A little bit of Silver Spring history

At the intersection of East-West Highway and Newell Street in Silver Spring, MD, surrounded by modern mid-and-high rise apartment & condo complexes is a little urban park, Acorn Park. It is the birthplace of Silver Spring so to speak.

174 years ago Francis Preston Blair, who served President Andrew Jackson and was editor of the Washington Globe, discovered a "mica-flecked spring" near what is now known as Georgia Ave. He purchased the land, built a summer home and called it "Silver Spring" - singular. The city of Silver Spring, Maryland was named after his summer home.

The 0.12 acre Acorn Park is all that remains of his country estate. Besides a grotto that is thought to be the location of the silver spring, it is also home to an acorn-shaped gazebo which Blair had built in the mid-19th century. Acorn Park is small but inviting. Sitting in the shade of the "world's biggest (?) acorn" one can't help but wonder what this place looked like when Blair first purchased it.. It takes a good amount of imagination to picture just one summer estate vs. numerous apartment complexes, forested hills vs. busy roads. There is a wall of murals though to help you with that - benches are positioned just right to be able to look at each one closely and learn more about Silver Spring's history.