Honoring John Dugger, Visionary of Capital Crescent Trail

The Montgomery Parks Foundation, Montgomery Parks, and the Coalition for the Capital Crescent Trail are honoring John Dugger, one of the visionary’s behind the Capital Crescent Trail, an 11-mile, hiker-biker trail. A dedication plaque to Dugger will be installed on the trail just south of the rest plaza by the Dalecarlia Water Treatment Plant, near the D.C. line in Montgomery County, Maryland. A special dedication event will take place there on September 12 at 4:30 p.m. and the public is welcome to attend.

A collaborative effort between the Coalition for the Capital Crescent Trail, the Montgomery Parks Foundation and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission Montgomery Parks was key to making this dedication a reality.

“We are delighted that the relationship between our three organizations resulted in this important opportunity to honor John Dugger, our friend and champion of the Capital Crescent Trail,” said Ron Tripp, Chair of the Coalition. “The Montgomery Parks Foundation and Montgomery Parks were not only supportive of this effort, but were our partners in assuring this was done and done well.”

Dugger saw the abandoned B & O Rail line from Georgetown to Silver Spring as an opportunity to create a multipurpose trail for the residents of the greater Washington, D.C. area. In 1991, encouraged by friends, including avid cyclist Henri Bartholomot, John was instrumental in securing Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) funds to develop the trail, and was personally involved in acquiring and developing additional right-of-way to form the trail that bikers, joggers, and walkers enjoy today.

Dugger, a retired naval officer and specialist in international law was chairman of the group that inspired the project for many years. He led the coalition of volunteers that worked to create the recreational trail, now known as The Capital Crescent Trail.

With origins in the Civil War, the Capital Crescent Trail is now the most heavily used of the many trails in the Washington, D.C. region. Today, the Coalition for the Capital Crescent Trail supports and advocates for the Capital Crescent Trail, which is maintained by Montgomery Parks and the National Park Service. John took great pride in his efforts to make the Capital Crescent a USA Rails to Trails Success.

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