ockville
is one of Maryland's oldest towns, with its origins dating back to Colonial
America. During Revolutionary times Rockville was known as Hungerford's
Tavern the name of its most familiar landmark. One of the first calls to
freedom from British rule was heard at the tavern in 1774 when a group
of patriots met to consider the latest British outrage - the closing of
the port of Boston. They issued a series of resolves condemning the Boston
blockade, calling for a boycott of trade with Great Britain until the blockade
was lifted, and selecting delegates to attend Maryland's general committee
of correspondence in Annapolis - one of the meetings which led to the First
Continental Congress.
When
Montgomery County was formed by a division of Frederick County in 1776, Rockville
served as the county seat and gradually became known as Montgomery Court
House. In the 1780s, the community was known as Williamsburg, the last of
its names before its designation as Rockville. At that time, Rockville was
little more than a cluster of homes, a tavern, a courthouse, and a jail.
In 1801, the Maryland General Assembly changed the name of the town to Rockville
because of its location close to Rock Creek. Rockville remained small during
the first two-thirds of the 19th century. The population grew from 200 in
1800 to 400 in 1846. Rockville became incorporated in 1860 and was governed
by three commissioners until 1888, when the city's 400 residents elected
the first Mayor and Council. The first big change in the town's status began
in 1873. The metropolitan branch of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad came
to Rockville, and frequent trains started going to and from Washington and
the brand new B & O station each day. 
By 1900, the population had risen to 1,110, but growth came slowly to Rockville.
In the 1930s, this growth was steady but not spectacular. City limits were
expanded again, this time to the south, and population rose to 2,047 in 1940.
But after that, the population skyrocketed, increasing from 6,934 in 1950
to nearly 45,000 in 1980.
Rockville has grown very rapidly from a leisurely, agriculturally-oriented
county seat to a relatively cosmopolitan city of many neighborhoods. It is
heavily oriented toward the federal government, which is the largest employer
of Rockville residents, yet also contains both research offices of and headquarters
for national corporations as well as the county government.
Rockville's
historical and architectural value is nationally recognized; its entire West
Montgomery Avenue historic district, the B & O Railroad Station, Old
St. Mary's Church and cemetery, Wire Hardware Company, the Dawson Farm, and
the Bingham-Brewer House are listed on the National Register of Historic
Places. The West Montgomery district and other 19th century districts share
a predominance of large trees, brick sidewalks, and frame construction all
contributing to the aura of a Victorian county seat. Historic sites from
other eras range from the 1935 Lincoln High School on Stonestreet Avenue,
to Wootton's Mill historic district and the Miller's House from the late
18th century, to historic sites such as Flint Hill Farm/the Hurley-Carter
House, and Rose Hill Mansion, which reflect a combination of features from
the 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.
Local Historical Links
