The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗The area currently known as Damascus was granted by the new U.S. state of Maryland to Nathaniel Pigman in 1783. On February 14, 1819, War of 1812 veteran Edward Hughes bought a 40-acre (160,000 m2) section of the grant and began subdividing lots for sale. James Madison, the fourth U.S. president, appointed Hughes postmaster of the developing community of Damascus in 1816. Hughes received permission from Congress for a postal route through the town. Hughes called his town "The Pleasant Plains of Damascus". A newspaper in Frederick wrote of Hughes's growing town: "There is at this place an extensive opening for mechanics of all the different kinds, and it bids fair to improve very fast; ... There is at present two blacksmith shops, a saddler's shop and a store in the place -- a tailor, a wheel wright, and a shoemaker are much wanted, and would meet with great encouragement." This was the…
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Start Damascus’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Damascus’s history is told.
0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Damascus
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Damascus, decade by decade
CommonsSt. Paul2019
Commons2016-10-14 11 18 59 View south along Maryland State Route 1…2016
Commons2016-10-14 10 03 35 View east along Maryland State Route 10…2016
Commons2016-10-14 10 03 05 View east along Maryland State Route 10…2016
Commons2016-10-13 13 11 37 View south along Maryland State Route 2…2016
Commons2016-10-13 13 09 25 View south along Maryland State Route 2…2016
Commons2016-10-13 13 04 26 View south along Maryland State Route 2…2016
Commons2016-10-13 12 39 46 View north along Maryland State Route 2…2016
CommonsDamascus pumpkin picking2004Nothing in Damascus is on the National Register yet
That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Damascus has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Layton House in Laytonsville, 5 miles away.
Damascus and the nearest listed places
How a place gets listed
Then & now
When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.
Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (12). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.