Historic Takoma
History Lives Here
History Lives Here
September 1, 2025
Suburban Record Newspaper – Historic Takoma recently acquired 12 volumes of bound copies of the Suburban Record newspaper, ranging from 1961 to 1974. The Record covered news and events in Montgomery County, including Takoma Park. These can be reviewed in the Reading Room.
Upcoming Events – Mark your calendar for our fall Happy Hour event, October 3 from 5:00 – 7:00 pm. Then join us at the annual Takoma Park Street Festival on Sunday, October 5.
Reading Room – Normally we are open on the 1st/3rd Sundays of each month, from 1:00-4:00 pm. However, the annual Takoma Park Folk Festival takes place this year on September 8 so we’ll be closed. Take some time that day to enjoy this iconic Takoma Park event.
Digitized Materials – Each week our volunteers are adding more items to our digital collections, with an emphasis on images of houses, businesses, and various locations. We’re also making access to historic newspapers easier. You can see and search the entire catalog. To see digitized photographs select “photos” and check the “only images” box. To see digitized old papers select “Advanced Search” in the catalog and enter “Newspapers” in the Collection field.
ISO: Takoma’s Peace Corps, VISTA and AmeriCorps Veterans – Our town boasts many folks who have been volunteers in Peace Corps, VISTA, or AmeriCorps. As America cancels much of our humanitarian work, let’s gather information about the many folks in Takoma Park, MD and DC who have been Peace Corps, VISTA or AmeriCorps volunteers, so that we can capture and celebrate that history from our community. If you or a neighbor have worked in these organizations and would like to join us in this project, please contact Jennifer Martin at jnicollem@gmail.com with subject line, “Peace Corps Project.”
April 28, 2025
As part of Preservation Week 2025, join Historic Takoma and the Takoma Park Maryland Library for a workshop and discussion on protecting your vital documents, photographs, and other precious items from disasters and what to do if they are damaged. Bring your questions.
October 29, 2024
This presentation details how a Boy Scout camp, Camp Schmitt, was created in honor of the eight men in 1959. Adult leaders and scouts gave of their time and talents and worked together to build the camp that is serving the Takoma Park scouting community today. Photographs of the building of the camp help tell the story.
About the Presenter: Kevin Patti, a former member and Eagle Scout from Troop 33 is the son of the late Donald Patti who served as scoutmaster between 1973 and 1994. Kevin grew up enjoying, forming friendships and learning from Camp Schmitt. Professionally, Kevin has worked in public history as a park ranger for the National Park Service for twenty-eight years. His scouting experience led directly to his career.
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July 14, 2024
This summer we have four interns assisting with a variety of archives related activities. Meet Gemma Lynch, Lael Sacho-Tanzer, Elena Polk, and Coira Williams. They have been processing and cataloging collections, sorting and organizing pictures, editing oral history transcripts, and indexing newspapers. Thanks for all your work and contributions to Historic Takoma!
May 8, 2024
This workshop will review best practices for caring for your family archives – pictures, papers, and other materials. We will discuss how to store and organize your precious items and have examples of supplies and materials.
April 25, 2023
Historic Takoma and the Takoma Park Maryland Library collaborate to provide a presentation on Preserving Your Family’s History on the evening of May 2 at Historic Takoma. This will review best practices for collecting and organizing family history documents and pictures and how to store and protect them. Experts from Historic Takoma and the Library will demonstrate techniques and materials. Register for the event on the Takoma Park Maryland Library events page.