Carroll County has no shortage of towns in the National Register of Historic Places. Sites in Westminster, Sykesville, Uniontown and Taneytown have been recognized for their historical significance.
Now it's Union Bridge's turn.
The town's Main Street area is the latest Carroll district to be included in the register, a division of the National Park Service.
"Union Bridge had not really even been looked at, and it was time," said Ken Short, the county's historic planner. "There are so many great resources there."
Mr. Short prepared Union Bridge's application for inclusion on the register, documenting the historic features of the town. After review by the Maryland Historical Trust, the application was approved by the National Park Service.
The register lists properties acknowledged by the federal government as worthy of recognition and preservation for their significance in American history and culture.
"Union Bridge shows the development of a railroad town in Carroll County from the Civil War through the early 20th century," Mr. Short said.
"With the railroad came shops and workers' housing, and the town just took off in the 1860s," Mr. Short said.
Designation in the National Register of Historic Places allows property owners to take advantage of federal tax credits and a state tax write-off for the restoration of residential buildings. Register properties are also eligible to apply for state grants and loans for historic preservation projects.
The buildings in the historic district include an old hotel building, churches, homes, shops and the old railroad station, which is a stop on the Maryland Midland Railway line.
"We hope it [listing in the register] will parlay into a little higher profile for Union Bridge," Mr. Short said.
One person who has already taken notice of the historical richness of Union Bridge is custom homebuilder Eric Tovar, president of the Churchill Group.
Mr. Tovar selected a 106-year-old house on South Main Street in Union Bridge as the model for a modern reproduction in the Kentlands community in Gaithersburg.
He recently completed the model for the $360,000, 4-bedroom ** house, and is calling it "The Union Bridge."
Mr. Tovar discovered the house, called the Jacob Stoner House, when he spotted a sketch of it at a friend's Westminster home.
He was intrigued by the fact that the house had a three-story octagonal turret in the center of the house, an unusual feature for a Federalist-style home.
"It thought 'My God,' That would be a neat house to build!" Mr. Tovar said.
The owners, Barbara and Steve Kieffer, have been renovating the house for the past two years.
The Kieffers are eager to see how Mr. Tovar has reproduced their home, and plan to attend the model open house in Kentlands on Dec. 17.
"We had no idea he named it the Union Bridge," Mrs. Kieffer said. "We were ecstatic about that."
Union Bridge's inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places comes at a time when the county is working with the town on a Main Street revitalization plan.
Many area residents would like to see the renovation of some Main Street building facades, said Brenda Dinne, the county planner for Union Bridge and New Windsor.
Initial improvements may be small, such as repainting, or replacing an awning or a sign, Ms. Dinne said.
Availability of money will determine the scope of downtown renovations, she said.
"I think there's a lot of potential there," Ms. Dinne said. "But it's up to the residents and business owners to do something with it. The town doesn't have the money to do it."