Admission is free. The museum features educational exhibits and programs designed to spark interest The museum is open Thursday-Saturday from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
(15)
The City of Gaithersburg's Community Museum is located in the restored 1884 B&O Railroad Station complex. The Museum features educational exhibits and programs designed to spark visitors' interest and imagination in our City's history. The Community Museum occupies the historic Freight House, the History Park and the B&O Caboose. Designed by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Head Architect, Ephraim
Francis Baldwin, the Gaithersburg Railroad Station was built in 1884. This enabled Gaithersburg, previously known as both Forest Oak and Logtown, new and expedited shipping opportunities south, to Washington, DC. The commercial opportunities this access afforded helped develop the burgeoning Gaithersburg economy. In 1978, its buildings were placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Additional hours are available by appointment. Handicap accessible.
Not sure what to do with all that Halloween candy? NASA has an idea...
Learn how to describe rock samples like a NASA scientist. Then, take a quiz to see if you can match edible rocks made of candy bars – and real rocks from Earth and space – to the correct description.
It's Maryland Emancipation Day! OTD in 1864 the enslaved women and men who lived in Maryland were freed. While it was a close count, abolition prevailed.
For this week's Weekly Challenge, we'll be learning about some well known Marylanders who escaped slavery.
Happy Halloween! Stay safe out there!
GCM Program Coordinator Karen Lottes was interviewed for this Halloween article in MoCo360.
A spectral woman in Silver Spring. Carousel-riding wraiths in Glen Echo. Phantoms with a flair for drama in Olney. Meet the ghosts of MoCo.
Having fun making spiders at the Museum's Halloween weekend.
Bev Says...Trick or Treat at the Museum this weekend. We'll have a fun craft to make as well as treats.
This week's Weekly Challenge will have everyone making spiders for some pre-Halloween fun!
Just wanted to share one more image from International Observe the Moon Night. Not only did visitors see the moon, but we could see Saturn and, towards the end of the evening, Jupiter.
International Observe the Moon Night NISE Network Maryland STEM Festival
Saturday's International Observe the Moon program had wonderful viewing. The staff was worried, but just as 5:30 arrived, the clouds cleared and the winds died down to give us a perfect evening for Skywatching. We also had some great swag from NASA for the Webb Space Telescope to give visitors.
International Observe the Moon Night NISE Network NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory - Education Maryland STEM Festival
Pick up an Observatory pin at the Museum Shop. Only $5.50.
Join us Saturday at Observatory Park for International Observe the Moon Night. In addition to looking at the moon with telescopes, we'll have hands on moon activities. Register at gburg.md/skywatching.
Sunday is National Color Day. To celebrate, we'll be making a color wheel for the Weekly Challenge!
The Museum Shop has solar glasses for sale. These glasses are rated for safely looking at the Sun* during this weekend's annular solar eclipse.
*There is always a risk at looking at the Sun. If the glasses get scratched or damaged in any way, do not use.
Special car on today's Capitol Limited - Aberdeen Carolina & Western, The Menzies Vista observation car.
It's Earth Sciences Week. Do the Olde Towne Scavenger Hunt to learn about watersheds and to win a prize!
What's up in the night sky in October. We hope you'll join us for the Annular Solar Eclipse at the Sun Party at Observatory Park Oct. 14 and International Observe the moon Night on the 21.
What are some skywatching highlights in October 2023?A "ring of fire" solar eclipse across the Americas on Oct. 14 is this month's top highlight! Plus the Mo...
For this week's Weekly Challenge we ask you to test your vision with our special vision chart for Vision Awareness Month. If you do, you get a prize!
Engine 14 works with a skeleton crew.
The Museum is ready for Halloween.
Immerse yourself in all things TRAINS on Sunday at the Fall Train Day Discovery Day. From 11:30-3:30 we'll have crafts, model railroading, AND the Stem Engine will be open.
Bev Says...to visit the museum this Sunday, Oct, 1st for Train Day. There will be lots to see and do.
This week we are exploring All About Me for the Weekly Challenge.
Maryland is the first state in the nation to use a remote sensing-based system for monitoring forest carbon.
Using remote sensing, researchers have developed a method to guide the state of Maryland’s tree-planting efforts.
Parents are always saying to pick up after yourself, but who is telling the space agencies?
I’m a professor of astronomy who has written a book about the future of space travel, articles about our future off-Earth, conflict in space, space congestion and the ethics of space exploration. Like many other space experts, I’m concerned about the lack of governance around space junk.
It's National Diary Day. Here is the cover and one of the pages from Fannie Lipscomb's (1884-1968) diary from 1897. Fannie's diary was found in the wall of 11 Russell Avenue when it was undergoing renovation. Diaries are incredibly important resources for historians. They provide details on how people lived their lives, what they thought about the things happening in their community, and how they participated in family and community life.
If you have a family diary that has a connection to Gaithersburg, we would love to see it. Please contact us at [email protected] or 301-258-6160.
Collections of GCM: 2001.314.001. Donated by the O'Neill Development Corp.
We're getting excited about the upcoming partial solar eclipse on October 14. It's an amazing opportunity to learn and marvel at the wonders of our universe. Please join us to explore the world of solar science. This program is free, but registration is required. For more information go to gburg.md/skywatching.
This month, we're diving into the wonderful world of Grandparents! Please join us for a fun morning of books, movement, and song.
Weekly Challenge:
This week we are finding
Things that are rhyming.
Stop by to have fun with a rhyming game and other activities.
Aargh Mateys, it be Talk Like a Pirate Day! Pirates are all about loot 'n ye needs a map t' find it. Here's a fun post about loot maps in the Library o' Congress.
