As the first Montgomery County in the nation, established in 1776, there will be local celebrations this summer to mark its 250th anniversary that coincides with the founding of the United States.
There are 18 Montgomery Counties in the U.S., but Maryland’s was the first, established in the same year as the nation.
The Festivities
The “Montgomery County 250 Shine Together” kick off event is planned for Friday, July 3 at Einstein High School in Kensington announced County Recreation Director Gabe Albornoz on Wednesday. Former Washington Post columnist Bob Levey will serve as emcee the event, which will feature live music from The Nighthawks at 7 p.m. and fireworks around 9:15 p.m.
The county will partner with Montgomery History for the event.
Then on Independence Day, Saturday, July 4, there will be fireworks at South Germantown Recreational Park to celebrate the United State’s 250th year.
The events can offer an alternative to celebrations planned in Washington, D.C. “for those families that would prefer to stay away from all the stuff,” said Albornoz.
Both events are free and family-friendly with no alcohol or pets allowed.
“Because the fireworks displays, which are enhanced this year, really tend to set off pets,” said Alobornoz.
The two events are scheduled to happen rain or shine.
Also, county leaders unveiled a specially-wrapped Ride On bus Wednesday to commemorate the anniversary.
Plus, a new history center is planned to open in Rockville this fall, said Montgomery History Executive Director Matt Logan.
Residents are encouraged to go to Montgomery250.com for more information.
Reflecting on the County’s History
The county is named for Richard Montgomery, a Revolutionary War general for the Continental Army who died in 1775 while fighting in Quebec. He “lost his life trying to take Canada — let that be a lesson,” County Executive Marc Elrich quipped.
Elrich said that while there is a lot to celebrate in the county’s history, “you also have to recognize that our past is not perfect, it is complicated.”
He noted there were racial covenants on many property deeds excluding people of color and Jewish people through the 1950s. Mortgage discrimination by banks was prevalent even after covenants were outlawed, Elrich said. There was segregation at Glen Echo Amusement Park until 1961.
In 1936, African American teacher William Gibbs sued the Montgomery County Board of Education because Black teachers were paid half of what White teachers were paid. Elrich said the case was settled out of court but Gibbs v. Broome was the first victory in equal pay arbitration and served as a model for another court action that eventually led to the iconic 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown v. The Board of Education. There is now a street in Rockville named for Gibbs.
“Our core values are centered around social justice, equity and compassion for everyone,” Elrich said. “This is especially important now during this time of tremendous change initiated by the federal government.”
Now, Montgomery County is 16% Asian, 21% Black, 22% Hispanic, compared to 95% white “if you go back 50 years,” Elrich said. And the county is diverse in religion, too.
“I think what’s worth celebrating is we’re not where we were before,” Elrich said. “This is not the county of 50 years ago, and in many ways it’s good we’re not the county of 50 years ago.”
County Council President Natali Fani-González said what is on her mind is to “see the evolution that we have had as a county.”
Fani-González also commented on the specially-wrapped Ride On bus to commemorate the anniversary, “that is free for people to ride. I think that talks about our values and how we’re evolving as a society of connecting people to places.”
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