BGuthrie Photos: MD -- Silver Spring -- Silver Heritage Historic Trail

MD -- Silver Spring -- Silver Heritage Historic Trail:

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. HERIT_180321_001.JPG: Finding a Niche Early Family Businesses Silver Heritage Georgia Avenue "...A Full Line of Dry Goods and Clothing" was available at Moses Sclar's Grand Leader Store (8221 Georgia Avenue), which opened in 1926 and adjoined John and Joseph Dolan's project (see opposite side) to the south. In operation for over a quarter century, this Jewish family-owned business was run with the assistance of Moses' wife, Catherine, and their children Ada, Reuben, Fannie, and Jacob. Mr. Sclar, orphaned at the age of nine, emigrated from Russia to the U.S. in 1909 and settled in Pennsylvania where he worked as a merchant. In 1926 when he learned that a community in Maryland named Silver Spring had no department store, he packed up his wares and moved. Joined later by his wife and children, his new shop was an early success with farmers who came to town on Saturday evenings to buy shoes, clothing and dry goods. Because there were no synagogues in Silver Spring, many Jewish couples were married in the Sclar's apartment located over the store. Rabbis from Washington D.C. would officiate at the ceremonies. The Grand Leader's original ground floor bay display case windows, second floor balcony, and facade remain intact. Sparkling Spring to Community: Welcome to Historic Silver Spring. Georgia Avenue, one of our two original main streets, was constructed in the early 19th century as the Seventh Street Turnpike, a dirt road connection Washington City to Brookeville, Md. A village named Sligo, established in the 1830s by Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Workers from County Sligo, Ireland, was located at the corner of Georgia and Colesville Road, our other main street. A mica-flecked spring discovered in 1840 by U.S. presidential advisor Francis Preston Blair while riding his horse Selim, inspired the name of Blair's estate Silver Spring, constructed near the Spring's site. Silver Spring's original Baltimore & Ohio Railroad station, built in 1878, formed the nucleus from which today's community radiated. The majority of these early-to-mid 20th century buildings still grace Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road and their many side streets. Explore the area and discover the fascinating history of the pioneering entrepreneurs, businesses, and institutions that developed our vibrant and diverse community. Learn more about Historic Downtown Silver Spring at www.sshistory.org
2. HERIT_180321_005.JPG: Thriving Commerce: 1950 view of the many Silver Spring businesses located on the east side of the 8200 block of Georgia Avenue. The Grand Leader Store is third from the left, with vertical "SHOES" sign.
3. HERIT_180321_007.JPG: Sparkling Spring to Community Welcome to the Silver Spring. Georgia Avenue, one of our two original main streets, was constructed in the 19th century as the Seventh Street Turnpike, a dirt road connecting Washington City to Brookeville, Md. A village named Sligo, established in the 1830s by Chesapeake and Ohio Canal workers from County Sligo, Ireland, was located at the corner of Georgia and Colesville Road, our other main street. A mica-flecked spring discovered in 1840 by U.S. presidential advisor Francis Preston Blair while riding his horse Selim, inspired the name of Blair's estate Silver Spring, constructed near the spring's site. Silver Spring's original Baltimore and Ohio Railroad station , built in 1878, formed the nucleus from which today's community radiated. The majority of these early-to-mid century buildings still grace Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road and their many side streets. Explore the area and discover the fascinating history of the pioneering entrepreneurs, businesses, and institutions that developed our vibrant and diverse community. Learn more about Historic Downtown Silver Spring at www.sshistory.org
4. HERIT_180321_010.JPG: All in the Family Business Circa 1920s photo shows Moses Sclar and his family: (back row, left to right) wife Catherine, daughter Ada, and Moses; (front row, left to right) children Fannie, Jacob, and Reuben. Everyone helped in the Store.
5. HERIT_180321_011.JPG: It's All About Marketing: Circa 1930's view of automobiles being used to promote businesses. Sign on left vehicle reads "STOP LOOK SHOP AT THE GRAND LEADER STORE SILVER SPRING MD" (store with large flag). Vehicle on the right carries sign reading "NASH LEADS THE WORLD IN MOTOR CAR VALUE EARL F. POTTER." Potter's auto dealership was located around the corner at 921 Silver Spring Avenue.
6. HERIT_180321_017.JPG: Visions Realized Early Family Businesses Silver Heritage - Georgia Avenue Silver Spring in the early 1900s saw the construction of several private dwellings fronting the east side of Georgia Avenue, originally named the Washington and Brookeville Turnpike. One of these was an American four-square house built in 1909 by John Dolan for himself and his wife Geneva. Dolan, was a plasterer by profession, worked as a builder, contractor, and director of the Silver Spring Bank, founded 1910. The residential character of this section of Georgia Avenue soon gave way to development pressure. In 1924, with the increasing commercialism and value of property fronting Georgia Avenue, Dolan decided to move his residence several hundred feet around the corner to 918 Thayer Avenue and construct commercial buildings on the vacated site. The December 1, 1924 Washington Post article "Program of Construction Extends to Maryland" reported that Dolan "...expects to erect three stores on his original home site. All of these stores on the east side of Georgia Avenue are expected to be more valuable construction than some of the present improvements on that side of the street." By 1926 Dolan had completed work on three adjoining, two-story brick buildings at 8223-25-27 Georgia Avenue. The First businesses to occupy these buildings were Richard J."Pop" Dietle's Silver Spring Bakery (8223), Marcel Zimmerman's Silver Spring Electric Co. (8225) and Frederick Di Vecchia's Silver Spring Hardware & Painting Co. (8227). The shop owners and their families lived on the top floor above the business, whose facades are virtually intact.
7. HERIT_180321_021.JPG: Bread is Your Best Food, Eat More of It So declare the signs in the bakery window. In 1926 the Dietle family posed in front of their newly opened Silver Spring Home Bakery, 8223 Georgia Avenue. With Richard J. Pop Dietle are from left to right his sons Erwin, Richard, Herbert and Henry. On the right is his wife Matilda. The shop closed in 1936, but a bakery the family had opened on Seminary Road in the Montgomery Hills section of Silver Spring in 1930 became Hank Dietle's Tavern in 1924. It was closed in 2003.
8. HERIT_180321_026.JPG: Everyone Loves a Parade: The "Silver Spring -- Avenue of Progress" parade held on September 11, 1948 celebrated the opening of Georgia Avenue's redesigned Baltimore and Ohio Railroad underpass and new paving. One of the bands marches through the 8200 block of Georgia Avenue, past The Grand Leader Store (with balcony) and the original Dolan properties, at left in image. Photo by Jay Braun.
9. HERIT_180321_029.JPG: Don't Forget the Worms: An advertisement for Mt. Vernon Cycle & Sports Shop, a later tenant of 8223 Georgia Avenue, was published in the June 10, 1949 Maryland News newspaper.
10. HERIT_180321_031.JPG: A Good Move John and Geneva Dolan pose circa 1925 next to their relocated house that was moved from Georgia Avenue to 918 Thayer Avenue. The house sat on the property that borders the east side of Mayor's Lane.
