Ijamsville, Maryland
Encyclopedia
Ijamsville is an unincorporated community
located 7 miles southeast of Frederick, Maryland
, in Frederick County
, Maryland
, United States
.
In 1785, a gentleman by the name of Plummer Ijams became the first recorded resident of what would become Ijamsville. Plummer Ijams died on June 14, 1796. His son, John, developed a gristmill
that became a center of community life in the area, which became known as Ijams Mill.
Around 1800, the Duvall brothers (John, William, and Thomas) founded slate
quarries that provided slate tiles for roofs. The slate became known as Ijamsville Phyllite. In 1831, Plummer Ijams II granted a right of way to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
to construct tracks on the condition that the railroad build him a depot that became known as Ijams Mill.
Initially, the "railroad" was horse-drawn. The first "train" arrived on March 13, 1832. On June 22, 1832, the US Post Office Department
established a post office at Ijams Mill that became known as Ijamsville. Plummer Ijams II was the first postmaster. One of his successors was Lemuel Mussetter.
Ijamsville became the site of a small town, including a local store. In 1896, a Dr. Riggs founded a sanitarium for nervous and mental patients on the site which is now known as Gabriel’s Restaurant. Over a thousand patients were treated at that institution.
For more information on the history of Ijamsville, see Ijamsville – The Story of a Country Village by Charles Moylan, available in the Maryland Room of the Frederick County Public Library.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
located 7 miles southeast of Frederick, Maryland
Frederick, Maryland
Frederick is a city in north-central Maryland. It is the county seat of Frederick County, the largest county by area in the state of Maryland. Frederick is an outlying community of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of a greater...
, in Frederick County
Frederick County, Maryland
Frederick County is a county located in the western part of the U.S. state of Maryland, bordering the southern border of Pennsylvania and the northeastern border of Virginia. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 233,385....
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
In 1785, a gentleman by the name of Plummer Ijams became the first recorded resident of what would become Ijamsville. Plummer Ijams died on June 14, 1796. His son, John, developed a gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
that became a center of community life in the area, which became known as Ijams Mill.
Around 1800, the Duvall brothers (John, William, and Thomas) founded slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
quarries that provided slate tiles for roofs. The slate became known as Ijamsville Phyllite. In 1831, Plummer Ijams II granted a right of way to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was one of the oldest railroads in the United States and the first common carrier railroad. It came into being mostly because the city of Baltimore wanted to compete with the newly constructed Erie Canal and another canal being proposed by Pennsylvania, which...
to construct tracks on the condition that the railroad build him a depot that became known as Ijams Mill.
Initially, the "railroad" was horse-drawn. The first "train" arrived on March 13, 1832. On June 22, 1832, the US Post Office Department
United States Post Office Department
The Post Office Department was the name of the United States Postal Service when it was a Cabinet department. It was headed by the Postmaster General....
established a post office at Ijams Mill that became known as Ijamsville. Plummer Ijams II was the first postmaster. One of his successors was Lemuel Mussetter.
Ijamsville became the site of a small town, including a local store. In 1896, a Dr. Riggs founded a sanitarium for nervous and mental patients on the site which is now known as Gabriel’s Restaurant. Over a thousand patients were treated at that institution.
For more information on the history of Ijamsville, see Ijamsville – The Story of a Country Village by Charles Moylan, available in the Maryland Room of the Frederick County Public Library.