The Montgomery County Historical Society was founded as a branch of the Maryland Historical Society in 1944, and in 1951, it became a separate entity. Although the historical society had a couple of temporary homes, in 1965, the society moved into the Beall-Dawson house at 103 W Montgomery Ave. The historic early 19th-century house was adjacent to a 1940s frame garage, that was first used for museum space but underwent a renovation in 1975-77 to house the Jane C Sween Research Library. The library was also renovated again in 1992. In 2001, historian and librarian for 25 years, Jane Chinn Sween retired from Montgomery History, and the library was rechristened in her honor.

Exterior of the Jane C Sween Research Library

List of resources at the research library

More Info

The Jane C Sween Research Library is the main archives of the Montgomery County Historical Society. Located on the Montgomery History campus, the library posses many important collections involving the county's history, including newspapers, vertical files, books, pictures, maps, court and cemetery records, census records, genealogical material, and oral histories. 

Jane C Sween Research Library

This tour of historic sites begins at St. Mary's Church and continues on to the former rail station of the Baltimore and Ohio before reaching historic courthouse. The tour also includes several museums and a research library along with civic buildings, cemeteries, and other landmarks.   

F. Scott Fitzgerald was born on September 24, 1896 and is widely known as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. His first novel, This Side of Paradise (published in 1920) was enough to win the affections of Zelda Sayre of Montgomery, Alabama (born July 24, 1900). During the writing of this first novel, Zelda shared with F. Scott selections from her own journal, some of which were included verbatim in the novel. The two were married on April 3, 1920 in New York City.The couple quickly became rather famous in New York, both for Scott's novel and for their noted wild partying; they became known as the enfants terribles of the Jazz Age. On October 26, 1921, Zelda gave birth to their daughter, Frances. Zelda is reported to have said, "I hope it's beautiful and a fool-- a beautiful little fool." Similar lines found their way into The Great Gatsby (1925).Fitzgerald completed his second novel, The Beautiful and the Damned (1922) the same year the couple had their second child. He of course then went on to publish The Great Gatsby (1925) and Tender is the Night (1934).The Fitzgerald's frequented Europe in the 1920s, as F. Scott was drawn to the writers of "the lost generation," such as Ernest Hemingway, whom he befriended. Zelda, however, was not a fan of Hemingway and is reported as accusing her husband of an amorous affair with the other writer. Zelda is also reported to have had an affair during their time in France. The couple's partying had transformed over time, going from light-hearted and fun to self-destructive behavior.In 1930, Zelda was admitted to a psychiatric facility. In 1932, while being treated in Baltimore, Zelda wrote her first and only novel, Save Me the Waltz. Her husband was furious upon reading it, claiming Zelda had stolen much of the book's content from his upcoming novel, Tender is the Night. The couple separated in 1938.When F Scott died of a heart attack on December 21, 1940, Fitzgerlad had very little association with Rockville or the St Marys Church. St Marys was established with 8 members in 1816, and the first service was held on December 14, 1817, on land that had been sold to the church by a church member. Since then, a new domed church was constructed in 1967, however, the original church still remains.F Scott often visited his father who lived in Locust Grove, in Montgomery County, and Scott was a ribbon holder at a wedding south of Rockville. Although Scott traveled the world as an adult, Rockville remained close through correspondence and family ties. When his father died in 1931, he came back from Paris to St Marys Church for the funeral. Fitzgerald was originally buried at Rockville Cemetary on Baltimore Road. Zelda was buried next to F Scott under a common headstone when she died in 1948. Due to lobbying by the Women's Club of Rockville and the approval of F Scott and Zelda's child, Frances Fitzgerald, the couple was reinterred on November 7, 1975, at St Marys church.

St Mary's Church is the oldest church still in use in Rockville. The church was established in 1817 by Father James Redmond. F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald are interned at St. Mary's Church. F. Scott is most notably remembered for his novel, The Great Gatsby. The two have become synonymous with the jazz age (a term which F. Scott coined). Fitzgerald's other novels include This Side of Paradise, The Beautiful and the Damned, and Tender is the Night. 

F Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Burial Site and St Mary's Church

The Rockville Railway Station was built in 1873 along the Metropolitain branch line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. It was one of several stops between Washington, D.C., and Point of Rocks, where the branch joined the mainline that bypassed Washington, D.C. and went direct west to Fredrick onwards. The Washington branch line built in 1830 connected Washington to Baltimore and the building of the Metropolitan branch gave Washington a direct connection to Ohio. According to the blog ggwash, the Washington Metropolitan branch combination was treated as the mainline and the old mainline was downgraded to a secondary line. The Metropolitan also connected suburbs like Kensington and Silver Spring to Washington. The building was designed by architect E. Francis Baldwin and features Eastlake detailing, including detailed woodwork on each gable. During the B&amp;O's time of operation, 4 or 5 trains per day in each direction stopped at Rockville going to Washington or Fredrick. The opening of the Rockville station had a dramatic impact on Rockville's population, more than 2 fold within 20 years, from 660 citizens in 1870 to over 1500 in 1890. When WMATA was building out Washington DC's metro network in the 70s, it was planned for the station to be demolished, however, with the lobbying of Peerless Rockville, a compromise was made to move the station off the tracks and 50 meters south to Church Street. The new Rockville metro station (West side) serves the Metro red line to Shady Grove and Glenmont, and the Rockville train station (east side) built in place of the B&amp;O station serves the Amtrak Capital Limited train to Chicago and MARC commuter trains. MARC was created in 1984 with the combination of the Brunswick line (metropolitan), and two other lines, the Camden and Penn Line.

The Rockville Railroad Station on the Baltimore and Ohio railroad was a station built in 1873. It is built of red brick in the Victorian style. The station is one of the few picturesque country railroad stations not demolished, painted, or expanded. The construction of the station allowed for cheap and easy transport directly from Rockville to Washington, leading to the large population growth of Rockville. In 1981, with the construction of the Metro Red Line, the station was physically moved off the rail line, 50 meters south, and a new Rockville station for Amtrak trains was built. Currently, the former station is home to a law firm. 

Rockville B&O Railroad Station

When Montgomery County was established in 1776, the first court was held inside of a tavern. The red brick courthouse is the oldest judicial building in Rockville. The building was designed by Frank E. Davis in the Romanesque Revival style, constructed with red brick and rough-cut stone. On the ground and first floor, there were offices and record storage while the Judge's chambers and courtroom were on the second floor. As the county continued to expand, the adjacent Neoclassical grey courthouse was built and connected to the red brick courthouse. However, within 30 years, this combined space was also too small. The county drafted plans to demolish the red brick courthouse to expand the grey courthouse, however, the red brick courthouse was saved. When the Judicial Center opened across the street in 1982, the red brick courthouse was retired from judicial use, and Friends of the Red Brick Courthouse paid to renovate and restore the courthouse to its original appearance. In 1996, the red brick courthouse resumed legal operations, however, Peerless Rockville also operates from the building.

Constructed in 1891, this was the third building to serve as the courthouse for Montgomery County. The adjacent descriptively named grey courthouse was built in 1930 and the red and grey courthouses were linked and used in tandem. When the red courthouse was retired from usage as a court in 1982,  Friends of the Red Brick Courthouse restored the building and in 1996 it returned to use as a courthouse, although today it is also used as the headquarters for the Peerless Rockville organization. 

