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    Gaithersburg
    Gaithersburg
    Gaithersburg
    Ebook125 pages26 minutes

    Gaithersburg

    By Shaun Curtis

    ()

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    About this ebook

    With its roots as a small community known as Log Town in the 1750s, agriculture was the way of life for people in Gaithersburg. Today most of the farmland has been developed into shopping centers, businesses, and housing developments. With growth, Gaithersburg has become a center of science and technology in the United States. Author Shaun Curtis grew up in Gaithersburg and spends his time promoting the history of the city.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateMay 3, 2010
    ISBN9781439626047
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      Book preview

      Gaithersburg - Shaun Curtis

      author.

      INTRODUCTION

      The community that became Gaithersburg actually started in the mid-1750s as a small gathering of a handful of families along an old Native American trail that is now Frederick Avenue. The settlement was known as Log Town and was located approximately where the pond at Summit Hall is today. Names such as Fulks, Burgess, DeSellum, Brookes, Gloyd, Diamond, and Gaither were some of the earliest families to settle in the area. The founding of Frederick-Town in 1745 and George Town in 1751 brought many travelers, who passed by Log Town on their way to and from these cities. By 1802, a man named Benjamin Gaither had become a leading figure, and he decided to set up a shop near present-day Frederick and Diamond Avenues. It was here, under the famous Forest Oak Tree that Gaither built his house. In a short time, blacksmiths, wheelwrights, and other tradesmen began to settle around Gaither’s place. His establishment became known as Gaithersburg.

      By the mid-19th century, Gaithersburg was a depressed area. The Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal was miles away, and the proposed railroad route was far from the city. Finally, in 1873, with the help of Francis Cassatt Clopper, the Metropolitan Branch of the Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Railroad came to Gaithersburg. This was the single most important development in the history of the city.

      The National Bureau of Standards moved its headquarters to Gaithersburg in 1961. A few years later, IBM and the National Geographic Society broke ground on new offices in the city. This brought an incredible amount of growth to Gaithersburg but also marked the end of an era. Gone were the days of farming and country living. Gone were the rolling fields of wheat. Agriculture was no longer the way of life for people in the city. Gaithersburg was becoming a fast-paced suburb of Washington, D.C.

      For me, growing up in Gaithersburg during the 1980s and early 1990s was an adventure. There were still several undeveloped farms in the city for a kid to explore, including the Kentlands, as well as plenty of abandoned farmhouses in the woods. Much of Gaithersburg’s past was fading away, but if you looked close enough, pieces of it were still around. Pretty soon, construction sites started popping up everywhere, and most of the land eventually became developed. While the city of Gaithersburg is a far different place than it was in the past, the rich history of this town and its people still shines bright today. I hope you enjoy reading my book as much as I enjoyed putting it together.

      CHAPTER 1

      EARLY SETTLEMENT

      This is a glimpse at the remnants of Log Town at Summit Hall around 1885. Log Town was likely named after the prosperous lumber industry in the area. Baltus Fulks, who purchased the first two lots on this property, was among the earliest known inhabitants

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