11. HERIT_180321_037.JPG: Land, Lumber & Lyrics Silver Spring Entrepreneurs Silver Heritage Georgia Avenue "Three ace promoters of Silver Spring in those days [1920s & 30s], they had a finger in almost every pie." So wrote editor Blair Lee III in August 29, 1947 Maryland News describing his father E. Brooke Lee, James H. Cissel and Frank L. Hewitt. Cissel and the elder Lee presided over two businesses that played the seminal role in the growth and reputation of Silver Spring in the early 20th century. Cissel's Silver Spring Building Supply Co. and Lee's North Washington Realty Co. originally resided at 8222-26 Georgia Avenue, constructed in 1922. These two pioneers envisioned, built, and sold commercial, industrial and residential properties throughout Silver Spring and Montgomery County. Together with Hewitt, vice president of the Silver Spring Building Supply Co., the trio collaborated in the development of eight neighboring subdivisions during the 1920s onward. From 1970 to 1987 this building was home to Track Records, a pioneering and top audio recording studio operated and ultimately owned by Mark Greenhouse. Popular with both local and national musicians, artists who recorded here include Linda Ronstadt, Marvin Gaye, Gloria Gaynor, and Peaches and Herb. The exterior of this landmark Colonial Revival-style brick structure remained virtually intact until 2009 when a renovation dismantled significant architectural elements unique to Silver Spring. Originally featured were gray slate roofline canopies, two- and three-over-one double-hung wood sash windows, front entrance doors with stone stoops, and two large display windows facing Georgia Avenue.
12. HERIT_180321_040.JPG: Measure Twice, Cut Once: R. Griffin (center with mustache) millwork estimator for the Silver Spring Building Supply Co., poses with millwork employees on July 18, 1924. The millwork was located diagonally across Ripley Street (then Poplar Street) from the back of 8222-26 Georgia Avenue. A Baltimore & Ohio Railroad siding extended half the length of Ripley Street from the main line of the B&O's Metropolitan Branch, allowing for ease of delivery of lumber and other supplies.
13. HERIT_180321_043.JPG: Building Business This photograph shows the recently completed Silver Spring Supply Co., 8222-26 Georgia Avenue, as featured in a September 24, 1922 Washington Post advertisement proclaiming "All Kinds of Building Material."
14. HERIT_180321_045.JPG: "A Finger in Almost Every Pie": James H. Cissel (center with mustache), president of the Silver Spring Building Supply Co., poses with his employees in this photo taken July 18, 1924 in the ground floor office at 8222-26 Georgia Avenue. Cissel's sister-in-law, Rose A. Clark, sits in the background. Cissel was first president of the Silver Spring National Bank, founded in 1910. He was a founding commissioner of the Maryland-National Park & Planning Commission in 1927, donating portions of his vast land holdings to preserve the original bucolic nature of Silver Spring, and helped create the M-NCPPC park system.
15. HERIT_180321_048.JPG: All in a Day's Work: Still from a 1927 silent film produced by the North Washington Realty Co. that promoted downtown Silver Spring and its neighboring residential communities. The man in the white shirt looking out the second floor window of 8222-26 Georgia Avenue is likely D. Brooke Lee.
16. HERIT_180321_051.JPG: Promoting Preservation: Silver Spring Historical Society founder Jerry A. McCoy points out the intact 1922 "Cissel-Lee Building" at 8222-26 Georgia Avenue to a group of visitors during a 2008 walking tour of historic Silver Spring. The photo shows the original gray slate roofline canopies and 3-over-one double hung wood sash windows (the "eyes" of the structure).
17. HERIT_180321_055.JPG: The Burger King Silver Spring Entrepreneurs Silver Heritage Georgia Avenue "Buy 'em by the Bag," the motto urged. For more than half a century, hamburger-hungry customers came to Maryland's first Little Tavern to do just that. Harry F. Duncan founded Little Tavern Shops, Inc., which specialized in 5? little hamburgers, in Louisville, Ky., in 1927. The following year he moved his operation to Washington D. C. and within a decade had 22 shops. Maryland's flagship Little Tavern #1 opened in 1938 at 8230 Georgia Avenue. By 1941, Duncan moved his corporate headquarters to an Art Deco-style brick building at 1007 Ripley Street, located behind the Georgia Avenue Shop. The combination Tudor/Art Deco-style Little Taverns became iconic examples of roadside architecture in the Washington-Baltimore region. In 1957, the Montgomery County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People conducted a survey of 18 cafes -- nine in Silver Spring, nine in Bethesda. Six were cited for refusing sit-down service to African Americans, including the Little Taverns in each community (they only offered carry-out). The other four businesses were in Bethesda. Segregation in Washington, D.C. restaurants had been ruled illegal by the Supreme Court in 1953. Maryland law had no similar provision until 1962, when Montgomery County's Public Accommodations Ordinance went into effect. In 1984, Silver Spring's Little Tavern was placed on the Locational Atlas of Historic Sites, later removed due to lack of owner approval. Closing in 1991, successive restaurants occupied the building. In 2003, an new owner of the 672-sq. ft. building tried to auction it off on E-bay, stipulating it be moved. Preservationist organizations endeavored to preserve Little Tavern through historical designation on-site or moving it. Ultimately, Little Tavern's 200+ per-fabricated exterior porcelain enamel panels and other architectural elements were preserved and given to the National Capital Trolley Museum in Colesville, Md., for potential reconstruction.
18. HERIT_180321_058.JPG: Neighborhood Tavern: Harry F. Duncan poses with a model of his flagship restaurant, Little Tavern #1, built in 1938 at 8230 Georgia Avenue. The iconic building design was by architect George E. Stone and engineer Charles E. Brooks, partners in Stonebrook Corp. of Baltimore Md. Wellner Streets took this photograph for the Star-News December 11, 1972.
19. HERIT_180321_063.JPG: Civic Minded: In 1949 Duncan held an organizational meeting in his corner executive office on the second floor of 1007 Ripley Street, the corporate headquarters of Little Tavern. The groundwork was laid for the establishment of a Silver Spring branch of the Boy's Clubs of America. Duncan serving as chairman of its board of directors, spearheaded construction of a permanent club facility opening in 1059. Located at 1300 Forest Glen Road in Silver Spring, the Harry F. Duncan Building" continues in 2009 as part of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington.
20. HERIT_180321_069.JPG: Little Tavern Competitor: A 1927 postcard shows Jack's Lunch & Confectioney, Eugene Corrigan, proprietor, at 8236 Georgia Ave. Fussell's signage refers to a popular ice cream. By 1940 Florence McCann was operating McCann's Lunch Room here.
21. HERIT_180321_071.JPG: Caught in Time: Painting by Silver Spring resident and historic preservationist Judy Reardon of Little Tavern #1 as it appeared in 1991.