Red Brick Courthouse Rockville

Postal delivery in Rockville was first established by Thomas Perry Wilson in 1794. Originally space was leased from store owners and the courthouse was used. The site on which the Old Post Office stands was once home to the Montgomery County Sentinel, a newspaper established by Matthew Fields in 1855. By 1938, the paper had moved out, and the frame house was razed in 1938. The new post office was part of the Works Progress Administration project, which was an FDR depression-era New Deal program that increased jobs by making many federal projects. The Rockville post office was one of 406 post offices built across the country. It was designed by supervising architect Louis A Simon and architect R. Stanley-Brown. The appearance of the building differed from post offices in Bethesda and Silver Spring, which were designed in a much more classical, federal, style. It was constructed with 77,000 dollars, 35,000 of which went to purchase the lot. The opening of the post office, on July 22, 1939, was celebrated with a parade watched by 3000 people and a special reception at Glenview Mansion. In the second floor of the hexagonal tower, for many years there was a draft board office, and Rockville youth reported there for service. The post office closed on October 27, 2006, and the General Services Administration, owner of the property, gave the building to the City of Rockville on the condition that it be used for public safety purposes. The city made it the headquarters of the Rockville Police, and the new station and headquarters opened in 2012.

The Old Post Office building at Washington St and Montgomery Ave was constructed in 1938 in the English Georgian style as part of the New Deal Works Progress Administration (WPA). It was Rockville's first permanent post office building; previously, mail service was run out of the Montgomery County Courthouse. The building is marked by its distinct two-story hexagonal entrance tower. The lobby has 15-foot ceilings and a 1940 mural depicting Sugarloaf Mountain, painted by Judson Smith. 

Old Post Office Rockville

Edward Elisha Stonestreet was born to Samuel Thomas Stonestreet in 1830. Interestingly, Samuel Thomas Stonestreet was an employee for Upton Beall in the Montgomery County Court, and after Beall's death, Stonestreet took over Bealls position. Edward Elisha received his first education at the Rockville Academy and then studied for two years with Dr. William Magruder of Olney. After receiving his doctorate from the University of Maryland in 1852, getting married the same year, his parents built his office for him between 1850 and 1853 next to their house on Montgomery Avenue and Monroe Street. Early on, Stonestreet received a good reputation for curing patients who were declared hopeless by other Rockville physicians. During the Civil War, Dr. Stonestreet contracted with the Union Army as a Contract Surgeon. He cared for sick and wounded men returning from the Battle of Antietam in September of 1862. When a draft was instituted, Stonestreet became an examining surgeon, examining drafted men to make sure they were fit for service and exempting those who weren't. In January of 1863, his contract was annulled, although Stonestreet did temporarily serve and tend to severely ill patients in spring 1863. Stonestreet continued practicing medicine and suffered a fatal heart attack on October 9, 1903.

The Stonestreet Museum on the main campus of the Montgomery County Historical Society is a museum that exhibits information about 18th and 19th-century medicine. From 1852 to 1903 the one room doctor's office served as the office for Dr. Edward ElishaStonestreet, a graduate of the University of Maryland Medical School who served as one of Rockville's main doctors. The office was originally located on Easy Montgomery Avenue in front of the Stonestreet home. After Stonestreets' death, the office was moved to Richard Montgomery High School, and then in 1972, was moved to the grounds of the Beall-Dawson house. 

Stonestreet Museum Rockville

Upton Beall was one of the first clerks of the Montgomery County Court and a part of the prominent Beall family, who descended from Alexander Beall. The family played a large part in county history. Upton Beall became clerk of Montgomery County clerk in 1795 when his father Brooke Beall could no longer serve (he lived in DC, which had recently been separated from Montgomery County). When Upton Beall constructed the Beall-Dawson house in 1815, it was the largest brick structure in Rockville and was influenced by other similar houses in Georgetown. According to family lore, Marquis de Lafayette, the famous French general, stayed at the Beall-Dawson house when passing through in December 1824. With the death of Upton Beall in 1827, the house was left to his wife and his three daughters. All four lived there until their deaths, his wife in 1849, and his daughters Jane, Matilda, and Margaret in 1863, 1870, and 1901, respectively. When Matilda Beall died in 1870, Margaret invited her first cousin, Amelia Somervell to live with her. When Amelia married John L. Dawson, a local lawyer, the house became the Beall-Dawson house. Although the Dawsons had many children, most moved away, and the heirs to the Beall-Dawson house did not have an interest in owning the house, so in 1946, it was sold to Edwin L Davis. When Mr Davis died, the house ended up in the possession of the Montgomery County Historical Society, who continue to maintain and preserve the house. In the house, there are two rooms dedicated to rotating exhibits.

