Written by Jody Trammel

Kemp Mill

Sligo CreekKemp Mill is a small community in Montgomery County. It is part of Silver Spring which is also in Maryland. Tourists will enjoy the shops and restaurants in the commercial area. And when you’re planning your next family weekend you should think about visiting Kemp Mill.

Whether your travel brings you to Kemp Mill or any other place in the DC area, remember Affinity Airport Sedan. We will pick you up on time and get you where you need to be.

Brief History

A map of Maryland that dates back to the late 18th century shows a mill owned by a Quaker minister and political activist named Evan Thomas. Francis Valdenar bought the frame saw and grist mill in 1833. Then in 1857, Valdenar sold this mill to George Kemp who renamed it Kemp Mill. The family operated the mill until 1905 and unfortunately in 1919, the mill burned down. The Maryland National Park and Planning Commission acquired the site in 1957.

Kemp Mill Today

There are numerous Jewish synagogues as well as Jewish and Catholic parochial schools in this community. Kemp Mill Recreation Center was constructed and now houses basketball and tennis courts, a baseball field and playground. A spacious meeting place was also constructed for residents. Sligo Creek emerges from Kemp Mill and has become the most developed sub-watershed of the Anacostia River. The Sligo Creek Trail for hikers and bikers connects Kemp Mill to downtown Wheaton and links up with the tributary trail system in Anacostia. We highly recommend this riding adventure.

Kemp Mill Shopping Center is the neighborhood’s trade nucleus. This quaint neighborhood mall is complete with two restaurants; two banks; grocery outlet, dry cleaner, barber shop, pharmacy, nail and hair salon, mini gymnasium, and martial arts training facility. Assorted pastry shops and doctors’ clinics also occupy the complex. However, the famous anchor store for decades, Giant Food Grocery, closed down on September of 2007. A small local chain (Magruder’s) refurbished the facility and opened two months later. It did not last long and ceased operations in July of 2012. Businessman Shalom Kosher, who owns a Kosher store in Wheaton, acquired Magruder’s and opened a second retail shop on Lamberton Drive the same year.

Check out all there is to see and do in Kemp Mill. And for a worry-free ride there, just call Affinity Airport Sedan!