According to Montgomery County historical land records, the present site of Leech Woods was originally settled by Warwick and Jeanne Leech and their six children sometime in early 1790.  Having immigrated from Hungary, the family chose Damascus, Maryland, based on its temperate climate and heavily wooded region, which reminded them of their homeland.  The Leech family store thrived as the leading local merchant of hides, furs, and hunting supplies.  During the disastrous Winter of 1804, the Leech family store was robbed and vandalized by unknown attackers and the body of John Leech, the youngest son, was found nailed to the back wall of the store.  The remaining bodies of the family members were later found bludgeoned and bound inside of the root cellar of their homestead.  No further information about the attackers or motives for the killings is known.

​Remnants of the Leech family homestead still stand deep in the woods where the present Leech Woods experience is built.  The Leech Woods immersive experience follows the original walking path from the site of the Leech family hunting supply store to the remnants of the original family homestead.  As the property was classified as a historical site in 1972, no artifacts may be removed, and we ask that you respect the privacy of the grave sites.