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This is a contributing entry for "A Town Within A Forest": The Walking Tour of Washington Grove, 1873-Present and only appears as part of that tour.Learn More.

Wooden Street Signs

Introduction

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Have you noticed the wooden street signs throughout your tour? You can see the signs all over Washington Grove! They are a product of Washington Grove’s Volunteer Sign Restoration Project and are yet another piece of Washington Grove history. The first volunteer-made signs went up for the first time in 1937 and the project of restoring these signs has been going strong since 2017.

Backstory and Context

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The Washington Grove Volunteer Sign Restoration Project is a point of pride for Washington Grove residents. The project has its roots in the time after Susan Van Nostrand noticed how the signs had fallen into disrepair over the years. It really began when Gale Littlefield saved the wooden signs from being auctioned off during a Women’s Club meeting. Eventually, Van Nostrand came forward with the restoration and preservation idea in October of 2017. The group of project volunteers each have different tasks like cleaning the signs, repainting them, and making them reflective. For more information on the restoration process from the volunteer’s themselves, please watch the attached videos on the project! Images will be added after COVID-19 restrictions are lifted and I can resume research.

Sources

Montgomery Municipal Cable, Washington Grove Volunteer Sign Restoration Project, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ux8YBgNOwhQ&t=3s, January 9, 2020.

Town Council Meeting Minutes, https://washingtongrovemd.org/town-government news/town council-news/town-council-meeting-minutes-october-2017/, October 9, 2017.

Additional Information