// F R E DE RI C K C O U N T Y TOW NS
BRUNSWICK
A Town in Transition,
from Rails to Trails
BY MARGARITA RAYCHEVA
D
efining what Brunswick is all about was not difficult at the turn of the 19th century.
A bustling transportation boomtown, the city lived and breathed with the sound of steam
train engines. The railroad brought jobs and prosperity and played such an important role in
city life that local families cooked, ate and even did their laundry according to train schedules.
But in the 1950s the railroad pulled out of Brunswick, the train
whistles died abruptly and the city, deprived of the single force
driving its economy, slipped into a decline that lasted for decades.
Today the city is finally done mourning the lost glory of the past
and is charting a new course for the future—one that involves bike
paths and hiking trails, rather than railroad tracks.
The sleepy town is now filled with a new air of excitement, as
residents, business owners and city officials are stepping up efforts to
revive and reinvent their community. Seeking to redefine Brunswick
as an attractive outdoor destination, they are wor king to fill empty
downtown storefronts, opening new businesses and building trails
for hiking and biking.
With the city working on a new municipal building, the successful
Smoketown Brewing Station opening downtown, and the continuous
expansion of Brunswick Crossing—a population-doubling housing
development—Brunswick may finally be on track to change its fortune.
“In the future, I can see it having big festivals for bikers,” says Benancio
Morales, a retired Air Force veteran who opened Brunswick’s
newest restaurant, Benancio’s Southwestern Grill, last year. The
restaurant, which is planning a grand opening in April, has already
been extremely popular with locals, as well as visitors.
“I think I am just the start of the new wave coming in,” Morales
says. “I think in three to five years, we will be looking at a different
Brunswick, for sure.”
Reviving the City
Many believe that the key for reviving the city is shifting its focus to tap into
the numerous opportunities for outdoor recreation available in the area.
With its Potomac River location, the C&O Canal, and proximity
to Harper’s Ferry, Antietam, Leesburg and Charlestown, the city
has everything it needs to reinvent itself into an attractive tourist
and outdoor destination.
Spring 2017 // FREDERICK COUNTY GUIDE
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