Civil War Trails: John Poole House Added to Multi-state Tourism Program

Press Release

On Monday, the John Poole House, which is owned and maintained by the Historic Medley District, was added to the Civil War Trails program. This tourism initiative offers over 1,500 sites across six states for travelers. The project was made possible thanks to a partnership between the Historic Medley District, Civil War Trails, Inc., and the Maryland Office of Tourism Development. The project is expected to help drive visitation and tourism revenue to Poolesville.

Maureen O’Connell, President of the Historic Medley District connected with the Civil War Trails (CWT) staff late last year inquiring about the old signage in the historic district, the perks of the CWT program, etc. Shortly after speaking with CWT’s Assistant Director Christopher D. Brown the Historic Medley District (HMD) offered to become the primary partner, sponsoring the John Poole House. Their sponsorship enables the CWT team to update and maintain the Civil War signage system in Poolesville as well as to assist in the marketing and promotion of the John Poole House including their programs, events, and more. “We are thrilled to be part of this multi-state program,” said Maureen. She continued, “It’s an easy and inexpensive way to promote the historic district to visitors and to help promote local businesses too.”

The John Poole House project is one of several exciting and notable moments for the Civil War Trails program. That same week, the CWT staff completed 32 other site installations, repairs, or updates across Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. “This is one of more than 200 Civil War Trails sites undergoing updates, needing maintenance, or being added to the program,” said Christopher D. Brown. Beyond the sign projects the number of brochures being requested by visitors has already eclipsed the number distributed last calendar year.

In fact, last calendar year, the Maryland Office of Tourism Development distributed more than 76,000 Civil War Trails map-guides to excited visitors from around the world. The Maryland Office of Tourism Development is one of five state travel offices which partner together on the CWT program. Altogether, according to the CWT staff the program and it’s partners distributed almost a quarter of a million brochures to an increasingly younger traveler. For history-centric travelers, they stay an average of 3-4 nights, travel with an average of 3 people, and the majority are between 25-34 years old. This all adds up to an incredible economic return for what is viewed an educational product.

The new Civil War Trails sign is located at 19949 Fisher Ave, Poolesville, MD 20837. The John Poole House is open by appointment. To find out more visit www.historicmedley.org or call 301-407-0777. Be sure to snap a #signselfie and post it along with #mdinfocus and #MontgomeryMoment. For more information about visiting and for a free map-guide visit www.visitmaryland.org/brochure.