As America turns 250, Rockville reflects on its history

Peerless Rockville’s latest exhibit connects centuries of local change to broader sweep of American history

June 4, 2026 11:36 a.m.

“Rockville 250: Our American Story” uses historic images and local landmarks to trace Rockville’s role in the broader American story as the nation approaches its 250th anniversary. Credit: Jacqueline Kalil

In honor of the 250th anniversary of American independence — and of Montgomery County itself — Peerless Rockville unveiled in mid-May a sweeping new pictorial exhibit titled “Rockville 250: Our American Story” inside the Historic Red Brick Courthouse.

“Not only is it the 250th anniversary of the nation, but also of Montgomery County, and Rockville has pretty much been here from the beginning,” Nancy Pickard, executive director of Peerless Rockville, told Bethesda Today on Wednesday.

Before Rockville had its name, the area was known as Montgomery Courthouse — and before that, simply by the names of the taverns that served as its gathering places. In 1774, local residents met at one such tavern to declare their solidarity with colonists in Boston following the Tea Party. When Montgomery County was carved out of Frederick County and the young nation took shape, the area became the seat of county government. It has remained so ever since.

“The subject matter will sometimes surprise people when they read about it — not that it’s so shocking, but just to make the connection of what happened here to what was happening on a national stage,” Pickard said.

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The exhibit does not shy away from difficult chapters in local and national history. Panels address Rockville’s history as part of a slaveholding Southern state, the area’s connections to the Underground Railroad, and the struggles of segregation and integration. The story continues through the arrival of the railroad and trolley lines, early suburbanization, urban renewal, the coming of the Metro subway system and modern development.

The exhibit grew out of a broader national conversation about how communities should mark the semiquincentennial, according to Pickard. Inspired by guidance from the American Association for State and Local History, Peerless Rockville chose to focus on place-based history — using local landmarks and sites as entry points into the larger story of America.

“We’ll tell someone about a building and tell someone about why that building is there, who lived here,” Pickard said. “But what we’ve tried to do with this exhibit was relate our history to the greater, broader themes of American history.”

What started as a plan for roughly 20 posters grew into approximately 40 subjects, accompanied by additional images spanning 1774 to the present. About 90% of the images were drawn from Peerless Rockville’s archival collection. Research and design were handled entirely in-house by Pickard and her staff, including the organization’s education and collections managers, with only the printing outsourced.

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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine