With origins dating back to colonial America, Rockville is one of Maryland’s oldest towns. During Revolutionary times, Rockville was known as Hungerford’s Tavern, the name of its most familiar landmark. One of the first calls for freedom from British rule was heard at the tavern in 1774 when a group of patriots met to consider the latest British outrage—the closing of the port of Boston. The group issued a series of resolves that condemned the Boston blockade, called for a boycott of trade with Great Britain until the blockade was lifted, and named delegates to attend Maryland’s general Committee of Correspondence in Annapolis—one of the meetings that led to the First Continental Congress.

When Montgomery County was formed by a division of Frederick County in 1776, Hungerford’s Tavern became the county seat and gradually became known as Montgomery Court House. In 1801, the Maryland General Assembly changed the name of the town to Rockville because of its location close to Rock Creek. The next major change in Rockville’s status began in 1873 when the metropolitan branch of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was extended into the city. Now there were frequent trains traveling between Washington and the brand new B&O station at Rockville every day.

Since the 1800s, Rockville has grown from a leisurely, agriculturally oriented county seat to a relatively cosmopolitan city with a wide variety of neighborhoods, parks, cultural arts, retail areas, and annual special events. Although the federal government is still the largest employer of Rockville’s residents, the city is home to many high-tech and bio-tech firms, national corporate headquarters, and the Montgomery County government.

Rockville’s historical and architectural value is nationally recognized. The entire West Montgomery Avenue historic district, the B&O Railroad Station, Old St. Mary’s Church and Cemetery (where F. Scott Fitzgerald is buried), Wire Hardware Company, and the Dawson Farm are all listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The West Montgomery district and the city’s three other historic districts feature a multitude of mature trees, brick sidewalks, and elderly buildings of frame construction, all contributing to the aura of a Victorian county seat. That small town feel and the diverse and growing population combine to make Rockville a truly vibrant place to live or work.