On the morning of December 29, 2019, two historic structures at heart of Burkittsville were severely damaged in a fire that left four families displaced who lived in apartments on the property. As firefighters from eight companies across Frederick and Washington Counties, Maryland, and Loudoun County, Virginia, battled the blaze, town residents gathered to help the families and first responders. St. Paul's Lutheran Church opened its doors to house the displaced families and to provide breakfast to them and the firefighters. Donations of clothing and household goods poured in over the afternoon. As the smoke finally settled over the town, a sense of gratitude for the safety of the families and first responders was also met with a sense of loss for a historic property that had been a place of daily activity for Burkittsville residents for over 150 years.
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In 1983, Congresswoman Beverly Byron of Maryland delivered an address on the floor of the House of Representatives entitled “More than a Post Office.” Congresswoman Byron stated “there is only one public office open on a daily basis in Burkittsville, Maryland, but it is a very important one indeed…small town post offices are often focal points in their respective communities. I am sure that my colleagues have had similar experiences, and I thank them for this opportunity to recognize a special postmaster and a special post office.” The Congresswoman then inserted into the Congressional Record an article from the Washington Post which introduced the nation to Betty Brown, who at the time had been serving as Burkittsville’s Postmaster for fourteen years.
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Apart from her dutiful management of the post office, Betty was civically-engaged and became an important advocate for the town. She was a vocal supporter for the town being listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and saved numerous artifacts reflecting the history of the post office and the general stores that operated at 8 East Main Street, later donating those artifacts to the South Mountain Heritage Society. For many years, Betty maintained the community bulletin board, known as “The Burkittsville Bugle” which was mounted just across the street from the post office. When she was interviewed by the Washington Post in 1983, her photograph outside the post office door with her cat, Samantha, became an enduring image representing the preservation of community in Burkittsville amid the dramatic evolution experienced by the town throughout the last quarter of the twentieth century.
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Dedicated to preserving and interpreting the history of Burkittsville
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3 East Main Street • P.O. Box 509 • Burkittsville, MD 21718
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