22. HERIT_180321_079.JPG: Spirited Entertainment West Side Development Silver Spring Heritage - Georgia Avenue Silver Spring's First Movie Theater, the 500-seat SECO (Suburban Electric Company), which opened on November 7, 1927 with the silent film "Fireman Save My Child," was located at 8242-8244 Georgia Avenue. The theater, renamed Roth's Silver Spring in 1953, closed on May 31, 1991. with a 99� screening of the 1990 comedy "Home Alone." Next door sat the Cissel Building which originally housed an automobile showroom on the first floor and several businesses on the second. Last occupied by the Silver Spring Restaurant, a fire circa 1972, destroyed the structure. Located across Bonifant Street was the Silver Spring Liquor Dispensary at 8400 Georgia Avenue. Here a crowd of 1,500 gathered late on Dec. 6. 1933 to celebrate the repeal of Prohibition, initiated in 1920 to prohibit "the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors" in the U.S. (the policy had been in effect in Montgomery County since 1880). In 1946 a second story was added to the structure and it was named the Kessinger Building. Guardian Federal Savings and Loan Association became the primary tenant of the building in 1953 and it was renamed the Guardian Building. Razed in the late 1970s for the widening of Bonifant Street a portion of the buildings vertically stacked quoins remain as part of the building next door. Sparkling Spring to Community Welcome to Historic Silver Spring. Georgia Avenue, one of our two original main streets, was constructed in the early 19th century as the Seventh Street Turnpike, a dirt road connection Washington City to Brookeville, Md. A village named Sligo, established in the 1830s by Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Workers from County Sligo, Ireland, was located at the corner of Georgia and Colesville Road, our other main street. A mica-flecked spring discovered in 1840 by U.S. presidential advisor Francis Preston Blair while riding his horse Selim, inspired the name of Blair's estate Silver Spring, constructed near the Spring's site. Silver Spring's original Baltimore & Ohio Railroad station, built in 1878, formed the nucleus from which today's community radiated. The majority of these early-to-mid 20th century buildings still grace Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road and their many side streets. Explore the area and discover the fascinating history of the pioneering entrepreneurs, businesses, and institutions that developed our vibrant and diverse community. Learn more about Historic Downtown Silver Spring at www.sshistory.org
23. HERIT_180321_082.JPG: From Silents to Talkies: Silver Spring's first movie theater, the SECO, opened in 1927 at 8242-8244 Georgia Avenue. Playing on March 28, 1928, the date this photograph was taken by Willard R. Ross, was Lon Chaney in "London After Midnight." This silent film is one of the American Film Institute's nine most wanted lost films. The theater closed in 1991.
24. HERIT_180321_085.JPG: Calm after the Storm. Titled "Scene of the Battle," this photograph of the first Silver Spring Liquor Dispensary, 8400 Georgia Avenue, appeared in Dec. 7, 1933 Washington Herald. An estimated 1,500 customers besieged the dispensary the night before to purchase legal liquor.
25. HERIT_180321_087.JPG: Another Floor Another Tenant: This "Eaglecolor" postcard, circa 1954, featured a photograph of the Guardian Building, 8400 Georgia Avenue, taken by R.F. Body. Every day the two loudspeakers to the left of the clock broadcast the hours of the day, played the Lord's Prayer at noon, and classical music at 6:00 P.M.
26. HERIT_180321_094.JPG: First Bank, First Heist West Side Development Silver Heritage Georgia Avenue Silver Spring's First Bank Robbery occurred in 1928, here on the southwest corner of Georgia Avenue and Oak Street (today's Bonifant Street). Commerce in this block began on September 1, 1925, when the Colonial Revival-style Silver Spring National Bank, at 8252 Georgia Avenue, became the first business to open. Founded in 1910, the move of the community's first bank (from the corner of today's Georgia and Sligo Avenues) was necessitated by Georgia Avenue's widening and construction of the original "viaduct," or Baltimore & Ohio Railroad underpass. The bank robbery occurred here on October 27, 1928 when Takoma Park, MD resident Hugh L. McDaniel told assistant cashier Fred L Lutes to "Give me all you've got." Lutes handed over $2,200 but followed up with two shots from his pistol. Cashier Ira C. Whitacre joined in with three shots from his gun before running outside and firing two more at the bandit escaping in a taxi. Within hours McDaniel was apprehended and all but about $10 of the stolen money was recovered. Two months later, McDaniel, a photographer, was convicted and sentenced to fifteen years in jail. In 1938, the bank merged with the failing Takoma Park Bank and was renamed The Suburban National Bank. Expanded business resulted that year in the addition of a 16-foot-deep classical limestone facade designed by the noted Tilghman Moyer Company of Allentown, PA. A second merger occurred in 1951 with Prince Georges Bank Trust Co. Renamed The Suburban Trust Co, with Silver Spring as its headquarters, a rear addition in the international style was added. "Ghost" letters of The Suburban National Bank name are visible on either side of the Georgia Avenue entrance.
27. HERIT_180321_100.JPG: Monumental, Classical, Secure: Clearly visible, the 16-foot-deep limestone facade was added in 1938 and the building survived until 2015. The Silver Spring National Bank carved into the limestone frieze was revealed after 77 years, only to disappear within hours.
28. HERIT_180321_104.JPG: Why is "Silver Spring" printed on this bill? "National Currency" was established by the National Banking Act of 1863, which chartered individual national banks to both guarantee their notes featuring the institution's name, a system that lasted until 1935. This $10 note was issued by Silver Spring National Bank in 1920 and featured then, as now, a portrait of the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. Silver Spring National Bank, charter no. 9830, issued 970 sheets of these series 1929, type 1, ten-dollar notes. In addition to U.S. Register of the Treasury, E. E. Jones and U.S. Treasurer, W. O. Woods, the note is signed by cashier Ira C. Whitacre and president James H. Cissel.
29. HERIT_180321_105.JPG: Community Visionary: Banker and lawyer Thomas Howard Duckett, from 1915 to 1965, guided the Silver Spring National Bank through its subsequent mergers, and through Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1933 "Bank Holiday" during the Great Depression, and World War II staff shortages, with the implementation of "Woman Power," Duckett, whose law offices were on the top floor of the bank, played seminal roles the establishment of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission in 1918 and the Maryland National Capital Park & Planning Commission in 1927.
30. HERIT_180321_108.JPG: Cornerstone of Commercial Development: This original architectural rendering fo the front elevation of the Silver Spring National Bank was used on the banks 1934 letterhead. The bank, at 8252 Georgia Avenue, was designed and constructed by John M. Faulconer and Frank B. Proctor in 1925.
31. HERIT_180321_111.JPG: Gunfire in the Street: Silver Spring National Bank's (from left) Ira C. Whitacre, cashier; James H. Cissel, founding and long-time president; and Fred L. Lutes, assistant cashier, posed for the October 27, 1928 Evening Star after the town's first bank robbery. Whitacre and Lutes fired their personal pistols at the escaping robber.
32. HERIT_180321_117.JPG: A Community Grows Wayne Avenue Landmarks Silver Heritage Georgia Avenue With a burst of new development in 1927, downtown Silver Spring's commercial center -- originally located around the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad station (8100 Georgia Avenue at Sligo Avenue) -- firmly re-established itself three blocks to the north. Erected on Wayne Avenue, originally named Montgomery, were the Masonic Temple and Silver Spring Armory. These Structures attested to the community's continued growth and permanence. The Silver Spring Armory, 924 Wayne Avenue, was the home of Maryland National Guard's 29th "Blue and Gray" Infantry Division, which served in World War I and II. Dedicated on August 20, 1927, the armory was designed by Maryland State architect Robert Harris and served as Silver Spring's town hall and community center for seventy years. A designated Montgomery County Master Plan for Historic Preservation structure, the Armory was razed in 1998 for construction of a parking garage. Architectural artifacts from the Armory, including its 1927 cornerstone, pre-cast concrete Maryland flag and main level lintel, are located alongside the garage. Situated between these two civic landmarks was the Silver Spring Bowling Alleys, designed engineered, and built by local businessmen John M. Faulconer and Frank B. Proctor. Opened in 1928 with twelve lanes on the first floor, bowling's increased popularity resulted in construction one year later of a second floor that housed twelve additional lanes. The building was razed in the late 1960s and replaced by 962 Wayne Avenue.
