Picture this a charming neighborhood nestled in Silver Spring Maryland. This is Woodside. Woodside is among the oldest hamlets in Washington DC. Its boundaries include Georgia Avenue Spring Street and the Red Line Washington Metro. It sits alongside North Woodside and Woodside Park. The community is near Silver Spring’s business district.
Woodside boasts Woodside Urban Park a 2.3-acre recreational facility. Restored and expanded in 2010 the park offers picnic tables a large play area tennis courts and even a bronze statue of a man on a unicycle. A water fountain adds life to its bustling Georgia Avenue location. The Woodside United Methodist Church part of the Silver Spring Cooperative Parish also stands in Woodside. So does a Montgomery County Health and Human Services building.
But Woodside’s story goes deeper than its current features. The Woodside United Methodist Church began as the Sligo Village Methodist Church. Built on land donated in 1872 it had to relocate due to the Forest Glen Railway. Imagine the scene in 1897. Horses pulled the church on rollers to its present spot across Georgia Avenue.
The development of Woodside Park itself is a fascinating tale. In 1922 the Alton Farm owned by Crosby Noyes publisher of the Washington Evening Star was sold. This marked the beginning of Woodside Park. Its development is unique. Streets follow the land’s contours creating a park-like feel. Houses are set back farther than zoning usually requires creating a spacious feel. Woodside Park is praised for being one of the best-preserved early 20th-century neighborhoods in Montgomery County.
Woodside’s history includes racially restrictive covenants. These were used between the 1920s and 1960s to exclude African Americans. These covenants are a dark chapter in the neighborhood’s history. They prevented many families from owning property there. This is an important part of understanding Woodside’s past.
So as you stand here in Woodside remember this isn’t just a neighborhood. It’s a living testament to history development and community. It’s a place with a story whispered on its streets and etched in its buildings. It’s a neighborhood worth exploring.