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What Is Our History? Since 1974, Sugarloaf Regional Trails has been involved in historic preservation and environmental planning projects. Our area of interest is bounded by the Potomac and Monocacy rivers, I-270 and Watts Branch , a 100-square mile section of Montgomery and Frederick counties. Founded by Frederick “Fritz” Gutheim, the group held eight conferences on conservation and farmland preservation, published books and historical themed trail guides. Perhaps their most important work was the Master Plan for Historic Preservation that resulted in the Montgomery County Ordinance for Historic Preservation, 1981. Fritz Gutheim (1908-1993) was a writer, historian, urban planner, lecturer, university professor, administrator, exhibits specialist, editor, entrepreneur, newspaper reporter, collector, farmer, preservationist, civic activist, environmentalist, think tank director, film producer. His book, The Potomac, revealed how profoundly the river influenced the economy and the form of the nation’s capital. Worthy of the Nation is the account of the intricate planning history of Washington D.C. Gutheim founded and directed the graduate program in historic preservation at George Washington University. He was outspoken. In a review published in The Washington Post he described a submission for a competition thus: “The winning design in the Franklin D. Roosevelt competition is not architecture but literature. It should not be built.” Dubbing the design “instant Stonehenge,” the design was dismissed and a different one chosen. Gutheim was a main author of the “Mass Transportation Survey” which became Metro. That pile of red sandstones, the cleared area and the heap of bottles and cans you see have a history. A woman in a long black dress carried that broken bucket to the stream you just crossed, filled the pail with water and carried it back to a cabin to heat on a wood stove to make breakfast for her family. Join us on the trail! |
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