Rockville in Montgomery County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Red Brick Courthouse
Location: 29 Courthouse Square
| | Rockville's African American Heritage Walking Tour | |
After the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln and Congress created the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands to aid newly freed African-Americans. By the time it closed in 1872, the bureau had provided assistance to 4-million former slaves making the transition from slavery to freedom, including those in Rockville.
The county courthouse was the site of an 1866 case brought by the Montgomery County Office of the Freedmen's Bureau to recover money stolen from Rockville's African-American community.
By 1858 local African-American families had raised money through subscriptions to pursue construction of a church and school. The money was entrusted to J. Mortimer Kilgour, who joined the Confederate Army in 1861 and never returned to Rockville.
The Freedmen's Bureau assisted local leaders Daniel Brogdon, Henson Norris, Hillary Carroll and Solomon Williams by accusing Kilgour of theft, tracking down Kilgour and returning some money to the Rockville Colored School Board in 1867.
Erected by City of Rockville, Historic District Commission, Department of Community Planning and Development Services. (Marker
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Education • Law Enforcement. In addition, it is included in the Maryland, Rockville's African American Heritage Walking Tour series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1872.
Location. 39° 5.041′ N, 77° 9.098′ W. Marker is in Rockville, Maryland, in Montgomery County. It is on Courthouse Square just west of Maryland Avenue, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 24 Courthouse Sq, Rockville MD 20850, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies and also the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Gibbs v. Broome, et al. / 1931 Courthouse (here, next to this marker); Montgomery County Court House
Other markers no longer nearby. Rockville (was here, next to this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named Red Brick Courthouse (has been replaced with this marker); a different marker also named Gibbs v. Broome, et al. / 1931 Courthouse (was here, next to this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named Montgomery County Court House (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Court House Square (was within shouting distance of this marker
via Historic Rockville, unknown
3. Rockvilles African American Heritage Walking Tour
City website PDF
Click for more information.
Click for more information.
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. This marker has replaced the linked marker.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 20, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 6, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 513 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 6, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3. submitted on May 23, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.
