Existing comment:
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 |