The historic Hagerstown and Frederick Railway Substation building is located at 125 East Main Street, adjacent to the footprint of the original Trolley Station. H&F Freight Motor No.5 sits alongside the substation where the station once stood. This building was constructed by the H&F Railway as the electric power substation for the trolley line between Thurmont and Frederick. The substation provided power for the electric railway from 1908 until 1954. It is built of poured concrete with steel beams supporting the concrete roof. The electric gear was originally housed within the building, but over the years, increased demand required additional hardware, transmission lines, and transformers be moved outdoors. As with many local electric railways, the H&F Railway started providing electricity to rural areas along the line.

The Town of Thurmont is one of only a handful of Maryland municipalities that operate their own electric company, and for a time, we purchased electricity from H&F’s parent company, Potomac Edison. The substation is prominent in many photos of Thurmont over the years, from its construction through today. The building currently serves as a canvas for artwork by artist Yemi. The art depicts many aspects of our local heritage, including covered bridges, Camp David, orchards, and historic buildings. The interior serves as storage for the Thurmont Electric Company, and Potomac Edison still utilizes the exterior substation structure as part of their distribution network.

Note: In 2013, the Thurmont Lions collaborated with the Town of Thurmont to create all nine murals. The artist who designed and installed the murals is international artist Yemi Fagbohun. The murals are located directly across the street from the entrance of the Thurmont Trolley Trail on East Main Street.