Introduction to Silver Spring, Maryland

Silver Spring is a large unincorporated municipality located in Montgomery County, Maryland. Lying only 7 miles north of Washington, D.C., Silver Spring is a major business hub which is also not far from Baltimore (35 miles to the northeast). The community got its name from an 1840 discovery of a spring flowing with chips of mica, located in what is now the Acorn Park section of downtown Silver Spring. Francis Preston Blair, advisor to President Andrew Jackson and the first United States Postmaster General, made the discovery two years before constructing a twenty-room mansion as a summer home which he dubbed Silver Spring. Although never incorporated, Silver Spring stands today as one of the most important business and residential centers in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area.

Points of Interest in Silver Spring

Acorn Park, site of the original silver spring, is now an historical treasure, as is Jesup Blair Park, former home of Francis Preston Blair’s daughter Violet. Brookside Gardens and Nature Center is a 50-acre park attractive to nature lovers, gardeners, or anyone looking for a beautiful site to hold a special event. The National Capital Trolley Museum, located just 10 miles north of downtown Silver Spring, celebrates the heritage of electric street trolleys and old railway trains. The George Meany Memorial Archives contains historical records of the AFL/CIO (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations) and features exhibits chronicling the history of unions and the labor movement. Silver Spring is also home to the American Film Institute Silver Theatre and Culture Center, a site which showcases American and foreign films. Also located in Silver Spring is the World Headquarters of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, a large complex with visitor’s center, tours, and presentations. Art lovers can appreciate the Gudelsky Gallery, an intimate gallery featuring works of local artists.