Then & Now: Rockville Garage 102 Years Ago
Reed Brothers Dodge and the surrounding area sure has changed a lot in its almost century-long history. You might not realize how much things have changed until you look back and see what it looked like in the past. For this post, I have used one of Lewis Reed’s original photographs for “then” and a Google Maps street view image from today for “now”.
1918 two-story addition to original Rockville Garage. View from side on Rockville Pike.
Rockville Garage (Reed Brothers Dodge) original location at the triangle today. Google Image Capture, 2019
New Online Exhibit: Early 20th Century Photo Magic
Montgomery History has launched a new Photo-Magic section of their recent exhibit, “Montgomery County 1900-1930: Through the Lens of Lewis Reed“. Learn about about 20th century photo editing tricks — and find out how the photo above was manipulated. The new exhibit section details how self-taught photographer and pioneering automobile dealer Lewis Reed edited photos before computers existed, using techniques like hand-tinting and double exposure. This exhibit was co-developed by Blog Author, Jeanne Gartner and Montgomery History Librarian & Archivist, Sarah Hedlund.
Then & Now: Vinson’s Pharmacy
“Then and Now” photos are an excellent way to explore the passage of time. In this special post, I have combined one of Lewis Reed’s original photograph’s for “then” and matched it with a corresponding contemporary shot for “now”. Taken approximately 114 years apart, these photos show Vinson’s Pharmacy in Rockville, then and now.
Vinson’s Pharmacy (THEN): Vinson’s Pharmacy was built in the 1880s and was run by Robert William “Doc” Vinson from 1900 until his death in 1958. The store had previously been owned and/or operated by several men, including D.F. Owens and E.T. Fearon. The drugstore was a popular gathering place for city politicians, and that President Woodrow Wilson once personally traveled there to buy Wolfhound tablets.
Most roads in Montgomery County, even those running though towns, were dirt. In the photo below, taken in downtown Rockville, a delivery wagon can be seen at the curb, as well as advertisements for Coca-Cola, which would have been a product only 20 years old at that time, having been invented and trademarked in 1887. Trolley tracks bisect Montgomery Avenue. Previous to Edgar Reed’s enlistment in World War I, he had been employed as a clerk by Vinson’s Drug Store for eight years. In 1919, Edgar became a partner with his brother, Lewis Reed, in the firm Reed Brothers Dodge.
Rockville looking east down Montgomery Avenue at Perry Street (now Maryland Avenue); Vinson’s Pharmacy is on the corner. Photo by Lewis Reed, ca. 1906
Vinson’s Pharmacy (NOW): The building was torn down in 1962 and replaced with an office building during Rockville’s “urban renewal”.
2019 location of Vinson’s Pharmacy on the corner of Montgomery and Maryland Avenue.
Exploring the Past
If there’s an historic wayside marker on the side of the road in Montgomery County, chances are, one of Lewis Reed’s images is on it. Some of the markers that display his photographs include Black Rock Mill and Great Seneca Creek Marker, the Andrew Small Academy Marker in Darnestown, the B&O Railroad Station Marker in Gaithersburg, From Trolley to Trail Marker in Bethesda, Rockville’s African American Heritage Walking Tour Marker, and the 19th Century Crossroads Marker in Darnestown.
Another photo is also be featured on a historical/interpretive sign along a trail in the Watters Smith Memorial State Park in West Virginia.
From Trolley to Trail Marker in Bethesda
Location: Marker is in Bethesda, Maryland and can be reached from Norfolk Avenue near Rugby Avenue.
Duplicate: Another nearly identical marker is located at the exit ramp from westbound Montrose Parkway to northbound Rockville Pike (MD 355).
From Trolley to Trail Marker in Bethesda
From Trolley to Trail Wayside Marker in Bethesda.
Close-up of image on From Trolley to Trail Marker in Bethesda. Original photograph by Lewis Reed, 1910.
A trolley heads south from Rockville toward Tenallytown through open farmland. This view appears to be looking north and shows the area south of where Montrose Road intersects with Rockville Pike. The Pike is in the background.
Close-up of image on From Trolley to Trail Marker in Bethesda. Original photograph by Lewis Reed, 1908.
In the photo above, passengers board car #596 heading to Rockville in 1908. These distinctively styled cars, popularly know as ‘Rockville’ cars, were also used on Washington Railway’s Maryland line. Note the ‘people catcher’ or ‘lifeguard’ in the front.
The Origins of Darnestown Marker
Location: Marker is in Darnestown Square Heritage Park at 14039 Darnestown Road.
