Silver Spring Historical Society

Silver Spring Historical Society Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Silver Spring Historical Society, Nonprofit Organization, Silver Spring, MD.

The mission of the Silver Spring Historical Society (SSHS) is to create and promote awareness and appreciation of downtown Silver Spring's heritage through the preservation and protection of historical sites, structures, artifacts and archives.

The Evening Star (Washington, DC)August 28, 1915"Photo by Frederick A. Schultz" (R-L) 801 to 811 Sligo Avenue, Silver Sp...
08/28/2026

The Evening Star (Washington, DC)
August 28, 1915
"Photo by Frederick A. Schultz"

(R-L) 801 to 811 Sligo Avenue, Silver Spring, MD.

Information from 1930 US Federal Census.

Happy National Dog Day 2026!
08/26/2026

Happy National Dog Day 2026!

From the collections of SSHS...This Silver Spring Volunteer Fire Department nozzle dates from the 1930s. Manufactured b...
08/22/2026

From the collections of SSHS...

This Silver Spring Volunteer Fire Department nozzle dates from the 1930s. Manufactured by the F. N. McIntire Brass Works of Boston, MA, this "Morse Shut-Off Nozzle" was patented in 1933 by Edward W. Sibley (a mechanical draughtman who lived in Gloucester, MA).

Might anyone know a circa year as to when this type of apparatus would have been replaced with a newer generation nozzle?

This artifact was generously donated in 2016 by Rebecca Tierney Fisher. The nozzle belonged to her father, Robert Warren Tierney Sr. (1929 - 1986).

In 1954, twenty-five-year-old Tierney started as a volunteer and retired in 1976 as Assistant Chief. His first title was Superintendent of Mechanics in which he oversaw repairs of all of the trucks at the Silver Spring, Montgomery Hills and Four Corners stations. The undated photograph of Chief Tierney shows him in front of Fire Station #1 on Georgia Avenue.

Artifacts like this are an important way to preserve and tell the history of Silver Spring, MD.

This summer marks the 28th anniversary of the demolition of Silver Spring’s landmark Maryland National Guard Armory, whi...
08/20/2026

This summer marks the 28th anniversary of the demolition of Silver Spring’s landmark Maryland National Guard Armory, which opened with great fanfare on August 20, 1927. Constructed as the home of the MNG’s 29th “Blue and Gray” Infantry Division, the armory was a designated historic building on Montgomery County’s Master Plan for Historic Preservation.

Why was it demolished in 1998?

After the site sat empty for five years, construction began on the Wayne Avenue Parking Garage 60, a seven-story structure to accommodate 1,789 vehicles. Architectural artifacts from the armory were salvaged (at SSHS’s insistence) and placed along the sidewalk fronting the parking garage. The most important artifact was the “ARMORY M.N.G. 1927” cornerstone.

Since the cornerstone’s installation in 2004 (when the garage opened), the cornerstone has been sinking into the ground. About 50% of it is no longer visible. Various requests over the years have been made to elevate and reset it.

All in all, a sad disregard for the history of our community…

This 1946 postcard was part of a set that publicized Silver Spring's attractions.Collection of SSHS.
08/20/2026

This 1946 postcard was part of a set that publicized Silver Spring's attractions.

Collection of SSHS.

Montgomery Blair High School marching band, November 11, 1966.
08/20/2026

Montgomery Blair High School marching band, November 11, 1966.

“The Underpass: Magazine of Silver Spring, Maryland,” Vol. 1 No. 1 September 1949.Collection of Silver Spring Historical...
08/20/2026

“The Underpass: Magazine of Silver Spring, Maryland,” Vol. 1 No. 1 September 1949.

Collection of Silver Spring Historical Society.

Today marks the 99th anniversary of the dedication of our community's Silver Spring Armory, a historic landmark designat...
08/20/2026

Today marks the 99th anniversary of the dedication of our community's Silver Spring Armory, a historic landmark designated on Montgomery County's Master Plan for Historic Preservation.

In 1998 the Montgomery County County Council voted to allow its demolition for the construction of the Wayne Avenue Parking Garage. Learn more about the Armory at https://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=62161

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