A picture of a skull and crossbones marks the location of a special collection in the Geography and Map Division. The collection consists of wreck charts published by U.S. federal government agencies, treasure maps made by famous cartographers during the 18th and 19th centuries, and treasure maps pu...
It's Citizenship Day and Constitution Day! It was on this day in 1787 that delegates to the Constitution Convention signed the Constitution. Traditionally new citizens the the United States are sworn in on this day. Do you think you can pass a citizenship test? Try this online example - https://americanhistory.si.edu/citizenship/test #.
Image: New citizens being sworn in in Gaithersburg.
L'Shana Tova! Happy New Year to all who celebrate Rosh Hashanah.
It's good to remember that when the United States was founded, the Founders wanted people to be able to worship as they wanted. In 1790, George Washington wrote to the Touro Synagogue "...the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens in giving it on all occasions their effectual support."
You can read the full letter at
Gentlemen: While I received with much satisfaction your address replete with expressions of esteem, I rejoice in the opportunity of assuring you that I shall always retain grateful remembrance of the cordial welcome I experienced on my visit to Newport from all classes of citizens.
If you enjoyed playing with the Spanish BINGO, we sell it in the Museum Shop.
Bev Says...Drop by and get your museum coloring book for National Coloring Say (Sept 14).
9 S Summit Avenue
Gaithersburg, MD
20877
| Wednesday | 11am - 4pm |
| Thursday | 11am - 4pm |
| Friday | 11am - 4pm |
| Saturday | 11am - 4pm |
| Sunday | 11am - 4pm |
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Gaithersburg Community Museum posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Send a message to Gaithersburg Community Museum:
It's National Wellness Month. We will be practicing Mindfulness Breathing at the museum. When we feel overwhelmed, stopping and just breathing can help put things into perspective and allow us to think more clearly. #NationalWellnessMonth #mindfulnessbreathing #takeabreath
The museum has an unexpected visitor today. Hopefully it will find it's way out the door.
We have an unexpected visitor in the museum today. #birdsofinstagram
The money rains down on the staff in our final #CityHallSelfie post. #GburgMD
Stop by the museum for Heritage Days fun. #MonthomeryCountyHeritageDays #gburgfun
Happy Star Wars Day! We thought we'd re-share this post from 2020 - The Floating Cup Experiment. Tensional integrity or “tensegrity” uses the force of tension against gravity to balance an object, in this case a plastic cup. It looks like the cup is floating. But it’s not magic, it’s physics! And May the Force Be With You. #StarWarsDay
Happy Earth Day! Since it's both Earth Month and National Kite Month we decided to recognize both in this video on reusing materials you have at home to make a kite. Then we hope you'll join us at the museum this weekend to make a flower bomb and other activities in recognition of Earth Month. #earthmonth #NationalKiteMonth #GburgFun #MuseumsFromHome
Yesterday's #CapitolLimited had FIVE vintage cars! We thought you might like to see them. If anyone else got a good view, please share your video/images as well. #amtrak #bandorailroad #trainspotting
Kendra Brown author of "Small but Mighty: Why Earth's Tiny Creatures Matter" - From frogs as small as quarters that indicate the health of entire ecosystems, to crayon-sized millipedes that recycle dead plants into vital nutrients for soil, Small but Mighty explores the ways that small creatures help our environment thrive.
Montgomery County has ambitious greenhouse gas reduction goals. Learn about the County’s recently released Climate Action Plan. Speaker: Adriana Hochberg, Montgomery County DEP. Cocktail Partner: True Respite Brewing Company will join us to share a recipe and discuss their sustainability efforts. (Buying local is a sustainability goal.)
Ambreen Tariq author of "Fatima's Great Outdoors" - An immigrant family embarks on their first camping trip in the Midwest in this lively picture book by Ambreen Tariq, outdoors activist and founder of @BrownPeopleCamping This new virtual book series for children ages 7-12, has authors reading and discussing their books. This program will stream free on Facebook Live.
What are invasive insects, how can you tell them apart from native insects, and what do you do when you find them? Speaker: Ian Pearce, US Geological Survey. Cocktail partner: Clear Skies Meadery will share a recipe featuring their [honey based] mead. (Buying local is a sustainability goal.) Please note that while the program is open to all ages, the drinking of alcohol is limited to viewers age 21 and older.
The Community Museum staff is working with a local historian to create a study of the history, heritage & culture of Gaithersburg’s Black families, organizations & businesses. This program will explain & explore the project, what we hope to achieve & ways you might be able to contribute. This project is funded in part by Heritage Montgomery
Participants will learn tips on how to conserve energy in their homes and more AND get a chance to win prizes! Speaker: Larissa Johnson, Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection. Cocktail partner Cosmos Roastery has created a tasty coffee-based cocktail to go with tonight's program. Check the discussion in the week before to get the recipe and instructions. (Buying local is a sustainability goal.) Please note that while the program is open to all ages, the drinking of alcohol is limited to viewers age 21 and older. @cosmosroastery @mygreenmontgomery
Testing out the new splashpad in #OldeTownePlaza. Looking forward to Spring 2022!
Yesterday's visitors got a treat when the east bound Capitol Limited came through with the vintage car Stampede Pass. Stampede Pass was built in 1954 by the Budd Company for Northern Pacific's Chicago to Seattle service, North Coast Limited.
The Hobo Code Train layout in the Budd Car is open to visitors. Join us for #TrainDay before the event ends at 3:30. #GburgFun
The Live Steamers are part of today's #TrainDay. Join us before the event ends at 3:30. #GburgFun
#}
