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From Corn to Commuters – Program on Sunday, April 28, 4:00 p.m.

27 April 2013, 4:25 pm Sticky post

From Corn to Commuters: How the Coming of the Railroad Changed the Way of Life and the Future of Montgomery County

Speaker: Susan Soderberg

This PowerPoint presentation tells the story of how the coming of the railroad changed the face of Montgomery County forever.  Featured are the railroad stations designed by Francis Baldwin, extraordinary feats of engineering such as the curving trestle over Little Seneca Creek and the Bollman Truss viaduct over the Monocacy River, and new suburban and agricultural towns spawned by this catapult into the Industrial Age.  The talk explores how this branch line became the mainstay of the B & O Railroad and evolved into the current commuter and freight line.  This presentation is based on Susan’s book The Met: A History of the Metropolitan Branch of the B&O Railroad,  published in 1998 by the Germantown Historical Society.

Join us for coffee at 3:30 p.m. with the program starting at 4:00 p.m.  in the lower level of Kensington Town Hall at 3710 Mitchell Street.

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February 2013 Newsletter Now Online

3 May 2013, 1:33 pm

February 2013 Newsletter 

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Next KHS Presentation: Sunday, February 24 at Kensington Town Hall, 4:00 P.M.

18 February 2013, 7:53 pm
THE LIFE OF JOSIAH HENSON: 
 INSPIRATION FOR THE NOVEL ”UNCLE TOM’ CABIN”
 
Have you ever noticed the Riley Plantation house on Old Georgetown Road in North Bethesda? Take a journey back in time to meet the Reverend Josiah Henson, whose extraordinary life inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe’s landmark novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin.   He was a slave, writer, and minister and lived and traveled in our area.

 Learn about his connection to the historic Newport Mill in the Ken-Gar Palisades Local Park, not far from the Town of Kensington.  This event, celebrating Black History Month, is from 4 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, February 24, at the Kensington Town Hall, 3710 Mitchell Street in Kensington.  Refreshments served at 3:30 p.m.

Montgomery Parks staff retrace Henson’s steps from enslavement on the Isaac Riley plantation to escape on the Underground Railroad to freedom in Canada.   The presentation will highlight the exciting historical and archaeological findings which reveal much about Henson’s life and slavery in Montgomery County.   Hear about plans to convert the plantation site and historic buildings to a visitors center and an interpretive program.   

Our speakers are Heather Bouslog, Senior Archaeologist & Shirl Spicer, Museum Manager, of the M-NCPPC Montgomery Parks Department.  The event is free and all are welcome.

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UPDATED Concert Listing

11 August 2012, 5:53 pm

Click on the link below to see the UPDATED concert listing with an extended concert on October 6th!

UPDATED 2012 Concert Series Line-Up

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June 30th Concert Postponed

29 June 2012, 11:28 am

Please note that the June 30th Concert with Scrub Pines has been postponed to August 11th due to heat.

Make sure to come back and check them out then!

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Summer Concert Series 2012

29 June 2012, 11:25 am

Check out the full schedule for the Kensington Historical Society Free Summer Concert Series 2012!

2012 Concert Series Line-Up

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Summer 2012 Concert Series Kicks Off June 2nd!

1 June 2012, 3:12 pm

Summer officially starts in Kensington with the kick-off of the Historical Society’s Saturday Concert Series June 2nd!

The concerts are held at the Howard Avenue Park across from the Farmers’ Market at the train station.

Performing June 2nd at 10am will be:

The Old School Bluegrass Band who enjoys ”reforming” the old traditional Bluegrass and Country music.  We know you will enjoy listening to it!

The Kensington Historical Society is happy to bring you another full season of 17 free concerts through the end of September, with a different band each week!  This is a great opportunity to drop in, listen, relax for a little while and visit with neighbors.  All concerts are held from 10 to 11 a.m.
The following weeks we’ll present Carlos Munhoz and Rio Brazilian Jazzz (9th), Rita Clarke and the Naturals June 16th.
Check this site again for a full schedule.
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Next KHS Meeting Welcomes Anthony Pitch, Author of “The Burning of Washington” – May 22 7pm

26 April 2012, 8:04 pm

Join us for a  vivid account of the most dramatic series of events in American history, including the flight of President Madison, the capture and torching of the White House and the Capitol, the epic defense of Fort McHenry, the birth of the national anthem, and the stunning American victory at New Orleans.

Anthony S. Pitch is the author of a number of books including the recently published “They Have Killed Papa Dead!” – The Road to Ford’s Theatre, Abraham Lincoln’s Murder, and the Rage for Vengeance, described by Harold Holzer, co-chairman of the U.S. Commission on Lincoln’s Bicentennial, as “a perfect storm of a book.” Publisher’s Weekly hailed it as “a real page-turner…No reader will come away unmoved.” The book received the Arline Custer Memorial Prize for best book of 2009 from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference.

Another of his books, The Burning of Washington: The British Invasion of 1814, was a selection of the History Book Club, winner of the Arline Custer Memorial Prize for best book of 2001 from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference, and recipient of the Maryland Historical Society’s annual book award. The White House announced that President Clinton took this book on vacation. Movie rights were optioned by National Geographic.

On the anniversary of Lincoln’s assassination Pitch was invited to speak in Ford’s Theatre. He has appeared numerous times on C-Span TV, most recently in Washington Journal and in its documentary on the White House.

7:00pm Town Hall

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KHS Garden Tour on May 20, 2012

26 April 2012, 7:46 pm

The Kensington Historical Society will host a Garden Tour on Sunday, May 20, 2012.  Gardens at six residences within walking distance of Warner Circle will be open from 1 pm to 4 pm.  The starting point will be Flinn Park, which is located across from the Kensington Post Office at 10325 Kensington Parkway.  Light refreshments will be served at Flinn Park.

The cost of the garden tour is $10 per person for reservations received by Friday, May 18, 2012.  Checks made payable to the Kensington Historical Society should be sent to KHS, P.O. Box 453, Kensington, MD, 20895.  The cost will be $15 per person on the day of the tour for individuals who have not reserved in advance.  Questions should be directed to Detta Voesar at (301) 949-1059.

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March 2012 Newsletter Online

20 March 2012, 3:20 pm

Make sure to check out the great article on 1950s Kensington by Bill Maury.March 2012 Newsletter

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