Peerless Rockville in July presents the history of a home for people with disabilities and celebrates a half-century with a look at Rockville history through 50 photographs.
The Glenview Mansion and Peerless Rockville Speaker Series presents “The Montgomery County Poor Farm: Its History and Its People” at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 11 at Glenview Mansion at Rockville Civic Center Park, 603 Edmonston Drive. Join historian Julianne Mangin and Katherine Rogers, Peerless collections manager, for an illustrated, in-person presentation.
For nearly 160 years, the Almshouse at the Montgomery County Poor Farm was the last resort for poor people who were unable to take care of themselves due to physical, mental and developmental disabilities. A look at their stories, including how they lived and died, sheds light on conditions there. Despite the oversight of county officials and the efforts of reformers, the Almshouse was a place where the poor were neglected, abused and exposed to unsafe conditions until it closed in 1948.
Register at www.peerlessrockville.org or using course #32186 at www.rockvillemd.gov/registration. The presentation is free.
As Peerless Rockville celebrates its 50th anniversary, join Ralph Buglass, author of “Images of America: Rockville,” for “Rockville’s History in 50 Images,” a presentation at 3 p.m. Saturday, July 20 at the Red Brick Courthouse, 29 Courthouse Square.
The free, illustrated presentation will cover 50 vintage photographs documenting key events and developments from Rockville’s establishment as a Colonial crossroads community through its present-day status as a vibrant, diverse municipality and seat of county government. Register at www.peerlessrockville.org.