The Beall Dawson House is a house built in 1815 by Upton Beall for his family. The house currently serves as a museum and the headquarters of the Montgomery County Historical Society, which maintains the house. It is one of three buildings on the MCHS's campus in Rockville. The building is 2 and a half stories and is constructed in Federal style. 

Beall Dawson House/Museum

The Bethel Baptist Church was founded out of a congregation of Baptists in Seneca Creek. The church was established in 1821 by 15 members and built a wooden church and adjacent graveyard. In 1863, the group officially incorporated, replacing the wooden church with a brick one. In 1897, a couple of years before the church moved to Washington and Jefferson Street, a small section of the cemetery was deeded to the city for the widening of van Buren street, in exchange, the city provided the church with electricity. In the trade, 16 graves were moved to Rockville cemetery, leaving a small triangle under the church's possession. 28 grave markers remain today, including Samuel Veirs. Samuel Veirs' son, also named Samuel Veirs was buried at Mt Zion Baptist Church, a church founded by members of the Bethel Baptist Church. The Church moved to the Adclare Road facility and became the First Baptist Church of Rockville in 1971, but still kept possession of the cemetery from 100 years prior. In 1973, the church gave the land to the Montgomery County Historical Society, and the MCHS transferred it to Peerless Rockville in 1983. Peerless Rockville still currently maintains possession of the land and maintains and preserves it. It is one of two properties owned by Peerless, the other being the Montrose Schoolhouse on Montrose Parkway.

The Baptist Cemetery at West Jefferson and S Van Buren Street was originally the cemetery for Bethel Baptist Church. Burials occurred between 1839 and 1896. Burials include the family of Samuel Veirs, the miller of Veirs Mill, and other prominent residents of Rockville. The church moved out of the West Jefferson building in the early 1900s and later became the First Baptist Church of Rockville, located today on Adclare Road. 

Bethel Baptist Church Cemetery

Built as a one and a half story house by Joseph Wilson in 1753, by 1755 this building had become a tavern known as Owen’s Ordinary. The road that the tavern was situated on was well traveled and connected several sections of the Maryland colony. For example, British General Braddock and his Aide-de-camp George Washington camped outside Owen's Ordinary in the spring of 1755 while on their march to assault Fort Duquesne.&nbsp;<div>Taverns in the colonies provided a vital role as a meeting place but also served as an inn for travelers. By the laws of the colony at the time, any tavern was required to have “six furnished bedsteads for travelers”1 Taverns also served a social role as a place beyond the workplace and the home where people could meet in public, discuss news, and make business deals.&nbsp; </div>By 1770, Charles Hungerford had acquired Owen’s Ordinary and the business became known as the Hungerford Tavern. On June 11th 1774, a group of landowners met to discuss what became known as the Intolerable Acts- the taxes Great Britain laid on the colonies. These men also expressed their support for the Sons of Liberty after the Boston Tea Party. After much deliberation, these men wrote down five declaratory statements that became known as the Hungerford Resolves. 

Resolved, unanimously, That It is the opinion of this meeting that the Town of Boston is now suffering in the Common Cause of America.

Resolved, unanimously, That every legal and constitutional measure ought to be used by all America for procuring a repeal of the Act of Parliament for blocking up the Harbour of Boston.

