Darby Store
building in Maryland, U.S
The Darby Store, also known as the Darby Store Cultural Park, is a historic site located on Medley's Hill at 19801 Darnestown Road in Beallsville, Maryland that is part of the Beallsville Historic District. What is now the intersection of Beallsville Road and Darnestown Road/(Route 28) was formerly the Brewer Farm. In 1908, H.C. Darby bought the land. In 1910, H.C. Darby built a two-story general store. In the 19th and 20th century it was very common to have the family residence next to the family business, and the Darby House was built in 1921.
In 2004, the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission purchased the property and restoration by BELL Architects was ongoing through 2015. The general store is culturally and historically significant as one of the few remaining examples of rural vernacular architecture of the early 20th century in Montgomery County. During the summer of 2009, the site was under excavation. A team of archaeologists spent three weeks at the site and their findings included: oyster shells, glass shards, coal, nails, ceramic pipe stems, a 1918 liberty dime, and a Yoo-hoo bottle, all of which provide clues to the history of the area, and the buildings occupying it since the 19th century.
The public source identifies “Darby Store” as building in Maryland, U.S. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Darby, Store and building.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Darby Store”, the useful work is to connect “building in Maryland, U.S” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 18, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5222287. Authority coordinates are 39.179, -77.413. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1908, 1910, 1921 and 2004.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
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Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Darby Store”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Darby Store primary sources, Darby Store archive and Darby research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Darby Store” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.