Civil War History Museums in Nearby Montgomery County, Maryland

A substantial amount of our nation’s earliest history took place throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, and Montgomery County, Maryland is no different.  To help maintain the history and culture of this region, Montgomery County is home to various museums exhibiting trolleys, military medicine, antiques, and artifacts that date back to the Civil War era.

With its close proximity to Washington, DC and Philadelphia, a visit down to Montgomery County, Maryland is an easy trip to make this summer to learn more about our nation’s history.  Here are some of the county’s unique museums to visit during your travels:

• National Capital Trolley Museum: The National Capital Trolley Museum in Colesville, Maryland preserves the heritage of electric and interurban railways of the Montgomery County and Washington, DC region.  Visitors can take guided tours of the Street Car Hall, enjoy interactive exhibits: The Trolley, by Golly and Promoting Transit, and ride vintage streetcars on a 2-mile track through Northwest Branch Park.

• The National Museum of Health and Medicine in Silver Spring, Maryland was established during the Civil War as the Army Medical Museum, a central location to collect specimens for research in military medicine and surgery.  There are general tours available free of charge to see some of the museum’s permanent exhibits including “Military Medicine: Challenges and Innovations,” “Civil War Collections,” “The Human Body: Anatomy and Pathology,” and others.

• The Sandy Spring Museum began when a group of residents realized that the community’s history was being sold off with every passing of a long-time resident.  The group decidedly began collecting the old keepsakes in the basement of a building and eventually opened a museum to exhibit these local artifacts in hand-made cases.  The museum complex was completed in 2007 with the addition of a state-of-the-art research library and collections storage facility on seven scenic acres in Sandy Spring, Maryland.

• The John Poole House and Museum Shop is the oldest building in Poolesville, MD.  The log structure was built in 1793 by John Poole, Jr. and originally served as a trading post for traveling merchants and families from the surrounding farms and plantations. The General Store Museum furnishings are based on authenticated period inventories. The Museum Shop features antiques, collectibles, gifts, notepaper, pottery, toys, local books, and local art.

• Woodlawn Manor “Hands-On-History” Museum is a living history museum located in Sandy Spring, Maryland that offers educational programs about the Underground Railroad and Colonial and Plantation life. It features an 18th century brick manor house, stone barn and outbuildings surrounded by extensive meadows, woodland trails, pond and streams.

For more information about visiting these museums and many others in Montgomery County, Maryland, please visit here.