Welcome to 2026

Thanks to all our members and the Takoma Park community for your support in 2025. We’re looking forward to an exciting year in 2026. We’ve got lectures, tours, social events, and more planned for the year. And some new window exhibits at our Carroll Avenue storefront. You’ll find details here, in our monthly newsletter, posts on social media, and elsewhere. Here’s a sneak preview of some coming attractions…..

• January – Author talk by local architect Carl Elefante
• February – Happy Hour social; talk about Frederick Douglass in Takoma Park by local historian Ezra Greenspan
• March – Talk on the History of Montgomery College by Historic Takoma archivist and historian Jim Douglas; talk on architectural styles in Takoma Park by Preservation Maryland
• May – the annual House and Garden Tour

Our Reading Room remains open the first and third Sundays of each month, from 1:00 – 4:00 PM. It’s a great time to stop by to browse archives and research library and chat about local history.

Please support our work by renewing your membership or becoming a member. Your support makes it possible to sponsor these events and support research into local history. Visit our online store for more details.

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Stories from Colby Avenue – Tales from “The Bottom”

On December 16, 2025, a standing room only crowd gathered at Historic Takoma to hear presentations from six graduate students from the University of Maryland Historic Preservation Program present the results of their research on the houses, people, and community of the historic African American area known as “The Bottom.” We were especially pleased to welcome a number of residents from Colby Avenue and the surrounding neighborhood.

The six presentations and the supporting research materials will be added to our research collections. We look forward to visiting and working with local residents to collect additional stories about the families and houses of Colby Avenue. This is an ongoing effort to document and understand the experiences of this and other historical African American communities in Takoma Park. Watch this space for details on access to the research materials.

If you are interested in sharing your stories of Colby Avenue and The Bottom, please let us know by sending a note to info@historictakoma.org or by leaving us a message at 301-270-2831.

See Past Features