THURMONT
The Rise of Mechanicstown Thurmont got its start as a village in the middle of nowhere, originally named Mechanicstown
Homesteads in the northern Monocacy area are evident from 1736, when the first of about ten families started arriving from Pennsylvania. The notion of a defined village is dated at 1751, which is what Thurmont now claims for its anniversary. A substantial majority of the immigrants into the Monocacy area were Germans. The original settlers were Lutheran and Reformed, and the earliest confirmed evidence of church worship is 1742. The Lutheran and Reformed congregations built a log church to share in the 1760s on land donated by Peter Apple, and they called the structure Apples Church. In 1826, the congregation laid the cornerstone for
the current stone structure. Weller United Brethren Church emerged in 1830; it was the first church constructed within what became the original town footprint. The farmstead was the dominant form of living in the community, and many families remained farmers for generations. However, a handful of artisans had begun to establish enterprises adjacent to Hunting Creek. Two narrow, intersecting wagon trails existed in the vicinity of the rushing waterway, and Lawrence Creager, a son of an original settler, and his son, John, laid out 50 lots along the two main roads in 1803 on land from their family tract.
Mechanicstown Square Park THURMONTMAINSTREET.COM on the corner of North Church Street & West Main Street
Various remembrances described usually attached BS to his name the area then as densely forest- to distinguish him from others ed. Nevertheless, the artisans who shared the same name. In and “mechanics” – people who 1811 he established a tool factory, made and fixed things – became using the energy of Hunting Creek the engine that drove the devel- to create edged implements, like opment of the emerging village, shovels, axes, and chisels. Around which the Creagers named Me- 1817 a woolen mill opened west chanicstown. of town and stayed active for at In 1793, Daniel Rouzer estab- least 40 years. lished a tannery to convert animal One long-time resident recalled hides into raw leather that would that about 300 people were livbecome products like saddles, ing in the town in 1831; increasbags, and boots. In 1805, Jacob ing population density created Weller built what is believed to economies of scale. People close be the first tavern and hotel in together could exchange goods the community on what we know and services more efficiently; a today as West Main Street. This community with a barrel maker, is the same Weller family that tool maker, blacksmith, potter, gave its name to the church; tailor, and so on becomes a marthe land on which it sits was ketplace. Throughout its first 60 part of the Weller family tract. years, farming and church defined The first general store in town the settlement. But, starting in is dated 1806, owned by Jacob 1793, for the next 30 years MeFiror. Jacob Weller also became chanicstown experienced an successful as a blacksmith, and he explosion of industrial progress. SPRING/SUMMER 2022 ı GATEWAY 29
