Glen Echo began in 1889 when two brothers, Edwin and Edward Baltzley, purchased land along the Potomac River from Cabin John Creek in Maryland to the Walhonding Road area and named it Glen-Echo-on-the-Potomac. They envisioned stone castles on their land and referred to the area as "The Washington Rhine." To provide the stone for the castles that they hoped people would build, they opened five local quarries, one of which is still operating on Seven Locks Road.