Today we’d like to introduce you to Germantown Historical Society.
Hi Germantown, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
The Germantown Historical Society was formed in January 1990. By the spring of 1991 the organization had By-Laws, was incorporated in the State of Maryland, had been accepted by the IRS as a non-profit, and had a bank account – but very little money. The founding members were Susan Soderberg, Elaine Huey, Marcia Geoghan, Audrey Thews and Dana Witt.
The mission of the Society is “the preservation of buildings, structures, objects and spaces that contribute to the historic character of Germantown, the development and implementation of plans for preserving and effectively using these resources, and the promotion of research and education in local history.”
For the first twelve years the Board met in members’ homes, and events were mainly held at the UpCounty Community Center. In 2003 the Society began leasing the Historic Germantown Bank from the county, and purchased it in 2016. Meetings and events as well as our historic exhibits and archives are in this building at 19330 Mateny Hill Rd., Germantown. We are currently raising funds to create the Museum of Banking in the building, which will be the first such museum in the state.
The Society has been active in protecting Germantown Historic sites by writing letters to and testifying before the Montgomery County Historic Preservation Commission, the Montgomery County Planning Board, and the Montgomery County Council. They were instrumental in saving the Pumphrey-Mateny House, the Basil/William Waters House, the Madeline Waters House site, two stone culverts constructed by Master stonemason James Boyd under the railroad track, and three local burial grounds.
For the past 20 years the Society has sponsored a spring and a fall lecture, a holiday party, and been a participant in the Germantown Oktoberfest every year until 2012 when the event was moved out of Germantown, and Heritage Montgomery Days since it began. From 1992 to 1999 they held an annual Maryland Day celebration with the Darnestown Historical Society until that organization dissolved. From 1991-1993 they sponsored Memorial Day cemetery tours. They have had a booth at various events through the years including the Germantown Spring Festival, the annual celebration of the founding of the County, and Germantown “Community Nights,” and have been collecting Oral Histories from local residents. The Germantown Historical Society is a member of Montgomery Preservation, Inc.
In order to raise funds the Society has produced T-shirts with the Liberty Mill logos on them, note cards of Germantown historic sites, Germantown train station decorative blocks, a video on the history of Germantown, a Germantown Landmarks map, and booklets on local history to sell, but their biggest fundraiser is the monthly Germantown Community Flea Markets. The Flea Markets began in 1993 at the MARC parking lot across from the train station. In 1996 the venue moved to the parking lot behind the old library and in 2002 back to the newly enlarged MARC parking lot where it has continued ever since.
The Germantown Historical Society has a brochure, a quarterly newsletter and a website: www.germantownmdhistory.org , and a Facebook page: facebook.com/germantownmdhistory
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It is difficult to interest the diverse population of Germantown in the history of this place — which, ironically, is the only thing they all have in common. There is a lack of a common source of news for the city since we no longer have a paper or digital local newspaper.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
We are the only local source of historical information about this city which has grown from about 600 people to 95,000 in 50 years.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
We took on the ownership of the historic 1922 Germantown Bank building from the County when we know that it needed major repairs. This was a Board decision with one dissent. The dissenting vote stated the risk involved.
Pricing:
- We have raised the vendor fees for the Flea Market from $5 in 1993 to $30 this year.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.germantownmdhistory.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=germantown%20historical%20society%2C%20maryland
