Harmel Store & House (01-28)

Historical narrative

The Harmel Store & House in Mitchellville, Maryland, is a layered testament to the community's diverse history. A general store operated by Samuel Domer was established on the site by the 1870s, around which grew a bustling village with a post office, blacksmith shop, school, and hotel (see the Mullikin Crossing watercolors elsewhere in this collection). In 1895, the Edlavitch family—Russian Jewish immigrants who had arrived in the area in 1888—purchased the store and built the accompanying house in 1908. From 1925 to 1943, Joseph F. Montgomery ran the store, making him one of the first African American businessmen in the region. The Harmel family became the final operators before the store burned in 1985. The City of Bowie later purchased and fully restored the property, and since 1999, the house has served as the home of the National Capital Radio & Television Museum.

Watercolor

© Stephen B. Hales — All Rights Reserved