From the Gazette.net (Maryland Community News): Rockville student gets historical marker for county’s namesake
Almost three years ago, Stuart Grosvenor stood outside of grocery stores and libraries in Montgomery County, asking residents if they knew anything about their county’s namesake for a history project.
Only about one in 10 people showed a flicker of knowledge about Richard Montgomery, American Revolution hero, head of the western army and the first general to die in the war.
“I knew that I’d be going into Richard Montgomery High School, and I wanted to know who he was,” said Stuart Grosvenor, now a junior at that school.
Now, anyone who travels by the Old Brick Courthouse on East Jefferson Street in Rockville will know, too; Grosvenor succeeded in getting the Maryland Historical Trust to place a roadside marker.
The marker, dedicated Dec. 2 — Richard Montgomery’s birthday — features text written by Grosvenor outlining the general’s role in bringing freedom to the United States.
The Grosvenor name also is regularly seen in the county. The Grosvenor family owned a farm near Grosvenor Lane in Bethesda, part of which was confiscated in the 1960s by the federal government to build the intersection of the Capital Beltway and Interstate 270. The Grosvenor-Strathmore Metro Station also was named after the family. The station opened in 1984 and was so named because of its proximity to the family’s farm.
Grosvenor began researching Richard Montgomery in 2009 as a student at Julius West Middle School for a project for a National History Day contest, when students choose historical topics related to a theme and conduct extensive research to create a presentation or exhibit. Over four to five months, Grosvenor researched the war hero, even traveling to New York to see his burial site.
And after learning Montgomery County does not feature a marker for its namesake, Grosvenor filled out an application in 2009.
“He just sent it in and probably forgot about it,” said Edwin Grosvenor, Stuart’s father and president and editor-in-chief of American Heritage Publishing. “They get a lot of applications and they have to go to committees and everything ... it took some time. He got this letter out of the blue.”
Stuart Grosvenor received a letter from Nancy Kurtz at the Maryland Historical Trust in April informing him that his application had been approved. The state of Maryland funds markers to the tune of $1,641 per marker and post. Including the new marker honoring Richard Montgomery, 19 markers administered by the Maryland Historical Trust and Maryland State Highway Administration sit within the county limits. They include the Clara Barton house, the early headquarters of the American Red Cross in Glen Echo; and White’s Ferry, an old ferry and ford across the Potomac River often used during the war between the states by Confederate forces.
Montgomery County is not the only county named for the general; about 23 counties nationwide use Richard Montgomery as their namesake, said Eileen McGuckian, director of the Montgomery County Historical Society.
Richard Montgomery was born in Ireland in 1733 and served in the British Army during the French and Indian War. He later joined the American Revolution as the most experienced general, leading an invasion into Canada where he was killed in Quebec just before 1776 began.
“He was the first hero of the American Revolution,” McGuckian said. “He was killed when the Americans, under Benedict Arnold, were attacking Quebec in the hopes that they could draw the Canadians into the American Revolution.”
Montgomery County was formed in September 1776. At that time, Frederick County encompassed what is now Montgomery and Washington counties, McGuckian said.
Counties formed in Maryland before 1776 are named after royalty, while counties formed after have American names, McGuckian said.
Richard Montgomery didn’t set foot in most of the places named after him, McGuckian said.
“I do feel strongly that there’s actually really a lot to learn,” Edwin Grosvenor said. “I didn’t know anything about Richard Montgomery and I’ve been a Montgomery County resident all my life.”
