg at 301-563-3405.
Railroad escape. The event began at Woodlawn
Manor, a M-NCPPC historic site with possible Happy Birthday Montgomery County
links to the Underground Railroad, and ended at The Historic Preservation Commission co-
Emancipation Day hikers the Sandy Spring Meeting House, the place of sponsored the celebration of the 226th Birthday
gather at Woodlawn worship for the Sandy Spring Quaker of Montgomery County with the Montgomery
Manor. Community since 1817. Starting at the County Historical Society on Sunday,
Woodlawn stone barn, the hikers experienced September 8. Seventeen historical organizations
the terrain of cornfields, woods, brambles, set up exhibits on the lawn of the Beall-Dawson
disappearing paths, diverging paths, and short House in Rockville. They shared the space with
leaps over small waterways before arriving at the an archeological dig, 19th century children’s
Sandy Spring, a local landmark. Montgomery crafts, and a participatory mural. Reenactors
County Planning Board Commissioner John portrayed Dr. Stonestreet, Mrs. Beall, and an
Robinson welcomed the hikers and hiked the 18th century Maryland Ranger. Historic
trail with them. Preservation section historian Clare Cavicchi
HPC Commissioners Susan gave a talk on “Places From the Past,” her book
Velasquez and Julia O’Malley Lunch and a blues guitar performance could on the historic sites in the county. The birthday
staffed the HPC exhibit for then be enjoyed at the Sandy Spring Slavery cake was ceremoniously cut by County
Happy Birthday Museum, open for the day and an event partner. Executive Doug Duncan, the event was
Montgomery County. The celebration of the freeing of the slaves of attended by more than a dozen elected officials
Maryland on November 1, 1864, continued at and candidates.
Oakley Cabin in Brookeville at 2 pm. The 1840s Magical Montgomery
cabin is a M-NCPPC park historic site open to The Historic Preservation Commission joined
visitors on weekends with the help of the Friends eighty-six other organizations participating in
of Oakley Cabin and the Underground Railroad. the county-wide festival called “Magical
Reenactors from the 54th Massachusetts Montgomery,” sponsored by the Arts and
Regiment infantry and living history portrayers Humanities Council of Montgomery County.
informed visitors of life in the late 1860s. The The event took place on September 28 in
speaker, Diane Young, told of her ancestor’s downtown Silver Spring and featured many
failed attempt to escape from slavery aboard the performances by local groups from thespians to
baton twirlers. The HPC’s booth was well

the Preservationist
The Preservationist is the official publication of the Montgomery County Historic
attended and many people who had no previous
knowledge of local history learned about
historic preservation efforts and historic places
Preservation Commission, 8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Phone: in the county.
301-563-3400. Statements herein do not necessarily reflect the official policies of
the Commission. Created by the Historic Resources Preservation Ordinance History of Gaithersburg Published
(Chapter 24A, Montgomery County Code) the Commission is responsible for Gaithersburg: History of a City, a 160 page book
identification, designation, and regulation for purposes of protection, preservation, with many old photographs has been published
continued use, and enhancement of sites and structures of historical, archeological, by Arcadia in their “Making of America Series”
architectural, or cultural value. Commission members are appointed by the Mont- and is available at the Gaithersburg Community
gomery County Executive and confirmed by the Montgomery County Council. Museum, The Montgomery County Historical
Commission Society, and several local bookstores. For
Steven Spurlock AIA, Chair Susan Velasquez, Vice Chair information call 301-258-6160.
Steven Breslin Douglas A. Harbit Lisa P. Kinard Nancy Lesser
Julia O’Malley Lynne B. Watkins Kimberly Prothro Williams
Historic Preservation Coordinator Gwen Wright
Requests to be on the mailing list and content information
should be directed to the Commission.

