Montgomery History

Annual Ice Cream Social
2025-09-06 16:30 - 18:00 (America/New_York) | Shirly Povich Field, 10600 Westlake Dr, Rockville, MD, 20852, United States
Join Montgomery History at Shirley Povich field for our annual Ice Cream Social! We’ll have a trivia contest and a very brief teaser for the History Conference from our keynote speaker, Ralph Buglass. RSVP Here

History Conversations REWIND | Old Roads, New Histories
2025-09-01 - 2025-09-07
with Kacy Rohn | Prerecorded virtual event | For 25 years, Montgomery County’s Rustic Roads Program has protected the historic and scenic roadways that reflect the county’s agricultural character and rural origins. An update to the Rustic Roads Functional Master Plan was approved in 2023 [the planning was in progress when this talk was recorded]. This presentation describes the work done to bring new roads and new histories into the program that reflect the diversity of the county’s past with previously underrepresented stories of women, freedom seekers, and early African American communities that enrich the historic landscapes traversed by these roadways. Presented at the 2022 History ConferenceRecording available September 1 – 7.

History Conversations | Colonial Taverns
2025-08-26 14:00 - 15:30
with Jim Johnston | Tuesday, August 26 at 2:00 p.m. | Virtual Event | Taverns in colonial times served many purposes. Alcohol was perhaps the main one, but they also provided food, sleep, news, gossip, and fellowship. Commonly the largest building in a town, a tavern might also serve as the courthouse, jail, stagecoach station, and community center. Jim Johnston will explain all this on Zoom on August 26, though in colonial times, he probably would have given his talk at a tavern. He has in fact given this talk at colonial taverns and has naturally frequented a few–for research purposes only, of course. Register Here

History Conversations REWIND | Montgomery County Agriculture: From Tobacco to Today
2025-08-18 - 2025-08-24
with Tom Farquhar | Prerecorded virtual event The rich soil of Montgomery County has supported a wide variety of agricultural enterprises, ranging from millennia of crop cultivation by indigenous communities, to tobacco plantations of the first colonial settlers of European descent, progressing to market farming serving growing populations in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Today the agriculture of Montgomery County has diversified to include commodity grain production, landscaping, and horse-riding operations, as well as a small but growing table-food and pick-your-own sector. The Montgomery County Agricultural Reserve, a land-planning treasure, grants the assurance that farming will remain part of the story of the county forever. Originally aired at the Spring 2023 History Conference. Recording available August 18 – 24.

History Conversations | Property Research in Montgomery County
2025-08-12 14:00 - 15:30
with Sarah Hedlund | Tuesday, August 12 at 2:00 p.m. | Virtual Event | Want to learn more about the place you live? Montgomery History has many resources available to help. Director of Library and Archives Sarah Hedlund will provide an overview on the tools available for researching your Montgomery County property, using everything from maps and atlases to insurance records to real estate directories.

History Conversations REWIND | Cold War: Tension and Response
2025-08-04 - 2025-08-10
with Jennifer Wilcox, Director of Education at the National Cryptologic Museum | Prerecorded virtual event During the Cold War, both the United States and the Soviet Union sought to protect their own communications and “read the mail” of the enemy. Join Jennifer Wilcox, Director of Education at the National Cryptologic Museum, as she shares the history of cryptology and signals intelligence during the Cold War. Originally aired October 2022.Recording available August 4 – 10.

History Conversations REWIND | Five for Freedom: The African American Soldiers in John Brown’s Army
2025-07-28 - 2025-08-03
with Eugene Meyer | Prerecorded virtual event More than 163 years later, John Brown’s October 1859 ill-fated raid on Harpers Ferry to seize its federal arsenal and incite a slave rebellion is well known. Less known are the stories of five African Americans who joined with him. Their sacrifice continues to resonate, as the legacy of slavery, America’s original sin, remains. Author Eugene L. Meyer tells us of the world in which they were born, lived and died, and of the aftermath, as the struggle for racial justice and equality rages on. Originally aired February 2023.Recording available July 28 – August 3.

