WATCH

“History Conversations”
Enjoy our “History Conversations,” a program featuring periodic virtual lectures from our talented corps of speakers covering a wide variety of local history topics. Each lecture is live streamed via Zoom and then posted here for a week.

Upcoming Lectures:

“Walls CAN Talk: The 300 Year Evolution of a Montgomery County Farmhouse”
with Lisa Berray
Wednesday, July 15 @ 2:00 p.m.

Join historian and Manager of Interpretation, Lisa Berray, as she guides participants on a journey through the nearly 300-year history of the Agricultural History Farm Park’s (Montgomery Parks) farmhouse. From the attic to the basement, go behind the scenes to find out how the Farm Park’s Bussard Farmhouse evolved over time to meet the needs of its many owners and continues, today, to give us glimpses into our County’s agricultural and social past. 

Register for the Zoom session HERE. Please note that the Zoom sessions are limited to 100 participants, so if you want to ensure your spot make sure to register in advance! If you have further questions about accessing the conversation via Zoom, please contact Matt Gagle, Director of Programs, at MGagle@MontgomeryHistory.org. 

Rockville jailhouse, late 19th century

Two-Part Event On the 19th Century Rockville Lynchings
These presentations are a two-part event in coordination with the Montgomery County Lynching Memorial Project and Peerless Rockville.






Part One: “Uncovering the Stories of Two Lynchings in Rockville”
with Montgomery History Archivist Sarah Hedlund
Tuesday, July 21 @ 2:00 p.m.

In part one, Montgomery History Archivist Sarah Hedlund will present the work she has undertaken in the last year, primarily using newspaper articles from the time, to document the events surrounding Rockville’s two recorded lynchings: those of John Diggs-Dorsey (1880) and Sidney Randolph (1896).

Part Two: “Remembering is Resistance: The Rockville Lynchings”
with Panelists Djenebou Traore, Tony Cohen, Michael Williams, Cathy Roberts, Lesley Younge, and Awad Tambal.
Wednesday, July 22 @ 7:00 p.m.

In part two, a panel of residents will discuss both lynchings and discuss current efforts to commemorate their stories, including poetry, healing, and teachings on racial justice. 

Register for both events HERE. Registration is for July 21 and July 22 and the same link will be used for both. Please note that the Zoom sessions are limited to 100 participants, so if you want to ensure your spot make sure to register in advance! If you have further questions about accessing the conversation via Zoom, please contact Matt Gagle, Director of Programs, at MGagle@MontgomeryHistory.org. 

Last Week’s Recorded Lectures:

“The Murrow Boys–News Broadcasting During WWII”
Speaker: Brian Belanger 

List of Past Lectures:

June 30: “The Murrow Boys — News Broadcasting During WWII” with Brian Belanger
June 23: “Photographic Tour of National Park Seminary: Past to Present” with Bonnie Rosenthal
June 16: “Still Standing: The Relics of School Segregation in Montgomery County” with Ralph Buglass 
June 9: “Not Just Child’s Play: A Look Inside the Montgomery History Dollhouse Collection” with Elizabeth Lay 
June 4: “Baseball’s Big Train: A Conversation with the Grandson of Baseball’s Greatest Pitcher” with Hank Thomas and Bruce Adams 
June 2: “A Conversation with Lily Qi: Immigration & Politics in Montgomery County” with Delegate Lily Qi
May 27: “An Introduction to Archaeology in Montgomery County” with Don Housley 
May 21: “Bread and Beauty: Making Value Visible, Foodways in Montgomery County’s Agricultural Reserve” with Claudia Kousoulas
May 19: “Button Farm Almanac” with Anthony Cohen
May 14: “The 1950s Housing Boom in Montgomery County” with Bob Bachman
May 12: “A Brief Survey of Our Inheritance: Historic Ag Reserve Properties, Part II” with Kenny Sholes
May 8: “The Better Angels: Five Women Who Changed–and were changed by–the American Civil War” with Bob Plumb 
May 7: “Rockville, Montgomery County’s Seat: A Pictorial History” with Ralph Buglass 
April 30: “Aspin Hill Pet Cemetery: Montgomery County’s Famous Four-Legged Friends” with Julianne Mangin
April 28 & May 1: “Sugarland and its Sources: Telling the Story of an African American Town” with Jeff Sypeck
April 24: “Potomac’s Storied History” with Judith Welles
April 22: “Conserving Monarch Butterflies in Your Backyard” with Clarence Hickey
April 16: “Rowser’s Ford, Where Lee Lost Gettysburg” with Jim Johnston
April 14: “Online Family Research” with Lorraine Minor
April 7 & April 11: “Preserving Historic Cemeteries” with Glenn Wallace
March 31 & April 3: “Off the Beaten Path in Montgomery County” with Ralph Buglass 

History Conferences
Our annual history conference has brought together historians, students, teachers, residents, and lifelong learners since 2007. With such a wide breadth of topics covered, you’re sure to find something that suits your interests. We’ll be rotating out different videos to feature, but you can also find links to all the past videos on our History Conference page.

Featured Video:
“By Hands of Parties Unknown: Remembrance and Reconciliation of Three Lynchings in Montgomery County” 
Speaker: Anthony Cohen

Paths to the Present
Paths to the Present: Montgomery County Stories, a cable television show created by County Cable Montgomery and Montgomery History from 2000-2014, explores the often overlooked history found right in our own backyards. Produced by Emmy-winner Barbara Grunbaum and hosted by Gail Street, Paths to the Present covers a wide variety of topics highlighting this county’s past. You can watch all 86 of the episodes here.