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City of Brunswick

1 West Potomac Street
301-834-7500

Brunswick is situated in the south western edge of Frederick County, Maryland. It is forty-five miles up the Potomac River from our nation's capitol, and six miles east of Harpers Ferry.

Courthouse records show that it was part of an original 3,100 acre land grant from George II King of England. This was granted August 10, 1753, to John Hawkins. The land was Known as "Merry Peep O Day" because the sun could be seen in the early morning directly over beautiful Catoctin Mountain.

The town had many names over the years. Brunswick received its present name from the B&O Railroad, in 1890. It had been called by the following names: Buffalo Wallow, so named by the Indians, because the buffalo wallowed in the muddy flats (Present day Rt. 17). In 1728 it was called "Coxson Rest" titled to a small land plot, used as a trading post by Abraham Pennington, the first known settler. "Eels Pot" or Eel Town, was used because Indians built stone walls in the river and made fish traps. Eels were in such large schools, the catch was plentiful.

"Potomac Crossing" was an often used name to supply commodities to the Virginia communities. " Tankersville" was used in 1778 , because the northern most corner to the tract of 17,000 acres was owned by the Earl of Tankersville. Leonard Smith named it "Berlin" in 1780. Because of another Berlin on Maryland's Eastern Shore, the U.S. Postal Service took away the name and called it "Barry" in 1832. The town Kept this name until 1890, when the railroad named it Brunswick, because of the many residents living here who came from Brunswick, Germany, to work on the railroad.

The original town was situated between the tracks of the B&O Railroad, and the C&O Canal. Both the B&O Railroad and the C&O canal came to the town the same year, 1834. In 1907 the B&O Railroad yards were completed, East bound and West bound to make up trains. This yard was the largest and busiest such railroad yard in the world.

Today Brunswick is a city with more than 5000 residents. It is a major stop on the Maryland Rail Commuter (MARC) Train line to Washington, D.C. Many professional people reside here. The town has modern facilities for its citizens: a fire company and Ambulance service, fine schools and churches, doctors and dentists, a modern library, a new community center, several parks, fishing and boating on the Potomac River, C&O Canal towpath, many public service organizations, and a fine museum with one of the largest model train layouts on the east coast.

The Veteran's Day Parade and Brunswick Railroad Days are held in November, are the city's two largest events, attracting many visitors. Brunswick is one of the few communities in the USA that continues to celebrate a day in honor of our veterans.


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