
03/15/2023
It's Brain Awareness Week and for this week's Weekly Challenge we will be making brain hats and learning about the brain.
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.
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.
Operating as usual
It's Brain Awareness Week and for this week's Weekly Challenge we will be making brain hats and learning about the brain.
Happy Pi Day! Let us know how you celebrated.
Anthony Cohen joined us to give the third talk in the Gaithersburg History Project: Black Gaithersburg series. He explored the lives of Black women before the Civil War into the present day.
The third video in the Gaithersburg History Project: Black Gaithersburg explores the lives of Black women in Gaithersburg history.
We had a wonderful night at Women in STEM at Casey Community Center. Many thanks to all the scientists who joined us:
• Dr. Greta Babakhanova, who gave the opening remarks, and her colleague Dr. Ileana Pazos from NIST
• We had quite a contingent from NCATS at NIH: Dr. Emily Davis, Dr. Sharie Haugabook, Dr. Cara Purdy, Isabella Jacobsen, Elena Hausmann, Dr. Haley Chatelaine and Savannah Shumaker
• Zainab Abbas from SciTech2U
• And Aerospace Engineer and Entrepreneur Sabrina Thompson
Plus we had wonderful volunteers from Community Bridges.
Thanks to everyone for giving their time and providing inspiration to our program participants.
We're challenging this week's visitors to make a clock and practice telling time.
Happy International Women's Day! Links to both of today's program registrations as well as many other things happening during March to celebrate the lives of women are on the City of Gaithersburg website.
The City celebrates & honors Women’s History Month with an art and poetry exhibit, storytime programs, discussions, and more. Celebrated annually during the month of March, Women's History Month highlights the contributions of women to events in history, culture & society.
If you've enjoyed seeing the painted storm drains around Olde Towne and Bohrer Park, Here's your chance to contribute. If you have an idea and a drawing to capture it, make your submission by March 22.
Today's Capitol Limited has the vintage car used by the Federal Railroad Administration.
The weather has been unpredictable, but it looks like there might be a break on Saturday. Anyone interested in a last minute Skywatching evening?
Venus and Jupiter are the two brightest planets visible from Earth. And – throughout February 2023 – they’ve been easy to spot in the sunset direction during evening twilight. Indeed, dazzling Venus and bold Jupiter have crept closer together all month, with Venus shining as the brighter world...
Due to unexpected staffing issues the Gaithersburg Community Museum will be closed today.
The Tuskegee Airmen, a group of nearly 1,000 aviators (and thousands more military and civilian support personnel), were the first Black service personnel in the U.S. Air Force (then known as the Army Air Corps) during World War II. Four of these men are now known to have continued their careers at NBS, though colleagues at the time didn’t know about their co-workers’ historic past.
Four of these men are now known to have continued their careers at NBS, though colleagues at the time didn’t know about their co-workers’ historic past.
In 1894, U.S. Representative George Washington Murray read a list of African American patent holders into the Congressional Record. Murray himself was on the list, which was compiled by patent examiner and civil rights activist Henry Baker.
Read about Henry Baker and George Washington Murray, two public servants and civil rights activists who ensured the history of Black innovation would not be forgotten
Happy Valentine's Day!
Looks like NASA is planning on more than just potatoes to be grown on Mars.
Could we feed a city on Mars? This question is central to the future of space exploration and has serious repercussions on Earth, too. To date, a lot of thought has gone into how astronauts eat. However, we are only beginning to produce food in space.
OTD in 1900 “Lift Every Voice and Sing” is first performed. The students of the segregated Stanton School in Jacksonville, Florida, where James Weldon Johnson, the the lyricist, was the principal, gave the first ever performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” the song that would become known as the Black national anthem, as part of a celebration of President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. Johnson's brother, J. Rosamund Johnson, was the composer.
