The Glenview Mansion and Peerless Rockville Speaker Series will host a presentation in May on historic preservation and Rockville’s latest designated historic site, and Peerless presents a look in June at Rockville’s freedmen community of Middle Lane.
Join Peerless Rockville at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 8 at Glenview Mansion at Rockville Civic Center Park, 603 Edmonston Drive, for an illustrated presentation on historic preservation in Rockville. In 2024, the Farmers Banking and Trust Company became Rockville’s newest designated site. Learn about the building and other preservation triumphs in Rockville, including 10 local historic districts, 40 designated historic sites and a National Historic Landmark.
Discover the city’s unique historic districts and how they came to be, learn how historic properties are determined to be worthy of local historic designation and how the designation protects historic buildings, and hear stories of how special places were saved by the Rockville community. Admission is free, but space is limited. Register at peerlessrockville.org or by using course #32191 at rockvillemd.gov/registration.
Following emancipation in 1864, freedmen established a community in downtown Rockville. Black residences and businesses such as Mr. T’s, Kelly’s Sandwich Shop and Toby’s Pool Room could be found along North Washington Street and Middle Lane until the mid-20th century. Today, few of these buildings remain. In “Missing History: Rockville’s Middle Lane Community” Peerless celebrates Juneteenth and Heritage Days with a short presentation and walking tour that will highlight some of the vanished landmarks, businesses and homes.
Presentations, to be followed by tours, will be held in the Red Brick Courthouse, 29 Courthouse Square, at noon Wednesday, June 18 and noon and 2 p.m. Saturday, June 28. Register at peerlessrockville.org.