Rockville became a city in 1860,
but its history is traced back to pre-Revolutionary War days.
The land on which earliest Rockville was situated principally
was part of a tract in the early 1700s called Exchange and
New Exchange Enlarged. Early Settlers lived by hunting and
farming, with tobacco the major commercial crop. A great road
ran from Frederick to Georgetown to transport large tobacco
kegs. Taverns were located along the way to provide a place
of rest for any traveler.
One such stopping place was Owens Ordinary, later renamed
Hungerford’s Tavern. In 1774, when the spirit of American
independence was sweeping through Maryland and the other colonies,
a group of citizens met at the tavern to protest the tyrannical
actions of the British Parliament. They issued the Hungerford
Resolves, condemning the Boston blockade and calling for a
boycott of British imports. The group also selected delegates
to attend Maryland’s General Committee of Correspondence
in Annapolis; one of the primary meetings, which led to the
First Continental Congress.
Other names for early Rockville were Williamsburg (the Williams
family owned some 200 acres, including the tavern site) and
Montgomery Courthouse. Montgomery County was formed in 1776
during the Revolutionary era, and county voters selected the
crossroads as the county seat. From tavern to courthouse, the
Rockville site was developing from rural farmland to a town
center. By the turn of the 19th century a survey plot showed
about 85 lots in 19 squares on six streets for the Plan of
Rockville a town of about 200 people.
Stagecoaches began running twice a week on the Georgetown-Frederick
road at this time. Courthouse justices and clerks settled in
Rockville, and narrow plank sidewalks were put on some of the
streets. Churches were built, schools established, and doctors
set up practices. A new courthouse was built in 1840. County
fairs were held at the Agricultural Grounds (now the site of
the Richard Montgomery High School Athletic field).
During the
Civil War, Union and Confederate troops occasionally occupied
the fair grounds, or passed through the area on their way
to battle. A daily round-trip
stagecoach service soon began between Washington and Rockville. A branch
of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad came to the city in 1873
to further develop
Rockville.
Rockville became a suburban resort for Washingtonians who
sought to escape the confines of the nation’s capital.
Hotels, boarding houses, and fine Victorian homes were built
around this time. Another courthouse was built in 1891 and
stands today at Courthouse Square in Town Center. At the turn
of the century, more that 1,000 people lived in the City of
Rockville.
The city actually
remained much like a small, quiet town until the 1950s. The
baby boom after World War II raised the population of Rockville
from less than 5,000 in 1950 to more than 40,000 by 1970.
Rockville grew physically by annexation of land, and developers
planned new neighborhoods to meet the needs of the population.
Old commercial areas in the town center were torn down and
completely redeveloped. Today, Rockville is the second largest
city in Maryland and is four-time All-America City winner.
To preserve its past, the city of Rockville appointed a Historic
District Commission to protect areas and structures of historic
significance. Three historic districts were established in
1974, with others added since that time, preserving the city’s
rich heritage as Rockville progressed.
ROCKVILLE TODAY
Rockville, the county seat of Montgomery County, occupies
an area of 13.03 square miles amid the rolling hills of west-central
Maryland. It is 12 miles Northwest of downtown Washington,
D.C., and 35 miles southwest of Baltimore. Rockville has a
population of approximately 47,000 and is the second largest
city in Maryland. The city is also an employment center, with
approximately 54,500 jobs.
The region has a temperate rain climate, predominantly oceanic,
but partly continental. Winters are fairly short and mild,
though temperatures sometimes descend toward zero degrees Fahrenheit.
Summers are warm and humid, with temperatures rising at times
to the high 90s. Spring weather is beautiful and fall is lovely
with an incomparable Indian summer. Yearly precipitation averages
40 inches for rain and 22 inches for snow. Average relative
humidity is 70 percent.
Average altitude of the area is about 420 feet above sea level.
The upper end of Rock Creek Park is at the city’s eastern
edge.
|