Resolved, unanimously, That it is the opinion of this meeting that the most effectual means for the securing of American Freedom will be to break off all Commerce with Great Britain and the West Indies until the said act be repealed and the right of taxation given upon permanent principles.&nbsp;&nbsp; Resolved, unanimously, That Mr. Henry Griffith, Dr. Thomas Sprigg Wootton, Nathan Magruder, Even Thomas, Richard Brooke, Richard Thomas, Zadok Magruder, Dr. William Baker, Thomas Cramphin Jr., and Allen Bowie be a committee to attend the general committee at Annapolis, and that any six of them shall have the power to receive and communicate intelligence to and from their neighboring committees.

Resolved, unanimously, That a copy of these our sentiments be immediately transmitted to Annapolis and inserted in the Maryland Gazette.

At Hungerford’s Tavern, 

11th June, 1774

Signed per Order, 

Archibald Orme, Clerk5

These declarations were far more radical than the negotiated declarations of the Annapolis Convention of 1774. It is also significant that this document did not mention the Maryland Colony, but rather “The Common Cause of America.”&nbsp;

In 1776 at the Maryland Constitutional Convention, Thomas S. Wootton proposed to divide up the large Frederick County into multiple smaller counties. The measure passed and by 1777 the Hungerford Tavern became Montgomery County’s courthouse, polling place, and a small jailhouse built on for runaway slaves.&nbsp;On 13 August 1777, Hungerford went to court and guaranteed for Leonard Davis to take over the license of the tavern. By 1780, Hungerford had been elected Justice of the Peace for Montgomery County and was a member of the Lower House. The tavern was bought and sold numerous times over the years and by 1847 was bought by Susan Russell whose father Joseph Wilson built the structure almost 100 years earlier. In 1911 the DC Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution attempted to buy the Russell House, but were unable to find incontrovertible evidence that the house was the same as the tavern. By the time public interest grew it was too late and the house was razed to build a new Baptist church. The site of the tavern is now occupied by a branch of BB&amp;T Bank.

This historical marker denotes the location of the Hungerford Tavern. In addition to being an important place where business was discussed, this tavern was the site of a meeting of Maryland landowners who drafted the 1774 document known as the Hungerford Resolves. At a time when most of the colonists thought in terms of their community and colony, this document referred to a common American cause. The document also called on fellow colonists to sever all economic ties with Great Britain. 

Hungerford Tavern Historical Marker and the Hangerford Resolves (1774) 

The first Episcopal church in Rockville was located at the current day Rockville Cemetery at 1350 Baltimore Road. It was named "Chapel of ease", also known as Rock Creek Chapel, and was constructed of clapboard and log. In 1808, the church was rebuilt in the same location but this time of brick, consecrated by Thomas P. Williams. However, by 1820, the church was already in a state of disrepair, and a new church was needed. In 1822, a new church opened on a lot gifted to the church by Solomon Holland, with funds for the building provided by subscribers and other local churches. Lots of material from the 1808 church was used in the 1822 church. The 1822 church site is located at the current site of the Episcopal church. During the Civil War, when Confederate General J.E.B Stuart captured Rockville, Union sympathizers hid in the Christ Episcopal Church. In 1884, the church was razed and a new church was built on the site, which is the current church. In 1896, many parts of the building were damaged by the Cedar Keys Hurricane, damaging the steeple and the East facade. Since then the Chapel has experience continuous growth and additions to the church. Parish Hall was constructed in 1926, the adjacent school was constructed in 1946 and the educational building was erected in 1958.

The Christ Episcopal Church in Rockville was built in 1884 in the Gothic Revival style. The church evolved from a chapel established in 1739. The church later moved to the current site in 1822, and the current church was built in 1884-1887, opening that year. Since then, many additions have been made to the church, but the original structure still remains. 

Christ Episcopal Church Rockville

The Rockville Boundary Stone located in front of the city hall is one of four that marks the original boundaries of Rockville. The town plan for Rockville was first recorded in 1803, and the stone, marked B.R. (beginning of Rockville) marks the Southeast corner of block 1, lot 1. The stone was forgotten until unearthed in 1959 when building the town hall, which was erected in 1962. 

Rockville Walking Tour

Jane C Sween Research Library

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information