2023 Montgomery County History Conference
The 18th edition of the ever-popular Montgomery County History Conference was held on November 4, 2023. We again partnered with Montgomery College and the conference was held it in-person, for the first time since 2020, on their Rockville campus. The conference offered myriad opportunities to engage with local history, including a keynote address, eight breakouts, a boxed lunch, a performance, and a happy hour reception.
The morning keynote discussed the “Black Chevy Chase” and the wide variety of techniques, not just restrictive covenants, used to prevent homeownership and development by Blacks in the early 20th century.
Breakout sessions covered such wide-ranging topics as Emory Grove’s renowned Du-Drop Inn, historic homes and barns of the Ag Reserve, the families of the Agricultural History Farm Park, Sentinel publisher Rebecca Fields, a history of enslavement in Kensington, the county’s Poor Farm, the seven enslavers who have public schools named for them, and new techniques for indigenous archaeological research.
The conference ended with “A Rockville Journal,” a peek back in time to 1850s Rockville with a portrayal of a local attorney by actor Steve LaRocque.
Schedule of Events → Session Descriptions → Speaker Bios →
Questions? Contact Matt Gagle, Director of Programs.