Lift Every Voice and Sing Song History James Weldon Johnson and his brother J. Rosamond Johnson, who wrote the lyrics and music to Lift Every Voice and Sing “A group of young men in Jacksonville, Florida, arranged to celebrate Lincoln's birthday in 1900. My brother, J. Rosamond Johnson, and I d...
Please join us this weekend for a drop-in program exploring the art of Alma Thomas. Alma Thomas was a Black American artist from Washington, D.C. who is now regarded as a major American artist of the 20th century. For more information: https://gburg.md/DropInActivity
Oh no! The train's derailed! Until we can get it fixed, the model train in the Budd Car is out of service.
Occasionally museum staff are asked to do outreach programs on local history. When we do we get these wonderful thank yous, like this one from the third grade at St. Martins, we are delighted. The note came with an individual note from each student. We can't share them all, but here is one from Lizzy which we liked - "I learned so much like how Gaithersburg is shaped like a big doughnut! I loved it so much I told my dad (I only tell my dad the best periods of the day.)"
OTD in 1873 the Metropolitan Branch of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad track construction was completed at Gaithersburg. The line between Gaithersburg and Washington, D.C. didn't open until May of that year.
Photo: Gaithersburg Train Station and Freight House ca. 1890. Collections GCM.
Stop by the museum to do our while also making a Valentine card for that special someone.
What to look for in the night sky. If the weather cooperates, we may consider an astronomy night towards the end of February to see Venus and Jupiter. Let us know if you're interested.
What are some skywatching highlights in February 2023? See Jupiter and Venus appear nearer each night, as they head for a close conjunction at the start of March. Use bright stars Capella and Elnath to identify the constellation Auriga, and then find your way to two distant star clusters using Siriu...
Stop by the museum to celebrate Groundhog Day by making a groundhog craft for this week's Weekly Challenge.
Today is NASA's Day of Remembrance remembering those astronauts who lost their lives in the line of duty.
Day of Remembrance: Remembering NASA's Heroes, Each January NASA pauses to honor members of the NASA family who lost their lives while furthering the cause of exploration and discovery, including the crews of Apollo 1 and space shuttles Challenger and Columbia.
The museum has a growing Lost, but not Found box. If you've been here recently, or maybe not so recently, and you're wondering what happened to your child's (fiil in the blank), we encourage you to come by and check. You never know... we might have what you've been looking for.
It's National Handwriting Week so our is to practice your handwriting like this museum visitor.
Join us Tuesday for Storytime Station. We will be looking at how New Years is celebrated around the world. Call or email to make a reservation: 301-258-6160 or [email protected]. For more information go to https://gburg.md/StoryTimeStation
The rabbits are in a bit of a cuddle puddle today. Stop by before 3.30 to meet them and do a fun rabbit craft.
The Museum's Lunar New Year Program is in full swing. Stop by today or tomorrow to meet the rabbits, make your red envelope, and other fun rabbit crafts.
It's the Year of the Rabbit and this weekend the museum has real rabbits as well as fun rabbit crafts to help celebrate the Lunar Year. The activities are scheduled from 11:30-3:30 Saturday and Sunday.
The Rabbit is the fourth of all zodiac animals. Learn why Rabbits are earnest with everything they do; they just ask that others treat them the same way.
We are very excited to be welcoming Montgomery County 4-H Rabbit Club into the caboose for this weekend's Lunar New Year Program. The caboose will not be a train play space this weekend because of this. For more information go to https://fb.me/e/24PuaV4AX
This week's honors the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King by asking visitors to share their dreams for the future.
We will explore the lives of free & enslaved Black people in Gaithersburg in the antebellum period before the Civil War with historian Anthony Cohen. This program is part of the City's Gaithersburg History Project.
9 S Summit Avenue
Gaithersburg, MD
20877
Wednesday | 11am - 4pm |
Thursday | 11am - 4pm |
Friday | 11am - 4pm |
Saturday | 11am - 4pm |
Sunday | 11am - 4pm |
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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
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.
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