The Discovery Station Moves to Fort Ritchie

James Rada, Jr.

When the Discovery Station in Hagerstown decided to move to Fort Ritchie last fall, they were only closed two weeks between the time they closed in Hagerstown and when they opened their new larger location at 14326 Barrick Avenue in Cascade.

“In this location, we’ve grouped the exhibits to be more logically connected and cohesive,” Discovery Station Operations Manager Gershom James explained.

The Discovery Station museum uses interactive exhibits and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) programs to create a dynamic learning experience for visitors, especially children.

The museum first opened in 2005 in a historic bank building in Hagerstown. However, staff found that parking was hard to find, and there were growing safety issues. Also, the rent kept increasing.

“We also found that most of our visitors were coming from outside Hagerstown, even from West Virginia and Pennsylvania,” James said.

The new location is in a building that was an SCIF (Sensitive Compartmentalized Information Facility). The center is currently using less space than it did in Hagerstown, but it has the space to expand to be much larger than it was.

“With where we are now, we have the place and permission to do experiments with groups in the summer,” James said. “We couldn’t do that in the city.”

Inside, there is a room with a large scale model of the Titanic, small airplane, Tuskegee Airman display, and other artifacts. The next room features the natural world with models and mounted animals. Another area is set up like a miniature town, with small shops and businesses children can visit. One room is dedicated to space and another room explores the rainforest.

All along the journey are things that can be handled, tested, and played with. These are the things that engage visitors in other ways than simply sight. It also makes the center a place where children want to visit again and again.

And with the space to grow inside and an area to perform outdoor experiments, chances are the center will be a different experience with every visit.

The Discovery Station is part of the redevelopment and revival of the old Army fort. The “Ritchie Revival” has been ongoing since 2021, bringing in shops, cafes, museums, artisans, and housing.

For more information, visit the Discovery Station website at discoverystation.org.

The Discovery Station’s new location at 14326 Barrick Avenue at Fort Ritchie in Cascade.

The Discovery Station features the Brittany Wedd Dinosaur Gallery exhibit, where you can discover life-size models and explore paleontology with their sand dig and dinosaur bones.

The history exhibit features a scale model of the Titanic, a small airplane, WW2 history, and much more.