33. HERIT_180321_123.JPG: Hats off to a new Silver Spring: This panoramic photo of the Masonic Temple's cornerstone-laying ceremony was taken on June 18, 1927 by D.C. photographer Harry H. Rideout. Approximately 300 dignitaries, lodge members, and the general public posed for this unique image. The image continues on the opposite side of this sign....
34. HERIT_180321_128.JPG: Building Boom. Looking East on Montgomery (Wayne) Avenue from Georgia Avenue, 1927. The nearly completed Masonic Temple (right) stands across the street from the Silver Spring Mortgage company. Sign reads "For Sale, Business and Residential Lots on this Tract, Beautiful Homes and Bungalows in this Section, North Woodside, Silver Spring and Blair Farms." Silver Spring Armory is in the middle distance.
35. HERIT_180321_130.JPG: Neighborhood Gathering Spot: The Silver Spring Armory served as the community's town hall and community center from 1927 to 1998, hosting recreational, cultural, civic and political events. Performed on November 20, 1934 was the classic temperance play "The Drunkard, or the Fallen Saved, A Thrilling Drama of Life in Five Acts and 12 Scenes" by William H. Smith. Roller skating in the Armory's huge Drill Hall was a popular pastime.
36. HERIT_180321_132.JPG: Home to the "Blue and Gray": The Silver Spring Armory as it appeared on opening day, August 20, 1927, photographed by Malcolm Walter. The Gothic Revival structure's castellated facade was a popular design element in the early-20th-century armory architecture.
37. HERIT_180321_137.JPG: Rolling Merrily Along: The Silver Spring Bowling Alleys was a popular destination for forty years. The 1928 recreational center was designed in an architectural style that complimented the neighboring Masonic Lodge. This photo appeared in the Washington Post on January 19, 1934.
38. HERIT_180321_151.JPG: Springing Up Masonic Temple Silver Heritage Georgia Avenue At three stories, this was Silver Springs tallest building. Occupying the prime corner lot at 8435 Georgia Avenue was the Masonic Temple, home of the Silver Spring Lodge No. 215 A.F. & A.M. of Maryland. (Ancient and Free Accepted Mason). About three hundred participants attended the June 18, 1927 cornerstone-laying ceremony, during which officials placed within the cornerstone various objects, including a 1927 silver dollar, a Bible, United States and Maryland flags, the roster of Lodge membership, and copies of the Takoma News and Evening Star newspapers. A Chevrolet and Nash automobile dealership originally occupied the ground floor of the Masonic Temple, while the second floor contained a large dining hall, kitchen, and office. The Lodge's ceremonial hall occupied the top floor. Sparkling Spring to Community Welcome to the Silver Spring, Georgia Avenue, one of our two original main streets, was constructed in the 19th century as the Seventh Street Turnpike, a dirt road connecting Washington City to Brookeville, Md. A village named Sligo, was established in the 1830s by Chesapeake and Ohio Canal workers from County Sligo, Ireland, was located at the corner of Georgia and Colesville Road, our other main street. A mica-flecked spring discovered in 1840 by U.S. presidential advisor Francis Preston Blair while riding his horse Selim, inspired the name of Blair's estate Silver Spring, constructed near the spring's site. Silver Spring's original Baltimore and Ohio Railroad station , built in 1878, formed the nucleus from which today's community radiated. The majority of these early-to-mid century buildings still grace Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road and their many side streets. Explore the area and discover the fascinating history of the pioneering entrepreneurs, businesses, and institutions that developed our vibrant and diverse community. Learn more about Historic Downtown Silver Spring at www.sshistory.org
39. HERIT_180321_155.JPG: Silver Spring's 1927 Masonic Temple: Silver Spring's 1927 Masonic Temple as it appeared on March 28, 1928, photographed by Washington D.C. photographer Willard R. Ross. The structure was designed by renowned Washington D.C. area architect and Silver Spring resident Howard Wright Cutler. Note the two globe-topped gasoline pumps behind the automobiles and the building's corner stone (small white square) to the right.
40. HERIT_180321_157.JPG: Carved in Stone: The Freemasonry symbol consists of a carpenter's square and compass, representing the interaction between mind and matter. The Masonic Temple's 1927 Georgia granite cornerstone was covered during a 1998 facade renovation. Standing Proudly.
41. HERIT_180321_164.JPG: Hats off to a new Silver Spring: This panoramic photo of the Masonic Temple's cornerstone-laying ceremony was taken on June 18, 1927 by D.C. photographer Harry H. Rideout. Approximately 300 dignitaries, lodge members, and the general public posed for this unique image. The image continues on the opposite side of this sign....
42. HERIT_180321_168.JPG: Hats off to a new Silver Spring: This panoramic photo of the Masonic Temple's cornerstone-laying ceremony was taken on June 18, 1927 by D.C. photographer Harry H. Rideout. Approximately 300 dignitaries, lodge members, and the general public posed for this unique image. The image continues on the opposite side of this sign....
43. HERIT_180501_01.JPG: You Are Here - 1931 Mapping Silver Spring's Success Silver Heritage Georgia Avenue Brick Is Enduring. In 1931, the Lansdale, PA engineer Frank HM Klinge published the Atlas of Montgomery County; Volume One. Real estate atlases were created to assist fire insurance companies in assessing the risk associated with insuring a specific property. (Brick buildings, shaded in red on the plat, weren't likely to burn, so were a lower risk.) These historic atlases, commonly known as plat maps, provide important and detailed information to researchers wishing to understand the history and evolution of a community. The above plat depicts buildings on a portion of the original "Main Street" -- Georgia Avenue. The majority of the buildings on Georgia Avenue between Wayne and Eastern avenues were built in the first half of the 20th century. These one- to three-story durable brick buildings continue to be used nearly a century later. Virtually intact in 2009, these structures are enlivened by multicultural small independent businesses and institutions, offering goods and services to the community, just as when originally constructed. Addition of subsequent commercial and institutional structures presents a veritable timeline of Silver Spring's history and architectural style from the early 1900s to the present. The site of the 1937 Silver Spring Post Office, 8412 Georgia Avenue, was previously occupied by a single family home known as The Elms. Built ca 1897, the wood frame house was occupied by Gist Blair, who served as Silver Spring's first postmaster from 1899 to 1906. It was later the home of Silver Spring's second postmaster, Frank L. Hewitt, and his family during the 1920s.
