Historical Markers and War Memorials in Gaithersburg, Maryland
Rockville is the county seat for Montgomery County
Gaithersburg is in Montgomery County
Montgomery County(753) ► ADJACENT TO MONTGOMERY COUNTY Frederick County(558) ► Howard County(143) ► Prince George's County(644) ► Washington, D.C.(2607) ► Arlington County, Virginia(461) ► Fairfax County, Virginia(710) ► Loudoun County, Virginia(345) ►
Touch name on this list to highlight map location. Touch blue arrow, or on map, to go there.
In July of 1889, John A. Belt, a leading merchant in Gaithersburg, purchased the southwest corner of Diamond and Summit Avenues for $200. On this site, Belt built a general store with a large upstairs public room, known as Norman Hall. The building . . . — — Map (db m3355) HM
Each night an observer would conduct a series of tasks as they made and recorded their observations; including rotating, aligning, and leveling the telescope, taking numerous readings of stars, weather and other factors.
A typical night at the . . . — — Map (db m128815) HM
The Gaithersburg Railroad Station and freight house were built in 1884 as handsome replacements for the adjacent small frame structure which served as a freight depot when the Metropolitan Branch of the B & O Railroad was extended to Gaithersburg . . . — — Map (db m1039) HM
This is called a bank barn because it is built into a slope or bank of a hill. In the early 1800's this type of barn was commonly called a Switzer barn, a reference to its Swiss German origins. In the fall hay would have been loaded into the upper . . . — — Map (db m197911) HM
Bechtel, one of the world's largest engineering and construction firms, built its first Washington area engineering office on this site. Located here between 1961 and 1992, the Gaithersburg office grew from 40 employees to more than 3,000. — — Map (db m202633) HM
The Brookes and Russell Subdivision was platted in 1892
J.W. Walker subdivided his farm in 1904
Both subdivisions were part of the original "Deer Park" Land Grant — — Map (db m157231) HM
The completion of the railroad and the city's incorporation in the 1870's established a solid base upon which Gaithersburg could grow and flourish. Following the City's incorporation in 1878, Henry Ward became the president of the town's . . . — — Map (db m128819) HM
This building would have housed the family carriage and its accoutrements such as carriage poles, harnesses, horse collars, wheel jacks, and fly nets that would hang on the horses in the summer. Most farms would have a buckboard—a single seat with a . . . — — Map (db m197903) HM
Martha Meem's 200 Acres, part of the 1793 Zoar Land Grant, was further subdivided as Meem's subdivision in 1896. The district preserves late 19th and 20th century structures, along with the Metropolitan Branch of the B&O Railroad, which drove town . . . — — Map (db m101847) HM
What was enslavement like for a young child of African descent? Only the men and women who endured slavery and lived to share their experiences either in published autobiographies or in recorded oral histories could answer that painful question. . . . — — Map (db m197907) HM
Gravestone Inscriptions
James DeSellum // Born June 14 1773 // Died June 27 1847 // Aged 74 years // A useful citizen and sincere Christian. Cathrine DeSellum // Born July 20 1770 // Died June 20 1856 // Aged 88 years // Her . . . — — Map (db m1725) HM
This current building, developed by Inter-Continental Group (owned by the Blessing Family), stands on a site that has been a part of Gaithersburg's mercantile history since before 1894.
This 2-story building was built circa 1915 by JL Burns and . . . — — Map (db m101669) HM
On Sunday, June 28, 1863, Confederate Gen. J.E.B. Stuart and an estimated 5,000 cavalrymen arrived in Rockville en route to Gettysburg. Armed with a list of Union supporters, Stuart’s men planned to arrest John T. DeSellum as he left Presbyterian . . . — — Map (db m1709) HM
The completion of the railroad in the 1870's brought increasing prosperity to Gaithersburg. As the town grew so did the need for protection from the ever present dangers of fire. In September of 1892, a committee of volunteers formed the . . . — — Map (db m3352) HM
General Edward Braddock in April 1755, accompanied by Gov. Horatio Sharpe of Maryland, traveled this road in a coach and six horses, on his way to Frederick, Md. to meet Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, to arrange for teams for the Fort . . . — — Map (db m1012) HM
The original Goshen Mills consisted of a three-story brick merchant mill and a smaller frame grist mill. The facility was constructed after 1737 by Ignatius Pigman to serve this small farming community. It relied on water supplied by the Goshen . . . — — Map (db m72556) HM
Granary means a place for grain. This is where the oats and corn would be stored after harvest until it would be fed to the animals or ground into flour or corn meal at the mill. Some grain would be kept here as seeds for the next planting. These . . . — — Map (db m197902) HM
The Grusendorf Log House is one of a few remaining pre-Civil War structures in the Germantown/Gaithersburg area.