History Conversations | Timberlawn: The Birthplace of the Special Olympics
2025-07-22 14:00 - 15:30
with Serena Bolliger, Cultural Resource Planner at Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission | Tuesday, July 22 at 2:00 p.m. | Virtual Event | In 1901, fledgling architect Arthur Heaton designed a Georgian-styled country home for his aunt and uncle overlooking the rolling farmland near Rockville. The home, eventually named Timberlawn, housed generations of philanthropists and advocates. Today, Timberlawn stands as the only remaining piece of the sprawling estate where Eunice Kennedy Shriver founded Camp Shriver in 1962. This unique summer camp, designed for children with intellectual disabilities, inspired and led to the creation of the Special Olympics. Eunice Shriver, a lifelong advocate for disability rights, revolutionized physical recreation opportunities for children with intellectual disabilities while living at Timberlawn, and drove the creation of pioneering legislation enshrining their rights. Join Serena Bolliger as she shares the incredible story of this unique structure and its global impact.

History Conversations REWIND | Drinking Water in the DC Area: Past, Present, and Future
2025-07-14 - 2025-07-20
with Michael Nardolilli | Prerecorded virtual event With Western states running out of water, could it happen here? The Executive Director of the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin, Michael Nardolilli, traces the history of providing drinking water to the DC area, the current system, and the outlook for the future. Originally aired in November 2022.Recording available July 14 – July 20.

History Conversations | Land Record Research at the Maryland State Archives
2025-07-08 14:00 - 15:30
with Morgan Miller | Tuesday, July 8 at 2:00 p.m. | Virtual Event | In this presentation, Morgan Miller from the Maryland State Archives will take you through researching Maryland’s land records on the website MDLandRec.net. Learn to search for a present deed by name and address, trace property backwards from the present day, research through historical indexes, and decipher various formats of indexes. Discover the incredible value of land record research!

History Conversations REWIND | The Past, Present, and Future of the Bethesda Meeting House – “The Church That Named Bethesda.”
2025-06-30 - 2025-07-06
with Hank Levine | Prerecorded virtual event Despite being among the community’s most storied buildings, the Bethesda Meeting House — “the church that named Bethesda” — was vacant and deteriorating when acquired last year by the Bethesda Historical Society. Constructed in 1820 (and rebuilt in 1850 after a fire) it features a rare “slave gallery,” was the town’s first post office, and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and the Montgomery County Master Plan for Historic Preservation. Tradition has it that Abraham Lincoln worshipped there, and it was occupied by Confederate cavalry during Jubal Early’s raid on Washington in July 1864. Join Hank Levine for an illustrated tour of this iconic building’s history, architecture, and significance. Originally aired March 2024.Recording available June 30 – July 6.

History Conversations REWIND | Washington Grove: The Montgomery County Outlier
2025-06-23 - 2025-06-29
with Phil Edwards | Prerecorded virtual event Washington Grove is a small town in the middle of Montgomery County with a unique form of government. It was called by its first mayor, “a Town within a forest, an oasis of tranquility and a rustic jewel in the diadem of the great free state of Maryland.” One-time Mayor and Town Historian Phil Edwards will discuss how Washington Grove came to be chartered in 1873 and how it evolved into the vibrant community it is today. Originally aired February 2024.Recording available June 23 – 29.

History Conversations REWIND | The Full Spectrum: Uncovering LGBTQ+ Heritage in Montgomery County
2025-06-16 - 2025-06-22
with Emma Satterfield | Prerecorded virtual event With Washington, D.C. and Baltimore nearby, the history of Montgomery County’s LGBTQ+ community has often been overshadowed. Building on Emma Satterfield’s online exhibit for Montgomery History, this presentation seeks to shed light on the struggles and achievements of the county’s LGBTQ+ residents during the late twentieth century. Satterfield also will delve into the exhibit development process and discuss the importance of preserving local LGBTQ+ history and sharing it with the public. Originally aired at the Spring 2023 Montgomery County History Conference.Recording available June 16 – 22.

History Conversations REWIND | Will Adams, Fiddler of Ken-Gar
2025-06-09 - 2025-06-15
Join Montgomery History in remembering the life of Ida Pearl Green, June 18, 1918 – April 17, 2025 through this History Conversation with her granddaughter which originally aired in February 2024. with Julianne Mangin | pre-recorded virtual event | Through daily weekday breakfasts with her grandmother, Dr. Kisha Davis learned stories of family and an African American community in Quince Orchard which went much deeper than the name of her school or a road named Quince Orchard. At 105 years young at the time of this recording, Mrs. Green was a lifelong resident of Montgomery County. Through her family’s history from slavery through integration of both schools and churches, her granddaughter shares the complex history of race relations in the county. It is a testament to resilience and turning adversity into something beautiful.Recording available June 9 – 15.

