City of Rockville history

In 1801, a few months after the federal government took up residence on the banks of the Potomac River, the Maryland General Assembly ordered a survey of a town plan for the area around the Montgomery courthouse.

During the 19th century, people were considering officially naming the town. It was on July 16, 1803, that the town was officially named Rockville which came from the Rock Creek.

1828 – Construction began on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, improving transportation along the Potomac River (which, thanks to Great Falls, was not navigable).

1840 – The old court house in Rockville was replaced by a new brick building.

1846 – The Montgomery County Agricultural Society was organized to promote improvements in farming.

1860 – A free public school system was established for the first time, with William Henry Farquhar as superintendent.

Edwin Smith, an astronomer for the Washington-based United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, built a 16-room Queen Anne-style home on Forest Avenue in 1890 that still stands today.

Only a couple of iconic structures were allowed to remain standing like the Red Brick Courthouse that dated to 1891.

1916 -The first major hospital in the county, now Montgomery General Hospital, was established by Doctor Jacob W. Bird.

1918 – The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC), a bi-county organization, was formed to provide water and sewer service in much of Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.

1922 – A police department was created consisting of a chief and five patrolmen.

1927 – The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), another bi-county agency, was formed to plan and guide orderly growth and development in the two counties.

In the 1930's, this growth was steady but not spectacular.

1932 – The Montgomery Farm Women’s Cooperative Market was organized to enable farm women to sell their products, easing some of the financial burdens faced by families during the Great Depression.

City limits were expanded again, this time to the south, and population rose to 2,047 in 1940.

1946 – Montgomery Junior College, now Montgomery College, began classes at night at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School.

1948 – A home rule charter was adopted, allowing for a council form of county government, making Montgomery the first county in Maryland to establish a charter form of government.

However, after 1955 there would be no further effort to develop the public transport of the city.

1960 – Wheaton Plaza, the first regional mall in the county, opened for business.

1976 – Montgomery County celebrated the Bicentennials of both the county and the nation.

1990 – The county council was expanded from seven to nine members.

In 1995, eerily repeating the action of Ecker three decades earlier, County Executive Doug Duncan took a ceremonial sledgehammer to the bankrupt Rockville Mall and called for a new town center.

By mid-2007, the 15-acre center was a reality, with a redesigned central library, residences, offices and upscale eateries.