File:Jimmy Castle Article.jpg

'It's important to tell our story': Brunswick becomes destination with nod from hometown supporter By Patti Borda Mullins, Frederick News Post

Brunswick’s experience as railroad town, home of a national park and a riverfront municipality earn a spot on more tourist destination maps than ever, as Jim Castle does his utmost to put the city there. The Tourism Council of Frederick County this year recognized Castle as its Tourism Ambassador of the Year for his ceaseless ingenuity promoting the city where he has spent most of his 38 years. A former president of the Brunswick Heritage Museum, he has volunteered there since he was a teenager. “It’s important to tell our story,” said Castle, who has also authored two pictorial books of Brunswick memorabilia. Castle has owned an antique shop, served as economic adviser, served on the museum board of directors, most recently as board president, and been a member of the Brunswick City Council. He created the Brunswick Ghost and History Walk, with all proceeds donated to the museum. This year he was asked to kick off a newly printed history walking-tour brochure, funded by the Community Foundation of Frederick County. He keeps working on ways to make Brunswick a thriving location for tourists and residents. The railroad yard that bustled in 20th-century Brunswick is just history now, but the downtown, where that industry drove life into now-shuttered department stores, pharmacies, groceries, restaurants, theaters and car dealerships, still has capacity to grow new ventures, Castle is convinced. Hikers and bikers find their way to Brunswick regularly as they make their way along the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. It stretches from Washington, D.C., to Cumberland, parallel to the Potomac River. “It is a canal town, and we wouldn’t even exist if it wasn’t for the Potomac River,” Castle said. Park visitors come off the trail for a look around, perhaps refreshment, and many end up at the museum, said Walt Stull, a councilman who volunteers there and has been the museum president. “We’re getting a lot of new people,” said Castle, who anticipates the newcomers’ questions about old buildings: “What was here before us?” “Those questions kind of lead to the museum,” he said. Castle’s interest in the city’s history first filled up his boyhood hours, as he listened to railroaders telling their tales in the local barbershop. Castle absorbed their stories like a sponge. Volunteering at the museum gave him his official start with preserving and sharing the community’s history. “That’s what the drive is … to let people know of the railroad heritage and why ... we [are] theers,” he said, referring to the name and mascot for all sports teams in the city. “I believe in that museum very much.” Castle wrote a Maryland Historic Trust loan and grant request that resulted in $100,000 in funding for an elevator at the museum. That makes the rotating and permanent displays of the city’s life more accessible in the early 20th-century building. A model train setup depicts the route from Brunswick to D.C. Other exhibits show off household artifacts donated by families who have lived in the city for generations. The incorporated city is 125 years old, and the elected leaders and businesses are aware that they cannot rest on the bustling past to carry them into the future. The council commissioned and unveiled a new logo that replaces the all-dominant steam engine with the powerful image of a modern train passing between the hills, hinting at a pathway to all of Maryland’s natural resources and wonders. “I think that Brunswick just needs to reinvent itself as a unique shopping destination,” Castle said. “We just can’t freeze ourself in time.” Castle’s sister, Jennifer Castle Ahalt, wrote a letter nominating her brother for the annual tourism award. The honor can go to “anyone in the community who influences visitors’ experiences here,” according to the council. The weekend after Thanksgiving, Castle, his wife and family were all volunteering at the museum. Stull appreciated their contribution to share the history of hometown holidays, representing World War II-era holiday life. “I wish we had more people as proud of their town, whether it’s their hometown or adopted hometown,” Stull said. Castle was surprised to receive the tourism award when Stull announced it at the Tourism Council’s annual meeting. “It’s kind of humbling at a young age to receive an award like that,” Castle said. “It kind of solidifies what one is doing.” He recalled a triumphant moment a couple of months ago at the museum, when two people asked him directions to the Potomac Street Grill restaurant. Considering they came from restaurant-laden Frederick, he felt some satisfaction. “‘We came here just to eat at the Potomac Street Grill,’” he recalled the duo saying. “That’s progress, I say.”