History Conversations | The Second Founding of the American Republic: Creating the Fourteenth Amendment
2025-06-05 19:00 - 20:30
This program, presented jointly by Montgomery History and the League of Women Voters of Montgomery County, will tell the story of crafting the Fourteenth Amendment in the 39th Congress in 1865 – 1866 and the men who engineered its approval. These include Thaddeus Stevens, William Pitt Fessenden, Jacob Howard, Charles Sumner, Reverdy Johnson, and Robert Dale Owen. The speaker will discuss the objectives and tactics of the principal actors to secure two-thirds majorities in both houses of Congress, and implications of the amendment for current controversies. Why is this transformative amendment relevant today? The amendment • guaranteed birthright citizenship and redistributed power in the federal system. • prohibited states from infringing the privileges and immunities of U.S. citizens or denying any person due process of the law or equal protection of the laws. • required apportionment of the House of Representative on the basis of population and reduced a state’s representation if it excluded any class of males over 21 from voting. • prohibited insurrectionists from holding federal or state office unless 2/3 of both houses of Congress granted amnesty; • declared the debt of the United States should not be questioned; and • gave Congress power to enforce the Amendment.

History Conversations | A Virtual Visit to The National Capital Trolley Museum
2025-05-27 14:00 - 15:00
with Eric Madison, Executive Director of The National Capital Trolley Museum | Tuesday, May 27 at 2:00 p.m. | Virtual Event | Join Eric Madison, Executive Director of the National Capital Trolley Museum, for an engaging presentation on the museum’s rich history and its role in preserving the region’s streetcar heritage. Eric will discuss the museum’s current operations and facility, highlight volunteer opportunities, and share ways the community can support its ongoing mission. Don’t miss this chance to learn how the trolley shaped our area—and how you can help keep that legacy alive.

History Conversations | Misplacing History: Rowser's Ford
2025-05-20 14:00 - 15:00
with Jim Johnston | Tuesday, May 20 at 2:00 p.m. | Virtual Event | Jim Johnston shares the fascinating history of his search to find the true location of Rowser’s Ford and provides us with the latest updates on this Civil War mystery! On the night of June 27, 1863, Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart crossed the Potomac River with 5,000 horsemen including artillery at “Rowser’s Ford” and proceeded to ransack Montgomery County. Stuart’s actions proved a catastrophe for the Confederacy because he should have been with Robert E. Lee’s army in Pennsylvania. Moving blindly without his cavalry, Lee stumbled into the huge Union army at a place called Gettysburg where he was soundly defeated. To deflect criticism, Stuart wrote a report glorifying his crossing at Rowser’s Ford as a heroic, superhuman effort. In more recent times, markers have been erected at the supposed site on the C&O Canal at Violette’s and Riley’s locks. Visitors marvel at the courage of Stuart and his men to cross the mile-wide river, filled with rocks, rapids, and whirlpools. But the markers, and history, misplace the site. It was actually two miles downriver in a placid, sandy-bottomed part of the Potomac on John Rowzee’s farm.

Walking Tour at Washington Aqueduct
2025-05-12 10:00 - 12:00
May 12 at 10 AM | With Ralph Buglass | Join Montgomery History for a special tour at the C&O Canal’s Monocacy Aqueduct. Popular Local historian Ralph Buglass will take us along the C&O canal to see the Monocacy Aqueduct and Lock 27, Ralph will provide historic context for these important historic structures and share interesting and unique facts about their past! He will also briefly discuss the history of ferries in the area. This walk will require walking approximately one mile on paths along the canal. Appropriate attire is recommended, including closed toe shoes. Montgomery History will provide water bottles, but come prepared for warm weather. toilets will be available at the start and finish parking lot. We will provide the exact starting location the Friday before the tour. Rain date May 15, but may change based on weather forecast. Register Here

History Conversations REWIND | Shopping in an 1850s Canal Town: A Material Culture Mystery Story
2025-05-12 - 2025-05-18
with Blyth McManus, Museum Curator, C&O Canal National Historical Park | pre-recorded virtual event | In the museum collection of the C&O Canal National Historical Park is a shop ledger from a merchant in Williamsport, Maryland. Tracking purchases made between 1856-1858, the ledger provides tantalizing glimpses into the everyday lives of its customers. Materials like flour, spices, and produce don’t usually survive long enough to become part of the archeological record, but these are often the details that help us connect to the human side of history. It is also a glimpse into women’s history; although many (but not all) of the names are men, often the women did the actual shopping using their husbands’ accounts. The owner of the ledger and the location of the shop are unknown. However, the ledger provides important historical context to the park and the local area, gives researchers a glimpse into everyday life, and potentially provides additional context to the area’s archeological sites. New perspectives await in the pages of this mystery ledger. Originally aired April 2024Recording available May 12 – May 18.

