MARYLAND HISTORICAL TRUST NR Eligible: yes DETERMINATION 0F ELIGIBILITY FORM Property Name: Gaithersburg wye/The wood Lot Inventory Number: M: 21-166 Address: North comer ofs. Frederick Avenue and Fulks corner Avenue Historicdistrict: _yes X no City : Gaithersb urg Zipcode: 20877 County : Montgomery USGS Quadrangle(s): Gaithersburg Property owner: City ofGaithersburg Tax Account ID Number: 09-00817800 Tax Map parcel Number(s): Multiple TaxMapNumber: FT561 Project: MD 355 Bus Rapid Transit Improvements project Agency: Montgomery county Dept. of Transportation Agency prepared By: VIIB Preparer's Name: George Rounds Date prepared : 7/31 /2018 Documentation is presented in: Maryland Inventory of Historic places (MIHP) Forin Preparer's Eligibility Recommendation: Eligibility recommended X Eligibility not recommended Criteria: A 8 C D Considerations: A 8 C D E F G Complete if the property is a contributing or non-contributing resource to a NR district/property.. Name of the District/Property: Inventory Number: Eligible: yes Listed: yes Site visit byMHT staff yes X no Name: Date: Description of property and Justification: rp/eczse c!ffczc7z mc7p cr#dpfoo/o/ Introduction/Location: Gaithersburg Wye/The Wood Lot (Gaithersburg Wye) is a rail spur located between the Metropolitan Branch of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (8&0) to the noilh, Fulks Comer Avenue to the southeast, and S. Frederick Avenue (also known as MD 355) to the west in Gaithersburg, Montgomery County, Maryland. Originally constructed in 1888 and expanded in 1906, the wye provided locomotives with the capability to turn around in Gaithersburg, resulting in the city's emergence as an important point of origin and terminus along the rail line and contributed directly to the city's commercial and residential growth. The resource is set back from the right-of-way of S. Frederick Avenue which includes a concrete sidewalk, metal guardrail, and grassed slope. Although no formal entry to the wye is present, a paved parking area accessible from Olde Town Avenue and a concrete sidewalk located along Fulks Comer Avenue provide pedestrian access. The remaining portion of the wye is situated on a small grassed lot in a suburban setting featuring a small industrial building on an adjacent lot as well as single and mufti-family residential development and several buildings which have been converted to commercial use. MARYLAND HISTORICAL TRUST REVIEW Eligibility recommended ELigibinty not recommended ^ Criteria : - A 8 C - D Considerations: A 8 C D E F G MHT Comments: r-5ha cslal4jAjAI€? a I.` ` I.\eB Revieweffice of preservation services 1 1 LOD]t,e€ Review.er, National Register Pr:aTgram I Da'te 3otgoqLfo+ NR-ELIGIBILITY REVIEW FORM M: 21-166 Gaithersburg Wve/The Wood Lot Architectural Description: As constructed, the wye sat on a single 1 -acre parcel and consisted of two spurs connected with the south side of the double- tracked line, enabling locomotives to turn around at Gaithersburg (Montgomery County Deed Book [MCDB] EBP31 :435). Two additional parcels were acquired for the wye's improvement during the 20th century, which included the enlargement of the radii of the tracks (MCDB JLB 184:451 ). Currently, only a portion of the enlarged facility is evident, including approximately 50 feet of rails and a steel freight buffer stamped, "Freight Bumping Post, The Buda Co. Chicago,Ill, Pat'd Oct 1906." The remainder of the rails, graded road bed, and other materials have been removed and/or covered by an asphalt parking area and modem residential development, which has been constructed along the site where the wye once connected with the Metropolitan Branch of the 8&0. Additionally, due to subdivision of the property in 2012, the remaining features sit on a separate detached parcel and are obscured from view by a large residential development. Historic Context Gaithersburg Wye traces its origins to shortly after the completion of the 8&0 Railroad mainline, which ran between Baltimore, Maryland and Wheeling, West Virginia. In 1853, the Metropolitan Railroad Company was formed to construct a branch line running between Georgetown and Point of Rocks, Maryland. The onset of the Civil War and the expiration of the company charter led to the demise of the company, which had completed the survey and planning of the route. Shortly thereafter, the 8&0 assumed control and began construction, completing the Metropolitan Branch at Gaithersburg on February 8,1873 (Soderburg 2009). At the time, Gaithersburg was a small agricultural settlement comprising a few clusters of homes and businesses located along the road now known as Frederick Avenue, historically known as "The Great Road West," connecting the District of columbia and lands west to the Allegheny Mountains. With the arrival of the 8&0, the small settlement developed into a railroad-centered commercial node as farmers and merchants could ship and receive produce and goods to distant areas (Beck 1994: 286). Agricultural diversification also occuiTed as perishable items such