Historic Takoma
History Lives Here
History Lives Here
December 31, 2025
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.
December 31, 2025
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…..
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.
November 28, 2025
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 Bottoms.” This research builds on and adds to the ongoing African African American History Project of Historic Takoma.
October 31, 2022
This is a hands-on technical workshop geared to exploring the details of property research in Maryland. The first hour will walk participants through access to Maryland land records and how to use them to trace property history. The second hour will be an open session to answer specific questions and provide one-on-one assistance.
This workshop will be held at Historic Takoma’s Reading Room, 7328 Carroll Avenue in Takoma Junction
If you have questions prior to the workshop please send a note to Jim Douglas at sixmilesfromwashington.com
The Reading Room is open the first and third Sundays of each month, from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM.
7328 Carroll Avenue, Takoma Park – in Takoma Junction
October 8, 2022
Come to Historic Takoma’s Reading Room on Sunday, October 16, for an introduction to resources and tools for researching the history of your house and the families that lived there. Learn about property records, census data, newspapers, maps, pictures, archives, and more. This is an opportunity to ask questions and become familiar with resources that Historic Takoma has along with those from other organizations.
Bring a laptop or other device to learn how to access various online resources.
The Reading Room is open the first and third Sundays of each month, from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. This session will begin at 3:00 PM.
7328 Carroll Avenue, Takoma Park – in Takoma Junction