SAVE THE DATE: BOXES AND BAGS BINGO FUNDRAISER IS BACK! FEBRUARY 26, 2022, MORE INFO TO FOLLOW
WHAT'S NEW? SEE BELOW!
Welcome
The Historical Society of Mount Airy, MD. Inc. was established in 1998 by Travis Norwood and Mayor Jerry Johnson. Its mission is to foster interest in the town history and its various historic landmarks. Our main goals are to establish and maintain a museum for the preservation and the display of artifacts, photographs and other historic memorabilia related to the Town’s history, and to educate the public about our history. The Historical Society manages the museum, caboose, and Rails to Trails. Check our links above to explore further.
Wanted! Any information you can provide on the people, places or events in these pictures!
The Historical Society of Mount Airy, Maryland is looking for referenced, researched, verifiable documentaries, presentations, reports, etc. on the history of Mount Airy. Please submit to us for consideration as exhibits, presentations at our meetings, or articles for the newsletter. You can submit to our email address. Thank you.
Announcements & Events
1 raffle ticket
6 raffle tickets
Christmas Quilt Raffle
The Historical Society will once again raffle off a blue ribbon winning quilt made by the Animal Health Center's very own Nanci O'Brien. This year's quilt measures 34 1/2" x 34 1/2" and features a reindeer in flight over a Christmas town. Tickets are $5.00 each or 6 tickets for $25.00.
Tickets may be purchased on this website or in person at the Blossom and Basket Boutique or at the Historical Society Museum. When you buy your ticket online you will automatically be entered into the drawing. Drawing will be December 12, 2021. Winner will be notified
The Mount Airy Museum is open Saturdays and Sundays 12 noon until 4 p.m., and from 3-7 pm on Wednesdays when the Farmer's Market is open
Please, observe social distancing; face masks are now optional for your safety. You can contact us at historicalsocietyofmountairy@earthlink.net.
Historical Society of
Mount Airy, Maryland, Inc.
Exhibits
In times gone by, Mount Airy was a center of commerce. People living in the area either worked their farms or lived and worked in town. Shops including grocery stores, a drug store, barber shops, hardware stores, banks and others were owned by local merchants and provided goods to the local residents. These shops provided employment for people who did not make a living by farming. Very few people commuted to work as they do today.
This exhibit presents a glimpse into some of the businesses that flourished in Mount Airy providing goods, services and employment to the citizens of this community. For more information, click here.
Education
Mount Airy's education system has evolved over the years, from the one room schoolhouse at Pine Grove to Parr's Ridge Elementary. Our museum has a fine display on all of the schools that have made Mt. Airy home, including:
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Parrsville, then Pine Grove One-Room Schoolhouse
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St. James School (which housed Mt. Airy Elementary grades 1-4)
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Old Mount Airy School
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Mount Airy Elementary (in its various locations)
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Mount Airy Middle School
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Mount Airy High School (in various locations)
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Parr's Ridge Elementary School (housing K-2)
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Twin Ridge Elementary School
The most exciting part of our education display is an interactive computer board, where visitors can look up those residents who attended Mount Airy High School from its inception to its closing in 1967. For more information, click here.
The Robert Garrett Sanatorium was a hospital for poor children between the ages of 2 and 12. It was named for the husband of founder Mary Garrett. Children from Baltimore would be brought by train from a hospital in Baltimore in June and returned to Baltimore when they were cured or when cooler weather in September arrived. For more information click here.
Railroad/Transportation
The railroad signal, which is located outside of the Mount Airy Museum, was once located at the Mount Airy junction, the point at which the western end of the Mount Airy Branch of the B&O Railroad rejoined the Old Main Line. Read the story of the signal and how it is was used to control the movement of trains through the switches at this junction.
The train display located in the Mount Airy Museum is a 1:87 scale (also known as HO Scale) interactive diorama of the historic Baltimore & Ohio railyard which was located in the heart of Mount Airy. The display models the quarter-mile stretch of track emerging from a cut in Parr’s Ridge to the east, past the train station, across main street, and heading west toward the Mt. Airy Canning Company. The diorama accurately models the B&O railroad track plan from 1915. For more information, click here.
Mount Airy has had over 20 fires near or along Main Street in the 100 years of the 20th Century. Many of these fires destroyed large portions of the town and were the result of negligence, unknown cause, or outright arson. For more information on the history of the Mount Airy Fires, click here.
Mount Airy was at one time a hub for manufacturing, largely due to the railroad, housing industries such as the grain mills, canning factory, sewing factory, and others. People who did not make a living by farming often worked in these industries, which used the railroad to ship goods far and wide. These exhibits present a glimpse into the inner workings of these manufacturing plants. For more information, click here.
Mount Airy Biographies
Hometown Heroes Banner Program
This program, spearheaded by Councilwoman Patty Washabaugh and now being managed by the town, is to honor the men and women from this community who have served or are currently serving our country in a branch of the military. Each unique banner includes the service member's picture and branch of service. The banners are 24" wide and 44" tall. We encourage you to visit Historic Mount Airy's Main Street, Park Avenue and Center Street to see the Heroes banners proudly displayed. For more information, click here.