Former North Potomac hub may find new use

‘‘[With the] woods and streams there’s a lot of potential for youth education and nature exploration,” said Han at the meeting. Han is employed by the Izaak Walton League, but spoke as a member of the community. The building is now rented occasionally to the Boy Scouts and other community organizations.

Tucked away behind residential property on McCrossin Lane, just off Travilah Road, a small wooden sign noting the Izaak Walton League’s name leads visitors back to a hall that’s identified on some older maps as the ‘‘Potomac Walton Gun Club.”

The property, which functioned in part as a shooting range, was once a draw for residents from all over the area, according to neighbors. The property is operated by the Potomac chapter of the Izaak Walton League, a national environmental group that emphasizes nature conservation. The league, which has several chapters across the country, is headquartered nationally in Gaithersburg.

‘‘People came from all over the area and they used it as a community center,” said Mary Lou Gundersen, a board member of the Potomac chapter of the Izaak Walton League, which is joining the discussion. ‘‘”It was the [hub] of the area.”

Tom Moseley, owner of Maryland Gardens Tree and Shrub, a tree farm neighboring the property, recalls attending events at the meeting hall. ‘‘It was huge in those days — hundreds of people would go there Saturdays and Sundays,” Moseley said.

Moseley, who has been a resident of the area since 1977, said that many farmers used the property for dances and meetings. The big draw, however, were the shooting competitions, he said. Residents would come for ‘‘turkey shoots” in which competitors aimed at moving targets or ‘‘clay pigeons.”

‘‘It’s actually pretty hard to do,” Moseley said. A turkey was the prize for whoever shot the most targets, he said.