ABOUT

Ashton is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Maryland. The commercial center of Ashton lies at the junction of Route 108 (Ashton Road) and New Hampshire Avenue (Route 650). It is not positively known how Ashton got its name. Some longtime residents claim that it comes from reference to a large Ash tree that stood at the junction of routes 108 and 650. Others say that it is the melding of the names of two Thomas Family homes, Ashland and Clifton, each located a mile from the junction. The United States Census Bureau combines Ashton with the nearby community of Sandy Spring to form the census-designated place of Ashton-Sandy Spring, and all census data are tabulated for this combined entity. The Sandy Spring Museum, located in the heart of Sandy Spring, is a historical museum offering educational displays and programs.