History

About Drumaldry

The origins of the name Drumaldry and the naming of its streets – Terra Mariae, Swords Way, and Leeke Forest among others – can be discovered in the area’s Scottish heritage. At the time that the Magruder family arrived in Maryland in 1651 the colony was known as Terra Mariae, a Latin phrase that translates to “Mary’s Land”.  It was used when King Charles I signed the charter for the colony of Maryland in 1632 to dedicate it to his wife, Queen Henrietta Maria. The Magruder family settled in Montgomery County, named in honor of General Richard Montgomery, who left his father’s Scottish estate Swords to serve in the Revolutionary War. By the 1700’s the family was granted land near Bethesda named Leeke Forest. Included in this property was Drumaldry, a name derived from the Celtic word for “drum” meaning a knoll or hill.

In the early 1970’s the firms of Miller and Smith, Inc. and the Builders Resources Corporation began construction of a new community on the Drumaldry property. David N. Yerkes and Associates, was hired to design the project. Nicholas A. Pappas, FAIA, served as the principal architect and it was he who designed the Drumaldry sign that welcomes visitors to the community.

Mr. Pappas has been most kind in providing information for this history.