Mill Creek Town neighbors in attendance at Mill Creek Village’s Annual Meeting on April 10, 2024, were treated to a wonderfully illustrative and information-filled presentation entitled, “Off the Beaten Path: Exploring Montgomery County’s Lesser-Known Historical Gems.” The talk was given by Ralph Buglass of the Montgomery History Speakers Bureau. Buglass was the guest speaker at last year’s Annual Meeting and was asked back by popular demand after his first-time, highly acclaimed presentation, “In Search of Historic Derwood” in 2023.
This year’s speech addressed lesser-known spots of historical significance in the broader county, including famous residences, oases of natural splendor and arboreal magnificence, sites connected to major national events, museums and other still-standing and refurbished relics of our past that contribute to making our county a special place in our area, our county and our world. The audience raised good questions and even added some additional historical sites to the list discussed.
Below is a listing of the sites Mr. Buglass cited with links to many of them. He invited further feedback and questions from Mill Creek Towne residents and can be reached at rbuglass@gmail.com.
- Museums: National Museum of Health and Medicine https://www.medicalmuseum.mil
Exhibits include the bullet that killed Abraham Lincoln (located across the street from National Park Seminary—see below)
Runners-up: Capital Trolley Museum https://www.dctrolley.org
Glenstone Art Museum https://www.glenstone.org
- African-American historical treasures: Martinsburg / Warren Historic Site, 22625 Whites Ferry Rd., Dickerson (church, school, and community hall still standing; only such site in Maryland)
Pleasant Grove Community Church, 11225 Mountain View Rd., Damascus (only surviving building associated with the Freedmen’s Bureau in the county)
Boyds School Museum: https://www.boydshistory.org/Boyds_Negro_School.html
- Still-rural Montgomery County / Agriculture Reserve: Western third of the county preserved for farming / open space;
MOOseum https://www.mooseum.org; Wineries: Sugarloaf Winery; Rockland Farm Winery; Windridge Vineyards; Madison Fields (horse farm for those on the autism spectrum); Soleado Lavender Farm (23611 W Harris Rd., Dickerson); Poplar Spring, Star Gazing Farm & Owl Moon Raptor Center (animal rescue / sanctuary programs); pick-your-own orchards and farms; Rustic Roads (brown signs); last dairy farm-Woodbourne Creamery, 28600 Ridge Rd., Mount Airy
- National Park Seminary: https://www.saveourseminary.org (condo complex/restored girls’ finishing school campus – tours In Silver Spring)
- Relics and ruins: Seneca stone cutting mill (near Riley’s Lock on the C&O Canal); Black Rock Mill (Seneca Creek State Park); Maryland Gold Mine (trail at Falls Road & MacArthur Blvd.)
- Reminders of World War II: Nike Missiles Site (on campus of National Institute of Standards and Technology and Nike Missile Local Park, Gaithersburg); Emory Grove Cemetery gate built by WWII German POWs, next to 18000 Washington Grove Lane, Gaithersburg; Congressional Country Club – taken over by the Office of Strategic Services (precursor to the current CIA) from 1943-45
Other wars: Blockhouse Point Park (Civil War): https://montgomeryparks.org/…/blockhouse…; Madison House, Brookville (War of 1812; 205 Market St., private)
- Cemeteries: Aspin Hill Memorial Park (pet cemetery), 13630 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring; many pet owners are buried there with their pets https://www.mchumane.org/aspin-hill
Also mentioned: Author F. Scott Fitzgerald grave, cemetery next to St. Mary’s, 520 Veirs Mill Rd., Rockville; Baseball Great Walter Johnson’s grave, Rockville Cemetery, 1350 Baltimore Rd., Rockville; Roscoe the Rooster statue, 6900-block of Laurel Ave., Takoma Park
- Residences: Frank Lloyd Wright house (private) designed for his son; now owned by grandson; near Seven Locks Rd. and Bradley Blvd.; not visible from side street on which it is located; back can be viewed from Cabin John Trail; park where trail crosses Bradley Blvd. (near #8024); walk cross bridge on south side of Bradley; follow trail approx.1,000 feet.
Also mentioned: “Mushroom House” 4949 Allan Rd., one block off Western Ave. (private), Bethesda; Rosshdu (castle gatehouse), 3200 block Woodbine St., Chevy Chase (private); Pepco Solar House, Gude Dr. service center, Rockville
- Birthplace of TV broadcasting: private home at 10717 Georgia Ave., Wheaton home to the inventor with the first televised transmission patents in the U.S.
- Largest tree in Maryland: Sycamore, Dickerson Conservation Park (coordinates: N39.198772 W77.472105)
Also mentioned: “Moon Tree,” 10100 Laureate Way, Bethesda; Goshen Elm (national champion tree), Goshen Park, 19300 Rock Elm Way, Gaithersburg; McCrillis Gardens, 6910 Greentree Rd., Bethesda; Japanese cherry trees, Outdoor Nursery School (private); Brighton Dam Azalea Garden, 2 Brighton Dam Road, Brookeville
BONUS: Boundary stones that marked the outline of the federalized land that became Washington. DC: easiest one to see in Boundary Park on Western Ave., Bethesda, opposite Fessenden Street
Mr. Buglass encouraged those interested in the county’s past to visit Montgomery History at www.MontgomeryHistory.org and check out the “History Conversations” Zoom talks that occur every Tuesday.
