Barnesville Baptist Church: Around Us

“Barnesville was founded in 1747 by William Barnes, a merchant from Baltimore who went on to become the founder of towns bearing the same name in Ohio and Missouri. While Barnes moved around from place to place, the town continued to develop.”⁴ Barnesville was incorporated in 1888, and is now home to 161 people (2000 Census) and several cottage industries in the midst of the Agricultural Reserve of Montgomery County, at the intersection of Barnesville Road and Route 109/Old Hundred Road.⁵ The town holds an annual senior citizen dinner to honor its most respected citizens, hosts an evening of caroling and treats around the Town Christmas Tree,⁶ and continues as the scene for the annual picnic and jousting tournament (the Maryland State Sport), held every summer since 1875 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church and Pavilion.^{7 , 8} Barnesville’s citizens are committed to maintaining undisturbed boundaries and the simplistic way of life traditional to this rural residential community. A commission governs the town with a mayor as the head. Biennial elections are still conducted by placing ballots in a cigar box.⁹

Montgomery County, MD

Barnesville Baptist Church is located in Montgomery County, Maryland, one of the nation’s most prestigious and fastest growing counties. Montgomery County, formed in 1776 from Frederick County, was named after Revolutionary War hero General Richard Montgomery. The 1774 Hungerford Resolves were written by Montgomery County residents to protest the British abuses of the colonists that led to the Revolutionary War. In 1791, Montgomery County ceded land, including the city of Georgetown, to form the new capital of Washington, DC. Today, the county has 23 incorporated cities and towns, and has a 2000 Census population of 873,341. Montgomery County Public Schools are considered one of the best public school systems in the nation. It is one of the 20 largest systems, and 95% of its students go on to college. Montgomery College, with its three campuses, is a two-year community college, and serves as a gateway to Maryland’s major four-year universities at College Park, Towson, UMBC, Frostburg, and Salisbury. Rockville, an incorporated city is the largest city and is the county seat. Other large cities and towns include Silver Spring, Bethesda, Gaithersburg, and Germantown. Neighboring communities to Barnesville include Poolesville, Boyds, Dickerson, Clarksburg, Beallsville, and Hyattstown, and are all within a 10-15 minute drive. “Montgomery County is adjacent to the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., and is also bordered by the Maryland counties of Frederick, Carroll, Howard and Prince George’s, and the State of Virginia. Rolling land and small hills make up most of Montgomery County’s 497 square miles. There are 15 square miles of water, including rivers, streams, lakes and reservoirs, and 28,435 acres of parkland. Elevations range from 52 feet above sea level near the District Line to 850 feet in the northern portion of the county near Damascus.”¹

Prominent features in the county include the C&O Canal, the Great Falls Tavern, White’s Ferry, and the B&O RR/MARC train. The Great Road, or Route 355, served as a gateway to the frontier, with George Washington and Union and Confederate troops using it to move throughout the region. The author F. Scott Fitzgerald is buried in Rockville, and President Abraham Lincoln’s Postmaster General Montgomery Blair was a native son.

Many federal installations, such as NIH, NIST, and the Bethesda Naval College are located in the county and provide jobs for county residents. The Metro Red Line services most of the county, and transports people to Washington, DC, 33 miles away from Barnesville.

Frederick County, MD

Nearby is Frederick County, home to several of our members. The city of Frederick was formed in 1745 as Fredericktowne, and served as a refuge for frontier settlers during the French and Indian War (1756-1763).² It also serves as the county seat of Frederick County, which was formed in 1748, named after Frederick Calvert, 6^th Lord Baltimore. Famous citizens include the author of the Star Spangled Banner, Francis Scott Key, Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, and Barbara Fritchie with her “old gray head” of Civil War fame. Today, Frederick County covers 663 square miles and has a 2000 Census population of 195,277.³ The city of Frederick is Maryland’s second largest incorporated city, and has experienced rapid growth in recent years. Many shopping venues, such as Francis Scott Key Mall, are located nearby. Other major Frederick landmarks include Hood College, the Catoctin Mountains and Cunningham Falls State Park, the prominent Appalachian foothill of Sugarloaf Mountain, the presidential retreat at Camp David, Fort Detrick, and St. Mary’s Shrine in Emmitsburg. The Battle of Monacacy was fought on the outskirts of Frederick during the Civil War, and the Monacacy Aqueduct transports the C&O Canal over the Monacacy Creek. The Frederick Keys, a minor league baseball team, is located at the Harry Grove Stadium in Frederick. The city is 17 miles from Barnesville, and the county line is only five miles distant.

1. “Montgomery County, Maryland: Our History and Government.” http://www.co.mo.md.us/history.pdf, July 1999.

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2. Frances Randall. “The History of Frederick.” http://www.cityoffrederick.com/history.htm.

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3. “Frederick County, Maryland.” http://www.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/mdmanual/36loc/fr/html/fr.html.

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4. “Town of Barnesville to celebrate 250th birthday.” The Gazette. http://www.gazette.net/199727/germantown/news/a58523-1.html, Jul. 2, 1997. (return to document)

5. “Montgomery County, Maryland: Municipalities.” http://www.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/mdmanual/36loc/mo/html/momu.html. (return to document)

6. “Santa to pay a visit Sunday to carolers in Barnesville.” http://www.gazette.net/200050/germantown/news/36418-1.html, Dec. 13, 2000. (return to document)

7. Kristen Milton. “Not joust another picnic at St. Mary's this weekend.” The Gazette. http://www.gazette.net/199931/germantown/news/a37224-1.html, Jul. 28, 1999. (return to document)

8. Jennifer Kmieciak. “Heaping platter of tradition.” The Gazette. http://www.gazette.net/200031/germantown/news/20803-1.html, Aug. 2, 2000. (return to document)

9. Kristen Milton. “Barnesville elections: candidate deadline April 23; election May 3.” http://www.gazette.net/199916/germantown/news/a41747-1.html, Apr. 14, 1999. (return to document)