44. HERIT_180501_05.JPG: A portion of Plate 30 from Atlas of Montgomery County, Volume One, published 1931. Note the area between Georgia Avenue & Fenton Street, today known as Fenton Village, consisted mostly of single family homes, and was called Silver Spring Park. This neighborhood name also applied to the area east of Fenton; today it is part of the more extensive East Silver Spring.
45. HERIT_180501_10.JPG: Casual Living On Georgia Avenue: Circa 1910 view of the back yard of The Elms (shaded in yellow in area 1-A on the plat), home of Gist Blair and Frank L. Hewitt.
46. HERIT_180501_13.JPG: Ever-Evolving Corner: In 1932 a private residence at 8484 Georgia Avenue was converted to use as a funeral home. In 1939 the home was removed for construction of the new funeral home, illustrated in this 1940 Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company of Baltimore City directory. This structure was razed in the early 1980s for construction of 8484 Georgia Avenue.
47. HERIT_180501_16.JPG: WWII Patriotism: 8406-08 Georgia Avenue as it looked in 1943. "Back the Attack" was a WWII victory exhibit sponsored by The Washington Post and held on the grounds of the Washington Monument. the sign in the window of Frank L. Hewitt's Citizens Building and Loan Association features a quote by General Dwight D. Eisenhower that reads "We are playing in the big leagues. You can't hit a home run by bunting. You have to step up there and take your cut at the ball." The analogy referred to the all-out Allied invasion of Italy on September 3, 1943, rather than individual attacks on "stepping stones" such as Sardinia, Corsita, or Crete.
48. HERIT_180501_19.JPG: "A Place by the side of the road" is how Frank L.Hewitt (1877-1944) described Silver Spring when he arrived in 1903, establishing Hewitt Real Estate & Insurance. This local Pioneer and life-long civic leader laid the foundation for our vibrant community today. Silver Spring's second postmaster (1906-14) Captain, Co. K., Maryland National Guard (1916) First president, Silver Spring Lions Club First president, Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce Founder, Citizens Building and Loan Association (1928)
49. HERIT_180501_28.JPG: A New Deal in Town The Silver Spring Post Office Silver Heritage Georgia Avenue Silver Spring During the Civil War If you has used our post office between 1937 and 1981 you would have seen a mural depicting a possible Civil War scenario. Opened on March 1, 1937, the Georgian Revival style Silver Spring post office at 8412 Georgia Avenue was the first Federal building constructed in Montgomery County. Inside the lobby was a 5' 11" x 15' 11" oil-on-canvas mural titled The Old Tavern, by Nicolai Cikovsky. This artwork was a product of the U.S. Treasury Department's Section of Painting and Sculpture, created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal administration to incorporate murals and sculpture in new post office construction. The purpose of the program was to employ out-of-work artists and educate the American public about their culture and history. The mural depicts Civil War Union soldiers who have picked up their mail at the Eagle Inn, a tavern that stood on the corner of Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road. When Cikovsky was asked about the inclusion in the mural of an African-American soldier, seen holding his rifle in one hand and a letter in the other, his reply was "...he is intended to symbolize the result of the Civil War -- namely the liberation of his race." As a matter of fact, over 209,000 African-Americans joined the Union Army to serve during the Civil War. This mural now hangs in the Silver Spring Library. Total Recall: Artist and Russian immigrant Nicolai Cikovsky interviewed 79-year-old Blair Lee, former U.S. Senator (D-Md.), born here in 1857. Lee had many memories of what the community, then named Sligo, looked like. the main crossroads of Sligo were Washington & Brookeville Turnpike and Ashton, Colesville & Sligo Turnpike (Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road). The Eagle Inn, on the right side of the mural, stood on the southwest corner of this intersection. Removed from the Silver Spring post office in 1981, the mural was located by Silver Spring Historical Society founder Jerry A. McCoy in 1994. When postal employees unrolled the mural for the first time, it was covered with Japanese tissue paper to protect the painting's surface. Friends of the Silver Spring Library raised $25,000 to conserve the mural, rededicated at the Silver Spring Library July 7, 1997.
50. HERIT_180501_34.JPG: Total Recall: Artist and Russian immigrant Nicolai Cikovsky interviewed 79-year-old Blair Lee, former U.S. Senator (D-Md.), born here in 1857. Lee had many memories of what the community, then named Sligo, looked like. the main crossroads of Sligo were Washington & Brookeville Turnpike and Ashton, Colesville & Sligo Turnpike (Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road). The Eagle Inn, on the right side of the mural, stood on the southwest corner of this intersection.
51. HERIT_180501_39.JPG: Sparkling Spring to Community Welcome to the Silver Spring. Georgia Avenue, one of our two original main streets, was constructed in the 19th century as the Seventh Street Turnpike, a dirt road connecting Washington City to Brookeville, Md. A village named Sligo, established in the 1830s by Chesapeake and Ohio Canal workers from County Sligo, Ireland, was located at the corner of Georgia and Colesville Road, our other main street. A mica-flecked spring discovered in 1840 by U.S. presidential advisor Francis Preston Blair while riding his horse Selim, inspired the name of Blair's estate Silver Spring, constructed near the spring's site. Silver Spring's original Baltimore and Ohio Railroad station , built in 1878, formed the nucleus from which today's community radiated. The majority of these early-to-mid century buildings still grace Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road and their many side streets. Explore the area and discover the fascinating history of the pioneering entrepreneurs, businesses, and institutions that developed our vibrant and diverse community. Learn more about Historic Downtown Silver Spring at www.sshistory.org
52. HERIT_180501_45.JPG: Final Preparations: Workers apply finishing touches to the mural "The Old Tavern" in December 1937. Post office murals were traditionally installed above the postmasters' office doors.
53. HERIT_180501_47.JPG: Handled With Care: Removed from the Silver Spring post office in 1981,the mural was located by Silver Spring Historical Society founder Jerry A. McCoy in 1994. We postal employees unrolled the mural for the first time, it was covered with Japanese tissue paper to protect the painting's surface. Friends of the Silver Spring Library raised $25,000 to conserve the mural, rededicated a the Silver Spring Library July 7, 1997.
54. HERIT_180501_49.JPG: Greetings from Home: A civic landmark, the Silver Spring post office was featured on a "linen" textured postcard published 1946 by Curtiech-Chicago. The postcard's message was written by Harold W. Thatcher, who lived in Silver Spring on Greenbrier Drive, and mailed to this son Sanford who was away at camp.
55. HERIT_180501_53.JPG: Century Marks: A souvenir envelope features the 100th anniversary postmark commemorating the 1899 establishment of Silver Spring's post office. Cachet and postmark were designed by Jerry A. McCoy. The 15� airmail stamp was first issued in Silver Spring May 3, 1963. Featuring Montgomery Blair, who served as President Abraham Lincoln's postmaster general, the stamp commemorates the international Postal Conference centennial. Initiated by Blair, son of Silver Spring's founder Francis Preston Blair, the I.P.C. established uniform mail rates and weights between nations.