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2003 Historic Preservation Grants Awarded
The Historic Preservation Commission voted on In 2003 The HPC will help with the printing of
October 23 to award $30,000 in matching grants the brochure for the event.
to county non-profit groups for a variety of
Montgomery Preservation, Inc. will again be
projects that will increase public awareness of
hosting the annual Preservation Awards
our county’s history, protect our county’s
Reception in the spring, creating an
heritage resources and promote the preservation
“Endangered Site” list, and presenting the
of historic structures. Under grant program
Montgomery Prize and other awards to worthy
guidelines, the funding is limited to non-capital
recipients.
projects and all of the projects must be
completed before December 31, 2003. Montgomery Preservation, Inc. will also be co-
sponsoring projects for two other organizations-a Sandy Spring Museum will
This year, award money was reserved for a
video on the history of the Silver Spring Train produce a video on the
project that would create a common database and
Station for the Silver Spring Historical Society, history of the Negro
Web site to link all of the historical and
and a sign and brochure on Prathertown for the Baseball Leagues in
preservation organizations in the county and
newly formed Goshen Historic Preservation Montgomery County.
promote coordination among them. Montgomery
Society.
Preservation, Inc. has taken on this project
which will benefit all of the organizations. The National Capital Trolley Museum is
making a table-top model of the trolley line to
Audubon Naturalist Society is producing three
Washington, D.C. for display in their museum.
wall-mounted panels on the history of Woodend
and the Wells family to be placed in the main A new organization has formed to preserve the
hall of the historic building. Odd Fellows Hall on the grounds of the Sharp
Street Church in Sandy Spring. The Odd
The Town of Glen Echo will be celebrating its
Fellows Hall Preservation Committee will be
centennial in 2004 and is creating both a book
working under the umbrella of the Sandy Spring A book by the Glen Echo
and a walking tour pamphlet on the town and its
Slavery Museum to get a consultant to prepare a Park Partnership for Arts
100 historic houses.
rehabilitation plan for the 1920s building. and Culture will feature a
The Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts and history of carousels.
The previous efforts of Peerless Rockville to
Culture is producing a book on the restoration
study the architectural and historical themes of
of the Dentzel Carousel that will feature many
20th century Rockville is being taken to a new
photos of the carousel and tell the history of
level. The goal is to place all of their sites into a
carousels.
geographical information system which will
The Historic Medley District will be creating a make them more accessible to the public.
30-page web site for the organization which will
A video on “The History of the Negro Baseball
include links to other organizations and online
Leagues in Montgomery County” is the funded
feedback for the John Poole House Museum and
project of the Sandy Spring Museum.
the Seneca Schoolhouse.
Seneca Creek State Park in Gaithersburg will be
Historic Takoma has been awarded a third
enhanced in 2003 with four wayside exhibits on
grant to continue to conduct and transcribe oral
Woodlands, the estate of the Clopper family
histories of long-time local residents, this year
next to the park visitor center, sponsored by the
focusing on World War II and the Depression
Friends of Seneca Creek State Park with the
Era. The questions, protocol and background
help of the HPC grant.
booklets they created for the oral history
interviews they have conducted previously have Warren Historic Site Committee will be
served as a prototype for other groups doing celebrating the centennial of the church in 2003
similar projects. and the grant will help with their celebration of
this event.
For the past five years the Montgomery County
Historical Society has sponsored the
“Montgomery County History Tour Weekend” The HPC will help with the printing of the
which coordinates up to 25 sites for special brochure for the annual Montgomery
exhibits and tours for one weekend a year. County History Tour Weekend.

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 Calendar November
25- February Exhibit: Montgomery County
4 HPC Meeting, 7:30 p.m., MRO Auditorium,
8787 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring. Call 301-
Modern: Everyday Life in the 1930s. Beall- 563-3400. www.mc-mncppc.org.
Dawson House, Rockville. Tuesdays through
4 Holiday Open House at the Red Brick
Sundays, 12:30-4:30 p.m. Call 301-762-1492.
Courthouse, Rockville. Peerless Rockville 301-
www.montgomeryhistory.org
762-0096. www.peerlessrockville.org.
November 30-January 4 Exhibit at the Waters
14 & 15 Christmas on the Farm: hayrides and
House: Best Wishes: Holiday Greeting Cards
Candlelight Tours of the Bussard Farmhouse at
from the early 1900s. Wednesdays 2pm–9pm,
the Agricultural History Farm Park, 18400
Saturdays 10am–4pm. Call 301-762-1492.
Muncaster Road, Derwood; noon to 8 p.m. Call
www.montgomeryhistory.org
301-670-4661. www.montgomeryparksfnd.org/
December fg
1 6th Annual Waters House Tree Lighting from
18 HPC Meeting, 7:30 p.m., MRO
4:30 to 6 p.m. at the historic Waters House,
Auditorium, 8787 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring.
Royal Crown Drive and Milestone Manor Drive
Call 301-563-3400. www.mc-mncppc.org
in Germantown. Santa on a horse-drawn wagon,
hot cider, cookies, carol singing. Call 301-762- January
1492. www.montgomeryhistory.org. 8, 22 HPC Meeting, 7:30 p.m., MRO
Auditorium, 8787 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring.
3–Jan. 5 The historic Beall-Dawson House in
Call 301-563-3400. www.mc-mncppc.org
Rockville will be decorated in 1930s holiday
style and open for holiday tours on Tuesdays February
through Sundays, 12:30-4:30 p.m. Call 301-762- 12, 26 HPC Meeting, 7:30 p.m., MRO
1492. www.montgomeryhistory.org Auditorium, 8787 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring.
Call 301-563-3400. www.mc-mncppc.org

Montgomery County Historic Preservation Commission

8787 Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20910

Support Acknowledged: This publication has been financed in part with Federal funds from the National Park Service, Department of the Interior, made available through the
Maryland Historical Trust, a division of the Department of Housing and Community Development, State of Maryland. However, the contents and opinions do not necessarily reflect
the views or policies of these agencies. Nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation by these agencies.
Non-discrimination: The Montgomery County historic preservation program receives Federal funds from the National Park Service. Regulations of the U.S. Department of the
Interior strictly prohibit unlawful discrimination in departmental federally assisted programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, or handicap. Any person who believes he
or she has been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility operation by a recipient of Federal assistance should write to: Director of Equal Opportunity Program, U.S.
Department of the Interior, National Park Service, P.O. Box 37127, Washington, DC., 20013-37127.