History Conversations REWIND | The Making of a Pearl: The Life of Quince Orchard Resident Ida Pearl Green
2025-05-05 - 2025-05-11
Join Montgomery History in remembering the life of Ida Pearl Green, June 18, 1918 – April 17, 2025 through this History Conversation with her granddaughter which originally aired in February 2024.with Dr. Kisha Davis | pre-recorded virtual event | Through daily weekday breakfasts with her grandmother, Dr. Kisha Davis learned stories of family and an African American community in Quince Orchard which went much deeper than the name of her school or a road named Quince Orchard. At 105 years young at the time of this recording, Mrs. Green was a lifelong resident of Montgomery County. Through her family’s history from slavery through integration of both schools and churches, her granddaughter shares the complex history of race relations in the county. It is a testament to resilience and turning adversity into something beautiful.Recording available May 5 – May 11.

History Conversations | The Voices of Woodlawn Manor: A 200 Year Old Cultural Site
2025-04-29 14:00 - 15:00
with Christian Murgia | Tuesday, April 29 at 2:00 p.m. | Virtual Event | Christian Murgia, Education Program Manager at Woodlawn Manor, will discuss the history of Woodlawn Manor Cultural Park as a location in continuous use since its founding over 200 years ago. From the site of a boarding school to a Quaker plantation with an enslaved population, and the current operations with Montgomery Parks, many different voices have echoed throughout the grounds. Register Here

History Conversations REWIND | Legacy of Slavery Project at the Maryland State Archives
2025-04-21 - 2025-04-27
With Hannah LaneThe Maryland State Colonization Society was a former auxiliary of the American Colonization Society (ACS) that recruited free and manumitted black Marylanders to settle in Liberia. From 1832 to 1861, the Maryland State Colonization Society was largely supported by appropriations from the Maryland General Assembly. Join Hannah Lane, research archivist in the Legacy of Slavery in Maryland Department, in this discussion about the Papers of the Maryland Colonization Society and other resources at the Maryland State Archives. Originally aired December 2023. Recording available April 21 – April 27

History Conversations | The Surprising Legacy of Maryland's Spiro Agnew
2025-04-17 19:00 - 20:00
with Charles Holden | Thursday, April 17 at 7:00 p.m. | Virtual Event | Spiro Agnew entered national politics as the little-known governor of Maryland. He left as a disgraced Vice President, having resigned charged with multiple crimes. Yet, his influence on American national politics has been greater than one might think. Join Dr. Charles Holden as he shares the legacy of perhaps our most famous–or infamous–former governor.

History Conversations REWIND | Montgomery County and the War of 1812
2025-04-07 - 2025-04-13
with Sandy HeilerThe War of 1812 was one of the most contentious conflicts in American history, and Montgomery countians were nearly universally opposed to it. Nevertheless, although their properties were spared the war’s horrors, Montgomery’s citizens were not. A sense of honor and proximity to Washington and Baltimore led them to take an active part in a war they deplored: defending freedom of the press against a murderous pro-war mob in Baltimore; joining the ranks of raw Maryland militia at Bladensburg to face the world’s strongest army; and sheltering the flood of terrified Washingtonians and the US President in Brookeville as the enemy burned the capital. This talk describes the role Montgomery County residents played in the War of 1812, between its beginning in June 1812, and the Battle for Baltimore in September 1814. Despite the odds or their personal beliefs, they did their duty—and more. Originally presented at the January 2023 History Conference. Recording available April 7 – April 13

History Conversations REWIND | To Say Their Names: Researching the Hidden Slavery History of Home
2025-03-31 - 2025-04-06
with with Robert Engelman | pre-recorded virtual event | How much do we know about the enslavement of African Americans that occurred in our own neighborhoods? This project aims to chronicle the history of a three-square-mile area between Kensington and Wheaton. The unifying objective is to bring to light the experience—and ideally the names—of individuals enslaved there. Resources will be offered for neighborhood slavery research. Presented at the 2023 Fall History Conference. Recording available March 31 – April 6

