History of the Stonestreet Museum of 19th Century Medicine
This one-room doctor’s office was built by Samuel Thomas Stonestreet in 1852 for his son Edward Elisha Stonestreet of Rockville, who had just graduated from the University of Maryland’s medical school. Dr. Stonestreet was a practicing country doctor in the Rockville area until his death in 1903. During the fifty-one years of his practice, medical knowledge and technology underwent many radical changes. The Stonestreet Museum contains exhibits that highlight our extensive 19th and early 20th century medical collections including books, instruments and tools, pharmaceutical items, and more.
The office was originally situated in the front yard of the Stonestreet family home on East Montgomery Avenue at Monroe St. Some years after the doctor’s death the office was moved to the Rockville fairgrounds (now the site of Richard Montgomery High School), and it was thus spared demolition during the city’s urban renewal project in the mid 20th century. In 1972, Dr. Stonestreet’s office was donated to the Montgomery County Historical Society and moved to the grounds of the Beall-Dawson House.
Today, the museum’s interpretation features information about 19th century medicine and Dr. Stonestreet’s life as a country doctor traveling to make house calls. The Stonestreet Museum of 19th Century Medicine is open by appointment.
Visiting the Stonestreet Museum →