The Cabin was relocated to its present site next to the Seneca Creek State Park Visitor Center in the 1990s to preserve it from . . . — — Map (db m70455) HM
The Gaithersburg Latitude Observatory was constructed in 1899 as one of the original four stations selected by the International Geodetic Association to carry out systematic observations to measure the variations in latitude cause by the Earth's . . . — — Map (db m128813) HM
According to an 1880’s newspaper report, John A. Belt was the proprietor of the largest mercantile establishment in Montgomery County. Belt’s store and upstairs hall, known as Norman Hall, became the pivotal structure of Gaithersburg’s social, . . . — — Map (db m99502) HM
The Gaithersburg International Latitude Observatory is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been declared a National Historic Landmark. The designation includes the Observatory, the Meridian Mark Pier, and the five monuments. . . . — — Map (db m56966) HM
This park occupies seven parcels of land in Montgomery county used by the U. S. Army for the air defense of Washington D.C. from the mid-1950's to the mid-1970's
In the early days of the Cold War, the Soviet Union produced high-speed high-altitude . . . — — Map (db m61671) HM
This building was built and occupied by Forest Oak Lodge #123, Knights of Pythias, Domain of Maryland, from October 2 1911 until November 11, 1970. The building was designed by Architect H. S. Kinsley, and was built by Hezekiah Day, General . . . — — Map (db m99496) HM
The house that would one day become City Hall was built for Henry Miller, an active businessman in early Gaithersburg, and his wife Rosa. In 1913, the house was bought by Edward P. Schwartz, a Washington, DC real estate broker. Here he established a . . . — — Map (db m3312) HM
The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross posthumously to Second Lieutenant William J. Christman, III, United States Marine Corps Reserve, for service as set forth in the following Citation:
For extraordinary . . . — — Map (db m331) HM
In 1893, Dr. Elisha C. Etchison purchased the northwest corner property at Diamond and Summit Avenues from John B. Diamond and opened a pharmacy / drug store. Although the business at this site has changed owners several times over the years, there . . . — — Map (db m3354) HM
Summit Hall, a 251-acre ridge-top farm in the heart of Gaithersburg, was officially named and patented in 1857 by John T. and Sarah DeSellum. The topography and 500-foot elevation with its panoramic view has attracted settlers since colonial . . . — — Map (db m201418) HM
This outbuilding located on the ridge of Summit Hall Farm is treasured as the oldest complete historic structure within the City of Gaithersburg. Historically known as the smokehouse, its notched logs and chinked mortar serve as a modern day . . . — — Map (db m57606) HM
Gaithersburg began as an agricultural community. With the coming of the railroad in the late 1800's, markets in Washington, D. C. and Baltimore were opened to area farmers. Wheat, vegetables, fruits, meats, dairy products, and cider could be easily . . . — — Map (db m128821) HM
As the area's agricultural community flourished and the railroad was introduced, Gaithersburg soon became the commercial hub of the mid-county region. The Gaithersburg town center shifted from Frederick Avenue to Diamond Avenue near the train . . . — — Map (db m3349) HM
The Chandler Wobble is a small motion in the Earth's axis of rotation relative to the Earth's surface, which was discovered by American astronomer, Seth Carlo Chandler, Jr., in 1891. It is one of several wobbling motions that the Earth undergoes as . . . — — Map (db m56968) HM
Before the arrival of the first European settlers, the area that is now the City of Gaithersburg was a land of dense forests and gently rolling hills. Frederick Avenue was a well-traveled path for the Piscataway and Tuscarora Indians, who hunted the . . . — — Map (db m3346) HM
The original Gaithersburg High School was formerly located where Gaithersburg Elementary School now stands at 35 North Summit Avenue. Built in 1904, the school initially provided two general levels of education under the same roof: an elementary . . . — — Map (db m128822) HM
You are standing on the historic site of The Gaithersburg Wye, situated on 2.25 acres adjacent to the Metropolitan Branch of the old Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. This railroad is currently known as the CSX.
The Gaithersburg Wye . . . — — Map (db m141319) HM
U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey Assistant, Edwin Smith or Rockville, Maryland, was assigned to oversee construction and operations at the Gaithersburg Observatory. Original plans for the Ukiah and Gaithersburg Observatories, prepared by the Central . . . — — Map (db m128814) HM
The building that now houses Gaithersburg's City government offices and Council chambers was originally a private residence built in 1895 by Rosa and Henry Miller. In 1913, this five-acre estate was purchased by Edward P. Schwartz, a successful . . . — — Map (db m128820) HM
Built in 1881, the Summit Hotel was regarded as a trendy spring and summer resort for those fortunate enough to take a holiday from the hustle and bustle of Washington, D. C. The hotel was located at the northeast corner of Summit and Frederick . . . — — Map (db m128823) HM
Historical Background of the Canning Industry:
In 1812, Thomas Kensett introduced the canning process to America with a small plant in New York, which canned oysters, meats, fruits, and vegetables. However, historians generally agree that . . . — — Map (db m245543) HM
The Land
Francis Cassatt Clopper began assembling The Woodlands in 1812 by purchasing a patchwork of neighboring farms. An assessment of Montgomery County properties in 178 listed a variety of framed houses, log cabins, and tobacco and corn . . . — — Map (db m70452) HM
In Honor and Memory Of
William J. Christman III
Charles Richard Dale
Clayton Eugene Fraley
John Ault LeCompte
Frederick Richard Neff
Francis Frank Novello
James W. Prather
James Paul Purkey
who gave their lives in action . . . — — Map (db m137365) WM
The Wells-Robertson House is sited on land that was once part of the 1723 land grant known as Deer
Park. William R. Hutton, a well-known engineer, and his heirs began dividing and selling the land
during the last half of the nineteenth century. In . . . — — Map (db m101668) HM
This property has been
placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
circa 1793 — — Map (db m133982) HM
North of this monument, Robert Ober, a wealthy merchant built his home. A long tree-lined approach adds prominence to this 1½ story brick Georgian-style residence. This Tidewater style of architecture is rarely found in Montgomery County. . . . — — Map (db m72538) HM