56. HERIT_180501_58.JPG: Silver Spring During the Civil War If you has used our post office between 1937 and 1981 you would have seen a mural depicting a possible Civil War scenario. Opened on March 1, 1937, the Georgian Revival style Silver Spring post office at 8412 Georgia Avenue was the first Federal building constructed in Montgomery County. Inside the lobby was a 5' 11" x 15' 11" oil-on-canvas mural titled The Old Tavern, by Nicolai Cikovsky. This artwork was a product of the U.S. Treasury Department's Section of Painting and Sculpture, created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal administration to incorporate murals and sculpture in new post office construction. The purpose of the program was to employ out-of-work artists and educate the American public about their culture and history. The mural depicts Civil War Union soldiers who have picked up their mail at the Eagle Inn, a tavern that stood on the corner of Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road. When Cikovsky was asked about the inclusion in the mural of an African-American soldier, seen holding his rifle in one hand and a letter in the other, his reply was "...he is intended to symbolize the result of the Civil War -- namely the liberation of his race." As a matter of fact, over 209,000 African-Americans joined the Union Army to serve during the Civil War. This mural now hangs in the Silver Spring Library.
57. HERIT_180504_01.JPG: Most Lonesome Spot' Tools for the Trades Silver Heritage Georgia Avenue In 1912 John H. and Thomas Hunter opened Hunter Bros., a hardware and implements business, on what John described as "the most lonesome spot between Glenmont and the city of Washington." Housed in a two-story wood frame structure, the hardware business had earlier been owned and operated by James H. Cissel, a co-founder in 1910 of the Silver Spring National Bank. Located on the Washington and Brookeville Turnpike (Georgia Avenue), Hunter Bros. was positioned to serve Montgomery County farmers transporting their bounty to Washington, D.C. markets. Farmers would place orders with the Hunters on their way to D.C. and pick them up on the return to their farms. In 1920, John bought out his brother's share of the business, and in 1925 replaced the wood structure with the current brick building at 8126 Georgia Avenue. The Structure's cornerstone, dated 1896, attests to the year John established himself in the hardware business as a sixteen-year-old working for Ornoff & Truxton Co., located at 203 7th Street, NW, in Washington D.C. Hunter likely had this cornerstone fabricated to reflect the number of years that he had been in the hardware business. Beloved by his employees, Hunter fired but one employee during the thirty-three years that he operated his hardware store. "It hurt me more than it did him," he was quoted as saying in a March 4, 1946 Washington Post article covering a testimonial dinner held in honor of his retirement. John H. Hunter passed away in 1960 at the age of eighty. (The story continues on the other side.)
58. HERIT_180504_04.JPG: John H. Hunter posed with employees, including daughter Gertrude, when the store was sold to Lawrence B. Maloney, Sr. in 1945.
59. HERIT_180504_10.JPG: Silver Spring's "Shopping Center" in 1913 provided the neighboring community with all of its needs. The general store of Bernard R. Gannnon, Sr. is on the left and next door is Hunter, Bros. coal and hardware business. Cyrus and Leander McCormick founded McCormick Harvesting Machine Co. in 1847, which became part of International Harvester Co., in 1902.
60. HERIT_180504_12.JPG: The Same Assembled Group gathered inside 8126 Georgia Avenue. Note the pressed tin ceiling. a rare example of commercial tin ceiling survives (in 2012) across the avenue at 8209 Georgia Avenue.
61. HERIT_180504_15.JPG: This Cornerstone was originally set into the brick facade of Hunter's 1925 building. When the building underwent remodeling in 1949, Hunter's legacy was preserved and installed in the facade of the new front.
62. HERIT_180504_22.JPG: Enticing Business ‘Buy-Appeal' through ‘Eye-Appeal' Silver Heritage Georgia Avenue In 1945, John H. Hunter sold his hardware business to Lawrence B. Maloney, Sr. a former International Harvester Co. branch manager from Richmond, Va. Maloney was assisted in his new position by sons Lawrence (Larry), Jr. and Leonard. Renamed Maloney's Inc., the business also became an authorized dealer of International Harvester, Inc.'s trucks, tractors, and appliances. Business expanded in 1946 with construction of a steel Quonset-style hut from which Maloney's truck parts and service department operated. Butler Manufacturing Co. of Kansas City, Mo. fabricated the structure. Maloney's Building Co. Division served as Butler's local representative. The remodeled hut behind the store is actively used today in 2013. As part of Maloney's partnership, International Harvester commissioned the nationally renowned industrial design firm Raymond Loewy Associates in 1949 to develop a uniform look for its stores and service centers. The remodeled and enlarged Maloney's featured a prominent red vertical pylon highlighting the black and red international Harvester trademark, also designed by Loewy. Floor to ceiling glass windows were installed to display customer-enticing merchandise. A 1952 Hardware Age profile of Maloney's said the inside and outside modernization was undertaken to "...heighten buy-appeal through greater eye-appeal." Maloney Sr. died in 1955 at age 52. His family sold the business in 1963 to Earl and Doris Robertson. Earl started working at Maloney's in 1951 and , knowing the value of name recognition, changed the name back to Hunter Hardware. Assisted by son Greg, Hunter Hardware continued its personalized service until 1984 when forced to close due to increased rent. (The story begins on the other side.)
63. HERIT_180504_25.JPG: The Original 1925 facade of 8126 Georgia Avenue containing two display window and arched center doorway with lunette window above (removed) is clearly visible in this c. 1950's photograph. This fascade continues to serve as an interior wall of the extent structure. Maloney's Inc. Featured the Hunter Bros. Name (sign above door) when they took over the business in 1945. The landmark 175-year-old pin oak that began growing before the start of the American Revolutionary War was cut down in June 1948 to make way for the expanded store front.
64. HERIT_180504_27.JPG: Lawrence B. Maloney, Sr. with WW II Veterans taking on-the-job training in refrigeration, truck/tractor mechanics, parts, and accounting under the GI Bill (L-R) B. Hunter, E. Meade, R. Glidden, C. Jones, Mr. Maloney, C. Phelps, R. Staiger, L. Ruppert, R. Massick, J. Walden.
65. HERIT_180504_29.JPG: Sparkling Spring to Community Welcome to the Silver Spring. Georgia Avenue, one of our two original main streets, was constructed in the 19th century as the Seventh Street Turnpike, a dirt road connecting Washington City to Brookeville, Md. A village named Sligo, established in the 1830s by Chesapeake and Ohio Canal workers from County Sligo, Ireland, was located at the corner of Georgia and Colesville Road, our other main street. A mica-flecked spring discovered in 1840 by U.S. presidential advisor Francis Preston Blair while riding his horse Selim, inspired the name of Blair's estate Silver Spring, constructed near the spring's site. Silver Spring's original Baltimore and Ohio Railroad station , built in 1878, formed the nucleus from which today's community radiated. The majority of these early-to-mid century buildings still grace Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road and their many side streets. Explore the area and discover the fascinating history of the pioneering entrepreneurs, businesses, and institutions that developed our vibrant and diverse community. Learn more about Historic Downtown Silver Spring at www.sshistory.org
66. HERIT_180504_31.JPG: Raymond Loewy (1893-1986) was the first industrial designer to be featured on the cover of Time magazine, Oct. 31, 1949. His seven-decade career produced such American Design icons as Pennsylvania Railroads SS-1 steam locomotive (1939), Greyhound Bus (1954), Studebaker Avanti (1963),logos for Shell (1962), Unite
67. HERIT_180504_34.JPG: This c. 1952 Photograph shows the exterior remodeling designed in 1949 by Raymond Loewy Associates, providing the uniform look of an International Harvester Co. store and service center. Note the star-shaped tie-rod anchors connecting both sides of the original 1925 building.
