Lincoln Park History Project
Bessie Johnson Hill, ca. 1895
Lincoln Park, one of the first real estate ventures for African-American homeowners in Montgomery County, is a 19th century suburban community that retains the feeling of a small town within the borders of Rockville. Lincoln Park residents have maintained strong ties to kin and community for generations, and descendants of many original homeowners still live in Lincoln Park. About 40 communities in Montgomery County were settled by freed slaves in the 19th century. Many of these settlements still survive, including the Rockville communities of Lincoln Park, Haiti/Martin’s Lane, and Janetta.
In 1891, William Wallace Welsh bought 8.06 acres of “Valentine Gardens Enlarged” at $100 an acre from Chandler Keys. This property was adjacent to properties already owned by Blacks. He subdivided the land into quarter-acre lots and sold them for $80 each to his Black employees. Lincoln Park now comprises several plats: the original 1891 Lincoln Park Subdivision; Welsh’s 1892 First Addition to Lincoln Park; England’s Second Addition; the Griffith tract of 1906; and two apartment complexes, Rocklin Apartments and Lincoln Terrace. Lincoln Park was annexed to the city in 1949-50, at which time the community finally received public utilities and paved roads. That Lincoln Park maintains so much of its historic character in the midst of Rockville’s expansion is a testament to the strength and values of its families.
In 2000, representatives from several Montgomery County cultural history organizations joined together in an effort to promote and share the history of Lincoln Park. Spearheaded by the Rockville Regional Library, the partners included the Lincoln Park Historical Foundation, the Montgomery County Archives, Montgomery History, Peerless Rockville, the Montgomery County Department of Recreation and Parks, and several long-time residents of the Lincoln Park region. Planning and information-gathering culminated in a temporary physical exhibit and also in a website called the “Lincoln Park History Project,” which was hosted by the public library. The content of that website was transferred to the custody of Montgomery History in 2026.
Background adapted from a 1993 exhibit of Lincoln Park History, prepared by the City of Rockville with help from the Montgomery County Historic Preservation Commission.
Photo: reprint by Judith Christensen, Maryland Historical Trust, Peerless Rockville Collection.