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Walkersville is a
combination of two villages that were settled by German
immigrants in the mid 1700s and early 1800s. By the 1870s, the
villages of Georgetown and Walkersville had grown so intertwined
that it made sense to combine them into one entity, which was
named Walkersville.
By the time that Walkersville was incorporated in 1892, it
was a thriving farm community. It boasted a canning factory,
milling company, bakery, sewing factory, ice company, ice cream
parlor, blacksmith shops, tinsmith, creamery, private water
company, and other enterprises. The town was especially famous
for its delicious “Aunt Lucy Hams,” produced by a firm named for
Lucy Scott, the daughter of slaves. Those businesses are gone
now, but many of the buildings remain under different usage. A
duck-pin bowling alley, for example, now occupies a building
originally constructed in the early thirties for a manufacturing
concern.
A look behind the stately old homes in the old part of town
reveals the barns, carriage houses, summer kitchens, smoke
houses, and sheds that tell of a way of life that only a few
remember. Some of those buildings sport gingerbread trim almost
as fancy as that found on the main houses.
Walkersville aggressively pursues fiscal responsibility,
recycling projects, and innovation. In 1995, it was credited
with having the first State Police bicycle patrol in the nation.
There are four schools, seven residential developments, a
shopping center, several businesses and institutions, and
numerous restaurants in the town. Churches provide many services
for the community, including financial support to the food bank
and the sponsoring of scout troops.
Walkersville has managed a rapid population growth wisely,
enabling it to maintain a friendly, small-town atmosphere
conducive to wholesome family living.
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