68. HERIT_180525_04.JPG: Spirited Entertainment West Side Development Silver Spring Heritage - Georgia Avenue Silver Spring's First Movie Theater, the 500-seat SECO (Suburban Electric Company), which opened on November 7, 1927 with the silent film "Fireman Save My Child," was located at 8242-8244 Georgia Avenue. The theater, renamed Roth's Silver Spring in 1953, closed on May 31, 1991. with a 99� screening of the 1990 comedy "Home Alone." Next door sat the Cissel Building which originally housed an automobile showroom on the first floor and several businesses on the second. Last occupied by the Silver Spring Restaurant, a fire circa 1972, destroyed the structure. Located across Bonifant Street was the Silver Spring Liquor Dispensary at 8400 Georgia Avenue. Here a crowd of 1,500 gathered late on Dec. 6. 1933 to celebrate the repeal of Prohibition, initiated in 1920 to prohibit "the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors" in the U.S. (the policy had been in effect in Montgomery County since 1880). In 1946 a second story was added to the structure and it was named the Kessinger Building. Guardian Federal Savings and Loan Association became the primary tenant of the building in 1953 and it was renamed the Guardian Building. Razed in the late 1970s for the widening of Bonifant Street a portion of the buildings vertically stacked quoins remain as part of the building next door. Sparkling Spring to Community Welcome to Historic Silver Spring. Georgia Avenue, one of our two original main streets, was constructed in the early 19th century as the Seventh Street Turnpike, a dirt road connection Washington City to Brookeville, Md. A village named Sligo, established in the 1830s by Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Workers from County Sligo, Ireland, was located at the corner of Georgia and Colesville Road, our other main street. A mica-flecked spring discovered in 1840 by U.S. presidential advisor Francis Preston Blair while riding his horse Selim, inspired the name of Blair's estate Silver Spring, constructed near the Spring's site. Silver Spring's original Baltimore & Ohio Railroad station, built in 1878, formed the nucleus from which today's community radiated. The majority of these early-to-mid 20th century buildings still grace Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road and their many side streets. Explore the area and discover the fascinating history of the pioneering entrepreneurs, businesses, and institutions that developed our vibrant and diverse community. Learn more about Historic Downtown Silver Spring at www.sshistory.org
69. HERIT_180525_07.JPG: From Silents to Talkies. Silver Spring's first movie theater, the SECO, opened in 1927 at 8242-8244 Georgia Avenue. Playing on March 28, 1928, the date this photograph was taken by Willard R. Ross, was Lon Chaney in "London After Midnight." This silent film is one of the American Film Institute's nine most wanted lost films. The theater closed in 1991.
70. HERIT_180525_10.JPG: Calm after the Storm. Titled "Scene of the Battle," this photograph of the first Silver Spring Liquor Dispensary, 8400 Georgia Avenue, appeared in Dec. 7, 1933 Washington Herald. An estimated 1,500 customers besieged the dispensary the night before to purchase legal liquor.
71. HERIT_180525_13.JPG: Another Floor Another Tenant: This "Eaglecolor" postcard, circa 1954, featured a photograph of the Guardian Building, 8400 Georgia Avenue, taken by R.F. Body. Every day the two loudspeakers to the left of the clock broadcast the hours of the day, played the Lord's Prayer at noon, and classical music at 6:00 P.M.
72. HERIT_180525_22.JPG: First Bank, First Heist West Side Development Silver Heritage Georgia Avenue Silver Spring's First Bank Robbery occurred in 1928, here on the southwest corner of Georgia Avenue and Oak Street (today's Bonifant Street). Commerce in this block began on September 1, 1925, when the Colonial Revival-style Silver Spring National Bank, at 8252 Georgia Avenue, became the first business to open. Founded in 1910, the move of the community's first bank (from the corner of today's Georgia and Sligo Avenues) was necessitated by Georgia Avenue's widening and construction of the original "viaduct," or Baltimore & Ohio Railroad underpass. The bank robbery occurred here on October 27, 1928 when Takoma Park, MD resident Hugh L. McDaniel told assistant cashier Fred L Lutes to "Give me all you've got." Lutes handed over $2,200 but followed up with two shots from his pistol. Cashier Ira C. Whitacre joined in with three shots from his gun before running outside and firing two more at the bandit escaping in a taxi. Within hours McDaniel was apprehended and all but about $10 of the stolen money was recovered. Two months later, McDaniel, a photographer, was convicted and sentenced to fifteen years in jail. In 1938, the bank merged with the failing Takoma Park Bank and was renamed The Suburban National Bank. Expanded business resulted that year in the addition of a 16-foot-deep classical limestone facade designed by the noted Tilghman Moyer Company of Allentown, PA. A second merger occurred in 1951 with Prince Georges Bank Trust Co. Renamed The Suburban Trust Co, with Silver Spring as its headquarters, a rear addition in the international style was added. "Ghost" letters of The Suburban National Bank name are visible on either side of the Georgia Avenue entrance.
73. HERIT_180525_27.JPG: Gunfire in the Street: Silver Spring National Bank's (from left) Ira C. Whitacre, cashier; James H. Cissel, founding and long-time president; and Fred L. Lutes, assistant cashier, posed for the October 27, 1928 Evening Star after the town's first bank robbery. Whitacre and Lutes fired their personal pistols at the escaping robber.
74. HERIT_180525_31.JPG: Cornerstone of Commercial Development: This brick Bank [sic] was designed and constructed by John M. Faulconer and Frank B. Proctor in 1925, also Silver Spring residents. Inquisitive Spectators gather shortly after the holdup of the Silver Spring National Bank in this Oct. 27, 1928, Evening Star photo.
75. HERIT_180525_35.JPG: Monumental, Classical, Secure: Clearly visible, the 16-foot-deep limestone facade was added in 1938 and the building survived until 2015. The Silver Spring National Bank carved into the limestone frieze was revealed after 77 years, only to disappear within hours.
76. HERIT_180525_37.JPG: Why is "Silver Spring" printed on this bill? "National Currency" was established by the National Banking Act of 1863, which chartered individual national banks to both guarantee their notes featuring the institution's name, a system that lasted until 1935. This $10 note was issued by Silver Spring National Bank in 1920 and featured then, as now, a portrait of the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. Silver Spring National Bank, charter no. 9830, issued 970 sheets of these series 1929, type 1, ten-dollar notes. In addition to U.S. Register of the Treasury, E. E. Jones and U.S. Treasurer, W. O. Woods, the note is signed by cashier Ira C. Whitacre and president James H. Cissel.
77. HERIT_180525_40.JPG: Community Visionary: Banker and lawyer Thomas Howard Duckett, from 1915 to 1965, guided the Silver Spring National Bank through its subsequent mergers, and through Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1933 "Bank Holiday" during the Great Depression, and World War II staff shortages, with the implementation of "Woman Power," Duckett, whose law offices were on the top floor of the bank, played seminal roles the establishment of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission in 1918 and the Maryland National Capital Park & Planning Commission in 1927.