The Origins of Darnestown Marker. Background image by Lewis Reed
Close-up of background image on The Origins of Darnestown Marker. Route 28 looking West. Original photograph by Lewis Reed
Darnestown A 19th Century Crossroads
Close-up of the same background photo (on nearby Origins marker depicted above).
Close-up of photo on marker. Darnestown Looking East. Photo by Lewis Reed
Darnestown Route 28. Original photograph by Lewis Reed
Andrew Small Academy Darnestown
Location: Marker is in Darnestown Square Heritage Park at 14039 Darnestown Road.
Andrew Small Academy Darnestown. Background image by Lewis Reed
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Station Marker in Gaithersburg
Location: Marker is on South Summit Avenue south of East Diamond Avenue, on the left when traveling south. It is at the station, facing the Summit Avenue sidewalk.
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Station Marker in Gaithersburg.
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Station Marker in Gaithersburg. Original photograph by Lewis Reed, 1911.
Rockville’s African American Heritage Walking Tour Marker in Rockville
Location: Southwest corner of North Washington Street and Beall Avenue, Rockville.
Rockville’s African American Heritage Walking Tour Marker in Rockville
Clinton A.M.E. Zion Church Marker Rockville, Md. Original photograph by Lewis Reed, 1912
Black Rock Mill and Great Seneca Marker in Germantown
Location: Marker is near Germantown, Maryland, in Montgomery County. Marker can be reached from Black Rock Road north of Grey Pebble Way, on the left when traveling north.
Black Rock Mill and Great Seneca Creek.
An unidentified lady poses in front of Black Rock Mill. Original photograph by Lewis Reed, 1905.
Then & Now: Cherry Blossoms on the Tidal Basin
Time passes, but the cherry blossoms always come back. Seeing the cherry blossoms is a time-honored D.C. tradition that dates back to 1912, when Tokyo gifted 3,020 cherry trees to the U.S. in an act of friendship. While many of the original trees have been replaced, the Tidal Basin’s beauty has persisted for more than a century. Each spring, more than 1.5 million visitors descend upon Washington, D.C. each year to admire the 3,000-plus trees.
Here’s a great “then and now” comparison shot of the Cherry Blossoms on the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C. from the 1930s and 2019.
Cherry Blossoms on the Tidal Basin (THEN): From Lewis Reed’s collection of photographs. Cherry blossoms in bloom along the Tidal Basin, circa 1930s with my mother, Mary Jane (Reed) Gartner.
Cherry blossoms in bloom along the Tidal Basin with my mother, Mary Jane (Reed) Gartner. Photo by Lewis Reed, ca. 1930s
Cherry Blossoms on the Tidal Basin (NOW): The “now” photo is a google image of approximately the same location… some 80 years later. According to the National Park Service, DC’s 2020 cherry blossoms will reach peak bloom sometime between March 21 and 22. The best viewing of the cherry blossom trees typically lasts four to seven days after peak bloom begins, but the blossoms can last for up to two weeks under ideal conditions.
The 2020 Festival, March 20 – April 14, includes four weeks of events featuring diverse and creative programming promoting traditional and contemporary arts and culture, natural beauty, and community spirit. The National Cherry Blossom Festival is cancelling and postponing some Festival events occurring through March 31. You can read the announcement with details here.
Cherry blossoms in bloom along the Tidal Basin today.
Fun facts about Washington, DC’s cherry blossoms
- The first donation of 2,000 trees, received in 1910, was burned on orders from President William Howard Taft. Insects and disease had infested the gift, but after hearing about the plight of the first batch, the Japanese mayor sent another 3,020 trees to DC two years later.
- The first two trees were planted on the north bank of Tidal Basin in March 1912, and they still stand today. You can see them at the end of 17th Street Southwest, marked by a large plaque.
- It’s against the law to pick the cherry blossoms in Washington DC. While there aren’t any subtle wire fences or stern security guards like in a museum, any attempts to create your own corsage may very well land you a fine.
- The majority of the cherry blossom trees around the Tidal Basin are of the Yoshino variety. But another species, the Kwanzan, usually blooms two weeks after the Yoshino trees, giving visitors a second chance to catch the blossoms.
- The average lifespan of a cherry blossom tree is only 20 to 30 years, but nearly 100 of the original trees from 1912 still thrive at the Tidal Basin due to the maintenance of the National Park Service.
- No, they’re not all from 1912, reinforcements are sometimes necessary. New trees have been regularly planted, including in 1965, the late 1980s, 1999 and from 2002 to 2006, according to the NPS.
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Copyright Notice
Reed Brothers Dodge History (1915-2012) by Jeanne Gartner is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.
Reed Brothers Dodge History 1915 – 2012 
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