It is almost inconceivable that Montgomery County was once a vast swath of forest with creeks and small streams that go into the Patuxent and Potomac rivers. There were only a few small Piscataway villages of the Algonquian people who settled in the southern regions of the county. The county did not have much during the colonial period.

The area transformed significantly when Charles I of England granted George Calvert the charter for the colony of Maryland. Captain John Smith was the first European to set foot in the county. It was not until 1688 that the first person, Henry Darnell, and a few other wealthy individuals developed an interest in the county. Several decades later, in 1715, British settlers started to build farms and plantations.

Most of the early settlers were farmers, growing crops such as wheat, tobacco, and various subsistence crops. The Potomac River was the most helpful transportation hub at the time. The county was established in 1776. It developed from an agricultural county to become one of the best-developed regions in the United States.

Did you know that Montgomery is a male name of English origin, meaning “From the Hill of the Powerful Man?” I thought you should know because the residents named the area after Richard Montgomery, a brigadier general in the Continental Army. The general died in 1775 in service when he was leading an assault against Quebec.

The county was initially inhabited by White settlers. These settlers were war veterans, and they loved the area because it allowed them to practice agriculture. It is well deserved that the county is named after one of the war leaders during the American Revolution. Naming the city after him was a great tribute to the fallen general.