About Silver Spring's Downtown Silver Spring

There are 6 more days to get a Pumpkin and carve it out and or display it for Halloween.

The Annual Pumpkin Patch has a good selection of Pumpkins and some pretty chrysanthmums at Woodside Methodist Church in the Woodside area at the edge of Downtown Silver Spring.

Boy Scout Troop 209 is Silver Sprng’s Oldest Boy Scout Troop. Boy Scout Troop 209 has been in existence since the 1930’s at this same Silver Spring Location.

Buy a pumpkin or some mums and Support your Local Silver Spring Boy Scout Troop 209. All proceeds go to the troop’s financial aid fund to make sure that all scouts can participate in the troops many activities and it’s more fun than just picking up a pumpkin at the local grocery store!

Woodside United Methodist Church
8900 Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20910

Located at the corner of Georgia Avenue and Ballard Street,

1 block north of Spring Street. Google Map

Look for the Boy Scout Troop 209 Truck.

Make your pumpkins last: Check out these great tips to preserve your pumpkin and stop it from rotting on the porch or in your yard this year.

Also from Plumbers and the Roto-Router people - Never, ever put the guts of the pumpkin (the pulp) in the garbage disposal or down any of the drains in your home, this can cause a real Halloween nightmare

In Silver Spring, every year we have a summer attraction that causes a lot of excitment. During Shark Week the Discovery Building has an ginormous inflatable shark swimming through it. It is quite a sight to see in the skyline at the corner of Colesville Road and Georgia Avenue at the heart of Downtown Silver Spring. The Shark has been nicknamed "Chompie".

I heard a rumor on Twitter today, which was confirmed by Silver Spring Patch, that Silver Spring's Jaws will not be in the sky this summer.

Apparently Chompie is going to be given a rest this year, but the big shark will be back in all it's glory, for next year's 25th Anniversary Celebration of Shark Week.

This backyard backs to an alley in the McNeill's neighborhood of Silver Spring, It was a cool thing to watch this small back yard space transfomed into such an abundant oasis, in a neighborhood that is just 2 blocks from the Downtown Silver Spring CBD.

This was really a bare small backyard just a few years ago. Every inch of space has been used cleverly, (even part of the alley) for the landscape and plantings. Even though there is a lot of space used for gardening, there is still a driveway to the garage and a large gazebo used for outdoor dining and fun.

It is still early in the growing season and I love watching Edamarie's garden grow, fill in and florish through the spring, summer and into fall for the past couple years.

Backyard Bounty is a local Silver Spring Business that designs, builds and maintains kitchen gardens and sustainable landscapes.

Check out the Backyard Bounty Website with more photos including the Front Yard of Backyard Bounty

The Riggs - Thompson House was built in 1858 by George Washington Riggs. The house was used as a country estate and working farm that was known for it's "fine blooded" cattle.

The estate was originally sited on over 140 acres facing what is now Georgia Avenue. Imagine a property that originally stretched from Georgia Avenue in the front, to past Sligo Creek in the back and from Colesville Road to present day Bonifant Street on the sides. The house was accessed by a long drive from Georgia Avenue (then called Westminster Road). The driveway is now the present day Pershing Drive. The original GW Riggs house was brick, built in the Second Empire Style with a handsome mansard roof. At this time the area was known as Sligo, it was not known as Silver Spring yet.

The Riggs family sold their Silver Spring Farm in July of 1864, a week after the torching and plundering of the Silver Spring area in a skirmish by Confederate and Union troops. The Riggs estate was generally unscathed by the skirmish, except for the loss of some "hay forage", vegetables and a valuable ox.

The second owners were William and Helen Thompson. William Thompson was a prominent Washington businessman who was retiring from a plumbing and gas fitting business. Thompson was also vice president of the Metropolitan National Bank and had financial interests in Steamboats and Real Estate.

The Thompsons enlarged the house by adding an Italinate style front and side, encasing the original brick Second Empire/Mansard style house. The outline of the original brick Riggs house and mansard roof can still be seen peeking out over the top and at the back of the present house.

In 1872 Thompson aquired more land along Colesville Rd increasing the size of the estate to 160 acres.

After the Metropolitan Branch of the B&O Railroad station opened in Silver Spring (1873) development increased in the Sligo area. The train stop was given the name Silver Spring in Honor of the Blair Estate, but the area around the intersection of Colesville Road and Georgia Ave continued to be known as Sligo until the early 1900's.

The Thompsons maintained a home in NW, Washington, DC and their country estate became a social center where they entertained frequently. In the late 1880's the Evening Star reported that the "beautiful rolling country of the Silver Sprng area" was characterized by "attractive residences of people who have established charming country homes with spacious surroundings of lawn, park,
forest and farm". The Riggs-Thompson house represents a period of prosperity when upper class Washingtonians established country seats in lower Montgomery County.

William Thompson died in 1896 on his Silver Spring Farm.


Helen Thompson continued to maintain the country estate until the early 1920's. She owned several automobiles driven by a chauffer and to manage the estate she employed an overseer. Helen Thompson died in 1923 leaving her estate to her sister and a sister in law.

To be Continued . . . . .

Downtown Silver Springs was the destination for many yesterday, Saturday November 20th 2010, for the Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade.

If you follow my blog you will probably notice that I always enjoy a good parade, whether it be the St Patrick's Day Parade in Baltimore, or the 4th of July Parade in Catonsville, MD. Take a seat and enjoying the entertainment just appeals to me!.

In anticipation for a chilly morning in Montgomery County, we all wore many layers of clothing. With chairs and blankets we headed to the business district of Silver Springs to find the best location available. We decided to find a spot near the start of the parade.

The Parade Route

 When we arrived it was not too crowded so we set up camp. The parade started a little later than anticipated, but it was worth the wait. The weather was glorious, a picture perfect 64 degree November Day.

Montgomery County is very diverse and the Parade was no exception.

Enjoy

If you or someone you know is thinking of Buying or Selling property in Howard County, Baltimore County, Baltimore City, Harford County, Anne Arundel County, Carroll County, Montgomery County or Prince Georges County. - or if you would like more information please give Ellie McIntire a call at 443-418-7668 or e-mail Ellie@LNF.com

Ellie McIntire

The McIntire Team

9171 Baltimore National Pike

Ellicott City. MD 21042

 410. 461 1456      

 410. 750 8781  (FX)

443. 418 7668       (cell)

E-mail:  Ellie@LNF.com