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is a city in Frederick County, Maryland, United States. The population was 4,894 at the 2000 census. The population was estimated to be at 5,230 in July 2006.
The area now known as Brunswick was originally home to the Susquehanna Indians of the Iroquois tribe. In 1728 the first settlement was built, and the region became known as Eel Town, because the natives would fish for eel in the Potomac River. A grant to the land was then given to John Hawkins by George II of Great Britain on August 10, 1753. The land was sold and Leonard Smith platted it in 1787 with the name of “Berlin,” as many Germans settled in the area. The name “Berlin” however, could not be used for mail as there was already a Berlin on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, so the post office changed the name to "Barry." The town continued to grow and was incorporated April 18th, 1890 with the name “Brunswick.”
Established along the now-defunct Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, the town became a hub for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, which built a six mile long rail yard along the Potomac from 1891 to 1912, boosting the population to over 5,000, and making Brunswick virtually a company town. The railroad reduced its yard operations in the 1950s.
Today Brunswick is home to a commuter rail station serving Washington, D.C., and also home of the Brunswick Railroad Museum that shows the history of the city, and is home of a large model railroad showing why the city's location was important to the railroad.