Darby Store facts for kids
The Darby Store is a historic site located in Beallsville, Maryland. Originally, a store and blacksmith shop were at the location of the Darby Store, the intersection of Beallsville Road and Darnstown Road (Route 28), until in 1908 H.C. Darby bought the land. In 1910, H.C. Darby built a two-story general store. In the 19th and 20th century it was very common to have the family residence next to the family business. The Darby House was built in 1921, where the Darby family lived while they occupied their store.
After H.C. Darby managed the store, his son used it as a storage unit. Now the county has obtained the store and house, and is researching the history of the building. The general store is culturally and historically significant as one of the few remaining examples of rural vernacular architecture of the early 20th century in Montgomery County.
History
When the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's Metropolitan Branch opened in 1873, creating the Sellman Station, development in the area increased. By the 1920s the Darby store included the area's post office. After H.C. Darby retired in 1974, his son H.D. Darby used the store as a storage unit. In 2004, the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission purchased the Darby House for $670,000 after the Darby Store was claimed as one of the most endangered historic sites in the country by the Montgomery Preservation Inc. During the summer of 2009, the site was under excavation. A team of archaeologists spent three weeks at the site and their findings included: oyster shells, glass shards, coal, nails, ceramic pipe stems, a 1918 liberty dime, and a Yoo-hoo bottle, all of which provide clues to the history of the area, and the buildings occupying it since the 19th century.
Planned move
Volunteer archeologists are digging through the layers of the Darby Store to find artifacts before the store is moved. They are looking for any important artifacts on the present site of the building and the site to which it is to be moved. The Darby Store is going to be restored by the end of 2009. In 2010 the store is to be moved back off the corner of the streets by Robert Silman Associates.
As of 2015, the Montgomery County Department of Parks was accepting requests for proposals to occupy the historical store. The county said it was hoping a new tenant would bring new life to the building that has been an intricate part of the community since 1910.
http://www.montgomeryparks.org/PPSD/Cultural_Resources_Stewardship/heritage/darby_store.shtm
http://www.montgomeryparks.org/PPSD/Cultural_Resources_Stewardship/crs_special_events/votedarby.org.shtm
https://www.loc.gov/item/md1938/
