Darby Store facts for kids
The Darby Store is a special old building in Beallsville, Maryland. It used to be a general store and a blacksmith shop. In 1908, H.C. Darby bought the land. Then, in 1910, he built the two-story general store you see today. It was common back then for families to live right next to their business. The Darby House, built in 1921, was where the Darby family lived while they ran the store.
After H.C. Darby retired, his son used the store for storage. Now, the local county owns both the store and the house. They are studying the history of these important buildings. The Darby Store is special because it's one of the few examples of old country-style buildings from the early 1900s left in Montgomery County.
History of the Darby Store
When the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's train line opened nearby in 1873, the area started to grow. By the 1920s, the Darby Store even had the local post office inside! H.C. Darby ran the store until 1974. After he retired, his son, H.D. Darby, used the building to store things.
In 2004, a group called the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission bought the Darby House. This happened after the Darby Store was named one of the most endangered historic places by a local preservation group.
During the summer of 2009, a team of archaeologists dug around the site. They spent three weeks carefully looking for clues about the past. They found many interesting things like:
- Oyster shells
- Pieces of glass
- Coal
- Old nails
- Parts of ceramic pipes
- A special coin from 1918 called a liberty dime
- An old Yoo-hoo bottle
These findings help us learn about the people who lived and worked there since the 1800s.
Moving and Restoring the Store
Before the Darby Store was moved, volunteer archaeologists dug through the ground. They wanted to find any important old items at the store's original spot. They also looked for artifacts at the new place where the store would be moved.
The plan was to restore the Darby Store by the end of 2009. In 2010, the store was going to be moved away from the busy street corner.
As of 2015, the Montgomery County Department of Parks was looking for someone new to use the historic store. The county hoped a new business would bring fresh energy to the building. The Darby Store has been an important part of the community since 1910.