as dairy products and fruit could now be transported more efficiently (Soderburg 2009). In the decades following the Civil War, railroads increasingly improved the efficiency of commercial and agricultural operations, and lands surrounding cities became accessible not only to summer residents seeking to escape the heat of washington, D.C., but also to permanent residents seeking "the pleasures as well as the advantages of a home in the country" (Kelly 2011 : 36, 40). Real estate brokers and land developers began designing planned residential neighborhoods in Gaithersburg and other towns outside of Washington, D.C. According to a Washington Post article, "The development along the Metropolitan Branch within the past few years has been phenomenal. Nearly all the land between here [Rockville] and Gaithersburg has been bought up either by syndicates or wealthy individuals, and quite a number of the newly acquired properties have been platted for sale in building lots" (Washington Post via Beck 1994: 285). In 1878, the town was incorporated and, according to the 1879 History of Montgomery County Maryland, the town possessed a town hall, public school, and a population of 200 persons, including farmers, blacksmiths, merchants, a physician, a shoemaker, and two churches (Boyd 1879: 129). Soon, the Metropolitan Branch was more utilized than the original 8&0 mainline. First, the existing tunnels along the main line could not be widened for increasingly larger engines and freight (Soderburg 2009). According to the Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) State Historic Sites Inventory Form for the Gaithersburg Wye, "the local economic and community growth created by the line resulted in vastly increased demand for local agricultural and passenger commuter services," which in turn resulted in the existing single-track line exceeding its capability. Secondly, the expansion of the line's capacity resulted in the double tracking of the Metropolitan Branch between Washington D.C. and Gaithersburg, which had begun in 1886 and was completed in 1893 (Christensen and Hott 1986: 3). MARYLAND HISTORICAL TRUST REVIEW E]igibi]ity recommended Eligibility not recommended Criteria : A 8 C D Considerations: A 8 C D E F G MHT Comments: Reviewer, Office of preservation services Date Reviewer, National Register program Date NR-ELIGIBILITY REVIEW FORM M: 21-166 Gaithersburg Wve/The Wood Lot Concurrent with the double-tracking of the Metropolitan Branch, Gaithersburg emerged as the terminal site for local rail service, likely due to its status as a hub of local commerce linked via a network of market roads, as well as the residential suburbanization occurring in the area, which created demand for passenger service. On July 5,1888, the 8&0 purchased I acre for $300 from Ignatius Fulks for the construction of a "wye" that enabled locomotives to be tuned around and facilitate Gaithersburg as a terminal point and origin (MCDB EBP31 :435). Two years prior, Fulks had acquired the land as part of a 173-acre tract from John Desellum. Fulks had subdivided the 1-acre tract from the 173-acre parcel, which had acquired the name "Wood Lot" (MCDB EBP 31 :435). John Desellum noted that "more wheat is now annually delivered here than was annually grown in the whole county," and by 1894, eight of the eighteen passenger trains operating along the Metropolitan Branch were between Washington D.C. and Gaithersburg (Christensen and Hott 1986: 3-4). The MHT State Historic Sites Inventory Form for the Gaithersburg Wye, describes the operation of the wye: "With the advent of the tuning wye, passenger locomotives, and indeed complete (short) passenger trains could be `turned' at Gaithersburg. Upon arrival of a passenger `local' from Washington, the train would stop to unload on the westbound track (or siding) at the passenger station. The train's locomotive would most likely be uncoupled from the train, move to the eastbound track and then to the wye to be `tumed' and `serviced' for its return trip to Washington. If the cars of the trains were to return to Washington without being turned, they might be left in front of the station for the Washington-bound passengers to board while the locomotive was being turned and serviced" (Christensen and Hott 1986:4). Improvements to the wye began during the early 20th century, possibly to accommodate larger locomotives which would require a larger turning radius. Ignatius Fulks sold a 0.48-acre tract and 1.03-acre tract to 8&0 for $750 on January 11,1906, as shown in an accompanying plat, for the expansion of the wye (MCDB JLB 184:451). An additional 0.43-acre tract was also acquired by the 8&0 from Any Matilda Selby on February 16,1906 for $200 (MCDB JLB 188:221). A portion of the rails and a freight buffer marks the footprint of the expanded wye. A 1930 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map is the earliest depiction of the wye, and shows a single leg of the expanded facility with a lumber yard and concrete manufacturer along its path (Sanbom Map Company 1930).