Laytonsville

History

Laytonsville was originally known as "Cracklintown". This name originated from the popular bread, which was baked in the locale. This recipe, essentially a bacon cornbread, also lent the entire area the name of Cracklin District. The original town extended beyond Laytonsville's current boundaries, along Sundown Road toward the Hawlings River. The earliest church, school, and store were in this area. The first major road through Cracklintown was built in the early 1800s. This was the Brink-Sundown Road, referred to in documents from the early 1800s as the "road from the mouth of the Monocacy to Ellicotts Mills." The road which would become Route 108 appears in the historical record to have been added in the very early 1800s. This crossroads provided a major artery for cattle and pigs headed for the bustling markets of Baltimore to the east, and established the town as a comfortable stopover for the drovers. By the early nineteenth century, substantial brick buildings were being constructed, such as the Layton House and a tavern across the road. By 1850, the southeast corner of the crossroads was developed. Much of the rest of the town along Route 108 was not developed until the 1870s. A second reason for the development of the town was the successful farming in the area. Laytonsville farmers were blessed by the quality of the soil, a Manor loam or Chester loam, very fertile and well drained, but a soil which does not dry out too quickly. Under the loam lies a subsoil of red clay which assists in holding the moisture for roots even during hot, dry summers. Laytonsville was incorporated in 1892.

Geography

Laytonsville is located in northern Montgomery County north of Rockville, the county seat, north of Washington, D.C., and the same distance southeast of Frederick. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which , or 0.38%, are water. The town sits on a low ridge which drains west to the Goshen Branch, a tributary of Seneca Creek and part of the Potomac River watershed, and east toward the Hawlings River, a tributary of the Patuxent River. The town has more of a small town, rural character than nearby Olney. There are a number of tracts of farmland on the outskirts, as well as numerous homes on large plots of land.

Race & ethnicity