Staff
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Eileen McGuckian, Interim Executive Director
Researching and teaching history led to Eileen’s passion for saving historic places for future generations and a career in historic preservation. For three decades she led Peerless Rockville to rescue and protect local landmarks such as the B&O Station, Wire Hardware, Red Brick Courthouse, Montrose School, and Frieda’s Cottage. The author of five books on Rockville history, she chaired both the Rockville and Montgomery County historic preservation commissions at formative times. Since retiring from Peerless she has volunteered for local preservation and cemetery groups, taken on architectural surveys, and remembered how to do home projects. Eileen has been a member of MCHS for 40+ years and has published in The Montgomery County Story. While helping to bridge the gap between MCHS executive directors, she will continue to present talks and tours for the speakers bureau.
Image: Clifton, one of Montgomery County’s oldest buildings, in Ednor, on New Hampshire Avenue. Photo by E. R. Iddings, date unknown.
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Joanna Church, Director of Collections
Joanna works with the MCHS artifact collections and also researches, fabricates and installs most of the exhibits in the museums. A Montgomery County native, Joanna has a BA in anthropology from Grinnell College, and an MA in museum studies from the George Washington University. She has worked at MCHS since 1998 and is particularly fond of the textile and ceramic collections.
Image: Mary Shaw Bennett, ca. 1895. Donated by Laurence Halstead.
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Jennie Cottrell, Office Manager
Born in Takoma Park, Jennie has lived in Montgomery County for almost all of her life. A theater major in college, she spent several years working in local theaters before enjoying a variety of other professions, including many years in the hotel industry. After a post-9/11 layoff from the professional training department of Marriott International, Jennie took advantage of the opportunity to stay home and focus on raising her son. She began working for MCHS in 2005. In addition to the usual assortment of office manager duties, her responsibilities include maintaining memberships, handling sales, orders and inventory for the gift shops and coordinating the summer camp program.
Image: Everette Stratmyer Gormley. Donated by Gladys S. Benson. "Dressed to appear in a play, Everette has star quality."
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Patricia Andersen, Librarian
Pat joined MCHS in 1980, became a Library Volunteer in 1986 and 10 years later became Library Staff after leaving an advertising sales position at The Washington Post. She holds a B.S. degree from San Diego State University in Health Sciences Administration, where she was advanced to candidacy for an MBA in Finance. She moved to Maryland in 1977 to work for the US Army Medical Materials Agency at Fort Detrick. While in Frederick she began doing professional genealogical research for others, and has since abstracted and published nine volumes of Frederick County Land Records. She also took on the editing and publishing of Western Maryland Genealogy, for five years. She is available to assist our library researchers in their local history and genealogy quests, and is also a participant in our Speaker's Bureau.
Image: Mildred Zeitler, ca. 1913, donated by Mildred Zeitler Burroughs
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Taylor Baltzer, Education and Volunteer Coordinator
Taylor became the Education and Volunteer Coordinator at MCHS in 2011 after volunteering with MCHS for several months. Taylor has a B.A. in History from Penn State University, and has volunteered with other museums and organizations in Greenville, SC and Washington DC assisting with special events and collections. She previously worked in the Insurance Industry, where she organized training and development programs, and also investigated insurance fraud. Upon moving to Montgomery County in 2011, she left insurance to pursue her goal of working in a historical organization or museum full-time, which led her to MCHS. Taylor continues to spend her time outside of MCHS volunteering for museums in the DC Metro area.
Image: Mary Swann Harvey, circa 1875. Donated by the McClean County (IL) Historical Society.
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