The Old Bank Building

The Old Bank Building. . A Poolseville landmark, the Old Bank was built in 1910. Its architectural style is referred to as “vaguely classical” and was typical of many of the town's structures. Most of the historic downtown was destroyed by fire in 1923. , The Building was used as a bank until 1964. During the Great Depression of the 1920s, a run on the bank caused it to close, but it reopened within a year. In 1965, the structure was given to the town and for many years it was used as the Town Hall. , Today, the Old Bank Building, with its ornate original vault, serves as the Poolesville Museum. It is owned and operated by Historic Medley District. , For more information visit HistoricMedley.org. , In 1760, following the trend of settlement by planters and farmers from nearby counties, town founders John and Joseph Poole bought 160 acres of tabacco land. They named their farms “Poole's Right” and “Poole's Hazzard.” , During the Civil War, because of its strategic location near critical Potomac River crossings, Poolesville saw thousands of Confederate and Union troops vying for positions in the area and marching through to the battles of Antietam and Gettysburg. , By the 1880s, Poolesville and Rockville were the largest towns in Montgomery County , Poolesville's population was 350. Its success was based on agriculture and proximity to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, a major trade route. The arrival of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad led to the decline of Poolesville as a shipping center. Today, Poolesville anchors the county's 93,000-acre Agricultural Reserve.