Indian Spring facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Indian Spring
Neighborhood
Indian Spring neighborhood
Indian Spring Location in Maryland
Country	United States
State	Maryland
County	Montgomery
Unincorporated community	Silver Spring
ZIP Code	20901
Area codes	301, 240

Indian Spring (also known as Indian Spring Terrace) is a neighborhood in Silver Spring, Maryland. It is mostly made up of homes. Indian Spring is considered one of the oldest neighborhoods in Silver Spring. It is sometimes seen as a southeastern part of Four Corners.

Where is Indian Spring Located?

Indian Spring is in the northern part of the Silver Spring area. A large highway called the Capital Beltway is to its north. Across the Beltway are Montgomery Blair High School and the neighborhoods of Four Corners and Woodmoor.

To the east, across University Boulevard, is the Franklin Knolls neighborhood. The North Sligo Hills Park neighborhood is to the west, across Colesville Road. To the south, Indian Spring is bordered by Franklin Avenue. Beyond that are the Seven Oaks-Evanswood neighborhood and Downtown Silver Spring.

A Look Back: History of Indian Spring

Before European settlers arrived, the land where Indian Spring now stands was home to the Piscataway people. The name "Indian Spring" first appeared in a property paper from 1871. This paper mentioned "Beale's Indian Spring farm," which had been around since the 1850s.

The Golf Club and Early Development

In 1921, some business people from Silver Spring bought the land. They started the Silver Spring Golf Club, which later became the Indian Spring Golf Club. To attract members and sell homes, the golf club used stories about a special spring and images of Indigenous people. These stories and images were not respectful of Indigenous cultures.

At first, only white Christians could join the Indian Spring Golf Club. People who were Jewish or African-American were not allowed.

Changes and Growth

Around 1939 or 1940, a real estate developer named Abraham S. Kay bought the golf club. He used about half of the golf course land to build many of the homes in the Indian Spring neighborhood. Mr. Kay allowed white Jewish people to join the golf club. At that time, Jewish people often faced unfair rules in other parts of Silver Spring. Soon, most of the golf club members were Jewish. However, Black people and other people of color were still not allowed to join.

Mr. Kay also used disrespectful images of Indigenous people in his advertisements for homes. His housing development also had rules that prevented Black, Indigenous, and other people of color from buying homes. These rules were called "racial covenants." They meant that African-Americans and other people of color could not own or live in a home in Indian Spring, unless they were working as a domestic helper.

These racial covenants were made illegal by the Fair Housing Act of 1968. However, you can still find these old rules written in the property papers of many Indian Spring homes.

In 1954, the Indian Spring Golf Club moved to a new location in Glenmont. This was because the planned Capital Beltway highway would have affected the club.

During the 1940s and 1950s, Indian Spring became an important place for the Jewish community in Silver Spring. Many Jewish families went to the nearby Temple Israel synagogue.

Community Contributions

Abraham Kay also gave land to build the Silver Spring YMCA on Hastings Drive. Today, the northern part of the original Indian Spring Golf Club is where Montgomery Blair High School is located.

What's in a Name? The Story of "Indian Spring"

The name "Indian Spring" comes from old stories about a spring in the area. People believed it was the "largest and finest spring in Maryland." Some traditions said that Indigenous people from all over the eastern part of the country came to drink its water and be healed.

However, the Indian Spring Civic Association has said that these stories are "racist" and a "myth." They explain that the myth "invokes the problematic trope of 'magical Indians' who supposedly used a nearby spring with mystical healing properties." They believe this story was made up by the settlers who took the land from the Indigenous tribes who lived there first.

Getting Around: Transportation

Indian Spring has good transportation options. You can use Metrobus lines Z2, Z6, and Z8. Ride On buses also serve the area with numbers 9, 14, 21, and 22.

The Flash BRT bus has a stop nearby in Four Corners. For train service, you can use the Washington Metro Red Line at stations like Downtown Silver Spring, Wheaton, and Takoma.

By 2027, the Purple Line train will also be available. It will have stops at the nearby Silver Spring, Piney Branch Road, and Long Branch stations.