78. HERIT_180708_01.JPG: Heat Up, Cool Down Local Institutions Silver Heritage Georgia Avenue From coal and horse feed to ice cream, a variety of businesses fronting Georgia Avenue have occupied the corner across Sligo Avenue from where you stand. The earliest documented business was Wilkins & Jordan dealers in flour, feed, hay, grain, wood, coal, fertilizers, and plaster. Howard L. Wilkins and William W. Jordan established their business in 1901, "...when there was but one other house in sight." By 1917 this business was owned by James H. Cissel president of the Silver Spring National Bank. In 1923 Cissel sold the business to Howard Griffith and Thomas W. Perry, who specialized in coal, feed, and builders' materials. In 1939 John Nash Gifford founded the Gifford Ice Cream Company when he converted one of the former coal and feed structures at 8101 Georgia Avenue into a plant for the manufacture and sale of Ice Cream. By the time Gifford's closed its doors in 1985, it had become a Silver Spring landmark, serving untold number of ice cream treats and candies. Four years later the business re-opened under new ownership in Bethesda, Md.
79. HERIT_180708_05.JPG: Surrey with the Fringe on Top: A horse-drawn surrey approaches Georgia Avenue from Sligo Avenue, which separates James H. Cissel's flour and feed buildings from the Silver Spring National Bank. Note the Washington, Woodside, and Forest Glenn Railway streetcar tracks near the middle telephone pole. Photo taken on June 21, 1917 by Willard R. Ross. Collection of Silver Spring Historical Society
80. HERIT_180708_08.JPG: A Busy Intersection The intersection of Georgia and Sligo Avenues as it looked in 1927. The set of tracks crossing Georgia Avenue was spur line allowing materials shipped via the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad to be delivered directly to Griffith and Perry's warehouse. Collection of Silver Spring Historical Society
81. HERIT_180708_11.JPG: A Short Commute Circa 1910 view of Sligo Avenue (also known as Bluestone Road and Blair Road) looking east from Georgia Avenue. James H. Cissel lived in the house shown on the extreme left with the partial front porch. His daily commute consisted of only a few steps to his bank and flour and feed operations. Collection of the Silver Spring Historical Society
82. HERIT_180708_14.JPG: We All Scream for Ice Cream! Gifford Ice Cream Company as it appeared in September 1948. Among the many items listed in this circa 1950s menu is a Jumbo Hot Butterscotch Sundae for 90 cents. Collection of the Silver Spring Historical Society
83. HERIT_180708_28.JPG: A Downtown is Born Local Institutions Silver Heritage Georgia Avenue The Establishment of Silver Spring's first bank and Newspaper, traditional institutions required for a community to grow and prosper, occurred on this corner with the opening of the Silver Spring National Bank in 1910 and publication of The Maryland News in 1928. Construction of the two-story brick bank cost $4,984 ($117,000 in 2008 dollars). Its opening allowed Silver Spring residents and merchants to conduct financial transactions that benefited the local community instead of customers taking their business to Bethesda, Rockville, Kensington or the District of Columbia where the nearest banks were located. The bank remained in operation at this location until 1925 when it relocated at 8252 Georgia Avenue. In 1927, Silver Spring businessman E. Brooke Lee and Bethesda Chevy Chase Gazette editor and publisher Robert I. Black established The Maryland News as a bi-weekly, country-wide newspaper whose mission was to report "All the News of Montgomery County." The following year The Maryland News building opened on this corner at 8081 Georgia Avenue where the newspaper was composed and printed until 1953. Publication ceased in 1976. Sparkling Spring to Community Welcome to the Silver Spring, Georgia Avenue, one of our two original main streets, was constructed in the 19th century as the Seventh Street Turnpike, a dirt road connecting Washington City to Brookeville, Md. A village named Sligo, was established in the 1830s by Chesapeake and Ohio Canal workers from County Sligo, Ireland, was located at the corner of Georgia and Colesville Road, our other main street. A mica-flecked spring discovered in 1840 by U.S. presidential advisor Francis Preston Blair while riding his horse Selim, inspired the name of Blair's estate Silver Spring, constructed near the spring's site. Silver Spring's original Baltimore and Ohio Railroad station , built in 1878, formed the nucleus from which today's community radiated. The majority of these early-to-mid century buildings still grace Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road and their many side streets. Explore the area and discover the fascinating history of the pioneering entrepreneurs, businesses, and institutions that developed our vibrant and diverse community. Learn more about Historic Downtown Silver Spring at www.sshistory.org
84. HERIT_180708_31.JPG: Read all about it! Front page of the June 22, 1934 The Maryland News, the first newspaper published in Silver Spring. The public was invited "...to read it, criticize it, make suggestions and send in news." The subscription was $2.00 per year. Collection of Silver Spring Historical Society
85. HERIT_180708_34.JPG: Wish you were here The message on this postcard mailed in 1920 by bank employee Mary Roeder reads, "On the reverse side you will find my new place of employment and believe me it is heaven compared to other places I have had." Photograph taken on June 21, 1917 by Willard R. Ross. Collection of Silver Spring Historical Society
86. HERIT_180708_40.JPG: Paying the Bills Check in the amount of $4.03 written by Hiram B. Backus to William P. Wilson on July 9, 1924. Backus live in the Woodside neighborhood of Silver Spring on 1st Avenue adjacent to Woodside Park. Collection of Silver Spring Historical Society
87. HERIT_180708_43.JPG: Traffic Detours Vehicles detour in 1947 from southbound Georgia Avenue onto Sligo or Philadelphia avenues due to construction of the enlarged Georgia Avenue underpass, taking place on the right. The Unique stone wall visible on the left was part of Gifford Ice Cream parking lot.Collection of Silver Spring Historical Society
88. HERIT_180708_47.JPG: Sparkling Spring to Community Welcome to the Silver Spring, Georgia Avenue, one of our two original main streets, was constructed in the 19th century as the Seventh Street Turnpike, a dirt road connecting Washington City to Brookeville, Md. A village named Sligo, was established in the 1830s by Chesapeake and Ohio Canal workers from County Sligo, Ireland, was located at the corner of Georgia and Colesville Road, our other main street. A mica-flecked spring discovered in 1840 by U.S. presidential advisor Francis Preston Blair while riding his horse Selim, inspired the name of Blair's estate Silver Spring, constructed near the spring's site. Silver Spring's original Baltimore and Ohio Railroad station , built in 1878, formed the nucleus from which today's community radiated. The majority of these early-to-mid century buildings still grace Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road and their many side streets. Explore the area and discover the fascinating history of the pioneering entrepreneurs, businesses, and institutions that developed our vibrant and diverse community. Learn more about Historic Downtown Silver Spring at www.sshistory.org
Bigger photos? To save server space, the full-sized versions of these images have either not been loaded to the server or have been removed from the server. (Only some pages are loaded with full-sized images and those usually get removed after three months.) I still have them though. If you want me to email them to you, please send an email to guthrie.bruce@gmail.com and I can email them to you, or, depending on the number of images, just repost the page again will the full-sized images.
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Photo Contact: [Email Bruce Guthrie].