History Conversations | A Lighthouse District: How Montgomery County Launched Recovery High Schools
2025-03-25 15:00 - 16:00
with Dr. Andy Finch | Tuesday, March 25 at 3:00 p.m. | Virtual Event | Recovery high schools have become a key setting supporting the adolescent recovery process over the last fifty years. Dr. Andy Finch is the author of Salvaging a Teenage Wasteland: Origins of the Recovery High School Movement. The book provides the first major historical account of the recovery high school movement from its beginnings in the alternative schools of the 1970s that overlapped with the first adolescent substance use treatment programs. In this presentation, Dr. Finch will describe the integral role Montgomery County played in the development of recovery high schools. In the fall of 1978, the county police raided local high schools over the course of the fall semester, arresting over 300 students for possession or use of drugs. The raids created protests from the students, and eventually, parents demanded a program from the school board that would address the district’s drug problem. The result was the Phoenix School, which opened in 1979 and existed for 35 years. The presentation will explain the origin of that program in Silver Spring, the addition of a second campus in Gaithersburg, the fire that destroyed the second campus building, and the ultimate ending of the Phoenix School program. The author spent nine years researching and writing the book, involving dozens of staff and student interviews, and records from the Montgomery County Archives, local libraries, and Montgomery County Public Schools. Dr. Finch’s book Salvaging a Teenage Wasteland is available for purchase from Oxford University Press. Dr. Finch has shared a 30% discount code for your use [AUFLY30].

History Conversations REWIND | The Work of Women’s Hands: Maryland Chintz Quilts
2025-03-10 - 2025-03-16
with former Montgomery History Curator Elizabeth Lay | pre-recorded virtual event | When we think of 200-year-old quilts, we imagine humble pieced bed coverings made of scraps. In fact, the oldest Maryland quilts are objects of great refinement, made of expensive imported fabrics such as glazed chintz. One of the most important of these is our Clarksburg quilt, created by Sarah Clark Willson around 1820. Former curator Elizabeth Lay examines the chintz quilt tradition, the Clark family, and later chintz quilts in the collection. She will share close-up images of 26 stitches per inch quilting patterns as well as the appliqued compositions, and also take a look inside the Clark’s Store daybook which provides a snapshot of life and needlework materials during the period. Join Lay for an opportunity to see these quilts in all their glorious detail! Originally aired March 2022. Recording available March 10 – 16

History Conversations | Clara Barton - An American Life
2025-03-04 14:00 - 15:00
with Ranger Kevin Patti | Tuesday, March 4 at 2:00 p.m. | Virtual Event | How did a shy girl born on a New England farm in 1821 break through the barriers that so often confined women to the domestic sphere? How did she go on to have a sixty-year career of public service that touched people all over the world? How did she found the American Red Cross, an organization that still helps people in need today? And what gave this woman the courage to go where the fighting was taking place during the Civil War, a place women did not go? This illustrated talk by Park Ranger Kevin Patti from Clara Barton National Historic Site will use photographs from Clara Barton’s life and times to answer these questions and describe the development of her remarkable career. Register Here

History Conversations | The Military History of Maryland
2025-02-25 14:00 - 15:00
with Richard Morain |Tuesday, February 25 at 2:00 p.m. | Virtual Event | Join Richard Morain, volunteer at the Maryland Museum of Military History, for an overview of the 390-year military history of Maryland, from the first day of the colonies to the work of the state’s citizens in Iraq and Afghanistan. Maryland has made significant military contributions to the United States, including saving the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War!

History Conversations REWIND | Painting Style of the Dentzel Carousel Company and Restoration Techniques
2025-02-10 - 2025-02-16
with Rosa Patton | pre-recorded virtual event | Rosa Patton has been restoring carousels for 43 years, including the 20-year restoration of Glen Echo’s carousel. Learn from her as she discusses the painting style differences between carousel manufacturers, the types of paints used, and the tools and brushes used for achieving the signature look of each company. Plus, view the live painting technique demonstration to see how the company’s artists worked and how these techniques were used during the carousel’s restoration. (Originally aired August 2021) Recording available February 10-17
