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1923 Map of Rockville

Name: 1923 Topographic Map of Rockville
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1940
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1940

About this map

Rockville and its surrounding Montgomery County landscape appear here during a transformative era of suburban and agricultural development. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad cuts a diagonal path through the terrain, anchoring a string of rail-dependent communities like Gaithersburg, Washington Grove, and Derwood. To the southwest, the Potomac River forms a sharp natural boundary, bordered by the engineering feat of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal.

The map reveals a network of established towns such as Olney, Brookeville, and Sandy Spring, connected by historic thoroughfares like the Frederick Road. Educational and social hubs of the early twentieth century are well-marked, including the National Park Seminary and the Montgomery Country Club. Tracing the drainage of the Rock Creek and Patuxent River watersheds, the survey documents numerous small settlements like Beantown and Muzion that reflect the rural character of Maryland before the rapid expansion of the Washington metropolitan area.