Montgomery County’s Historic Towns and Places

*New* A Wide Place in the Road – The Roots of Modern Bethesda, Part I

Speaker: Hank Levine

Ever wondered how (and why) Bethesda came to be where and what it is today? Bethesda Historical Society Secretary and Tour Chair Hank Levine will take us through how, between 1750 and 1920, a fall line, a ridge line, a turnpike, a trolley line, rail lines, the coming of the automobile, and Chevy Chase set the stage for the development of Bethesda into the affluent suburb and urban center it is today. Hear (and see) stories of early churches, stores, and real estate moguls; the decades Bethesda was bypassed and almost died; the experimental animal farm that struck many as less than heaven scent; and the founding of the town’s first neighborhoods.

*New* The Roots of Modern Bethesda – Part II

Speaker: Hank Levine

Hank Levine tells the story of how in the century after the end of World War I Bethesda became the affluent suburb and urban center we know and (mostly) love today. Explore how the rise of the automobile brought new neighborhoods and a growing central business district; how the zoning and planning ‘wars’ of the 1960’s to 1990’s shaped our community; and how Metro jump-started the growth of a town into a city.

Potomac’s Storied History

Speaker: Judith Welles

Produced in coordination with the release of her new book, POTOMAC, Judith Welles dives into never-before-seen photos–many from Montgomery History’s collection–that shed new light on the storied history of this area of the county. With the photographs as a backdrop, Welles tells the impact of the C&O Canal and the Civil War; the story of the Gold Rush and ghosts; the Potomac Hunt; the growth of a bustling commercial and residential area and much more.

Aspin Hill Pet Cemetery: 100 Years of Pets, People, and the Stories Behind the Stones

Speaker: Julianne Mangin

Aspin Hill Pet Cemetery, established in 1920, is more than simply a place where people put their pets to rest. It’s a place that reflects the life and times of the Washington region. There are famous pets, owned by or connected to movers and shakers of the twentieth century – presidents and their advisors, ambassadors, and a certain head of the FBI. There are also thousands of pets and owners who may be less influential than a president or a senator, but whose stories are equally fascinating. In this presentation, Julianne Mangin shares not only the history of the cemetery and those who ran it, but entertaining stories gleaned from newspapers, photographs, land records, and the inscriptions on the grave stones found at the cemetery.

Offutt’s Crossroads: The Early History of Potomac and its Founding Family

Speaker: Ralph Buglass

This talk and slide presentation covers the “first family” of Potomac: the Offutts for whom Potomac was originally named (Offutt’s Crossroads). The talk, by a descendant of the Offutt family, explores when and how the village came to be called Potomac, with feuding among the family, the end of slavery, a business partnership gone bad, and attempted murder all playing a part—not to mention a few ghostly appearances in later years!

A Pictorial History of Rockville

Speaker: Ralph Buglass

Presented in conjunction with Peerless Rockville, www.PeerlessRockville.org

Drawing extensively on vintage photos from a book produced by Peerless Rockville, this talk covers the 250-year history of Rockville from a tiny crossroads community to the bustling government center of Montgomery County—and one of the nation’s most diverse cities. Rockville not only has a fascinating history all its own, but also exemplifies our county’s history in many ways—and has ties to significant national events and figures. The speaker co-authored the book for Peerless Rockville.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Rockville: Rockville in the 1920s

Speaker: Eileen McGuckian

This slide presentation takes a look at the small town of Rockville that F. Scott Fitzgerald knew in the 1920s, with an explanation of how America’s favorite writer came to be buried there –twice!

The History of Rockville Pike: A 300 Year Journey

Speaker: Eileen McGuckian

Using historic and contemporary photographs, local historian Eileen McGuckian takes a journey through time down the Rockville Pike, from its beginnings as a Native American path to its current status as Montgomery County’s “Golden Mile.”

Rockville, Maryland: 250 Years of History

Speaker: Eileen McGuckian

An armchair tour of historic Rockville — from colonial times to the present – with the author of Rockville: Portrait of a City, the definitive history of our county seat. Come with your questions!

Sugarloaf: The Singular History of a Singular Mountain 

Speaker: Ralph Buglass

Sugarloaf Mountain, a private oasis of natural beauty and scenic vistas that is open to the public, nearly became Camp David and was almost topped with a modernistic structure designed by one of America’s most famous architects, Frank Lloyd Wright, that instead ended up as a New York City landmark. This extensively illustrated talk explores these and other historical oddities of this tiny mountain that sits all by itself just over the Montgomery County line in Frederick County.