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From
Mechanicstown to
Thurmont
Anne Cissel
Like most early
villages established
on the frontiers of
Maryland in the
mid-18th century, the
site of the modern
Thurmont reflected the
physical and
geographic advantages
of the area. The
powerful Hunting Creek
that runs through it
would power its mills:
the mountain lands
were rich in timber
for building and bark
needed for its infant
tanneries. The
plentiful iron ores
provided the impetus
for the success of the
Catoctin Furnace,
whose output was
shipped from the wagon
roads intersecting
near the village.
The traditional date
of the founding of
Mechanicstown is given
as 1751 in history
books; however, more
comprehensive, modern
research has shown
that pioneering German
settlers were already
on parts of the land
in the mid-1740's. At
least three of the
land grants underlying
Thurmont predate the
creation of Frederick
County from Prince
George's County. The
land around "Weller's
Church" sits on 50
acres of a tract
called "Beauty"
patented by John
Weller in 1744, while
in 1738 another Jacob
Weller "The Moravian"
began to survey lands
that would extend
along today's Moser
Road, from the
intersection we now
call Jimtown
Crossroads.
Most of downtown
Thurmont is located on
the Lorenz Krieger
(Lawrence Creager)
farm on 866 acres
named "Stoney Corner,"
surveyed and
resurveyed between
1744 and 1764. It was
not until 1803 or 1804
that his eldest son
John Creager would lay
out 50 building lots
on his half of the
inherited land. By
that time, the
settlement had
prospered with its own
iron forges, grist-
and sawmills, and a
tannery. The presence
of barrel-makers,
wheelwrights,
blacksmiths and other
craftsmen prompted the
name Mechanicstown for
the newly surveyed
community.
The coming of the
railroad in 1871
assured
Mechanicstown's place
as a commercial hub.
Along with the old
tanneries and mills,
newer industries such
as cigar-making,
pottery, coffin works
and lumber businesses
shipped their goods
from a freight depot.
The produce of its
bountiful farms and
orchards fed the
cities. In return,
some of the city
dwellers escaped the
heat and smells of
summer to enjoy the
clean air and mountain
scenery of our town.
The numerous daily
trains brought
sportsmen and hikers,
but also summer
boarders whose
families returned year
after year.
By 1894,
Mechanicstown's
progressive merchants,
bankers and town
leaders had determined
that the old name was
antiquated and smacked
of a by-gone image.
The push for a new
name to replace
Mechanicstown came
about suddenly in 1893
from several sources,
but primarily from the
town's commercial and
business leaders who
wanted a more
"modern," progressive
name that reflected
the town's new image
as a market center and
summer retreat. The
railroad was all for
the idea, since it
would relieve the
shipping and passenger
problems caused by a
profusion of the
"sound-alike"
communities. There was
Mechanicsburg and
Mechanicsville,
Pennsylvania, and
Mechanicsville,
Maryland (now Olney),
as well as our
Mechanicstown,
Maryland.
Newspaper editor
Charles E. Cassell
promoted the idea in
the local paper and
the focus of
discussion soon became
what new name rather
than whether a new
name. Suggestions were
printed in the
Catoctin Clarion and a
good-natured debate in
newspaper columns kept
interest alive.
Finally, it boiled
down to a choice
between Charles
Shipley's idea of Blue
Mountain City and
Editor Cassell's idea
of Thurmont. On
January 4, 1894, a
mass meeting was held
at the Town Hall where
the two competing
names were presented.
Over 80% of the men
voting approved the
name change and Blue
Mountain City received
the most votes. That
is when the Post
Office stepped in and
decided that the
proposed name was too
long; it approved the
name Thurmont.
A Bill was introduced
in the General
Assemble on January
18th, and the town of
Thurmont, Maryland,
was soon on the map.
No one knows exactly
who coined this unique
part-German (Thor -
Norse god of thunder),
part-French (mont -
mountain) name.
Thurmont is a fine
name-but Blue Mountain
City would have been
nice, too. Thurmont's
slogan "Gateway to the
Mountains" reminds us
that the same scenic
beauty and
complimentary
atmosphere that
attracted people to
young Mechanicstown is
still evident in
modern Thurmont.
To learn more about
Thurmont's History,
visit Anne Cissel's
Thurmont Scrapbook
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