Evening star., 1927-05-01
AREA is DAIRY
FOR CAPITAL
Metropolis Is Market
For Produce
Of Farms.
Organized in 1776
Named for General
of Continental
Army Slain In
Quebec.


the near future. Supt Of Schools
BrOome announces. This Contem-
plates 10 new buildings in all. inClud-
ing another high school to serve the
Bethesda. Leland and Chevy Chase
districts; possibly a colored high
school. a junior high school FOR the
Glen Echo-Cabiu John district and an
elementary school for Potomac.
School Population Growing.
The school population is increasing.
There has been a growth of 1.2OO in
the past two years. Most Of this
has been due to new families taking
up homes in the suburban subdiVi-
sionS. Slightly more than so per cent
Of the children live in the Bethesda
and Wheaton districts. adjacent to
Washington.
The educational plant includes Is
elementary schools of the larger type.
II twoteac cher schools and 20 one
teacher schools. The latter are con-
sidered undesira BILE and viii be elimi-
mated as soon as ii is possible to work
out a further consolidation program.
The county spends $4,000 a year
nn the transportation of school chill
dren alone. There are 16 school
busses in operation, and their routes
have been so arranged that even the
most isolated farmhouse is within rea-
sonable distance OF u bus which will
take it's children to the door OF one of
the high schools.
The teaching personnel meets the
best professional standards. Only col
Iege and normal trained men and
women are accepted. and these con
stitute 81 per cent of the entire per
sonnel.
Text books and other school mate
rials are provided free to the school
children. The only charge is one OF
s. n month for bus fare which, IL Is
estimated. is slightly cheaper than
the street car transportation charge
for city pupils.
Building on Present.
For the consolidated elementary
and high schools rigid standardi-
zation program is being supplied.
Among the requirements are spaci-
Gus grounds. space and apparatus for
play. provision for school lunches.
proper sanitation and a library of al
least % books to each room, with the
addition of five books yearly.
In every Montgomery County COM
munity there are parent teacher as
sociations working i'm close co-opera-
ton with the local school officials.
The rating Of the Montgomery
County school system, according To
the National Education Association
standard now accented thrOugh"-'+
the United States. is 1853 per cent.
1t has risen from 43 per cent since
1919. This standard, it must be un.
derstoOd, is an ideal, and it would he
impossible for any rural school eye
tenn to meet ii completely unless t-i
the old buildings and equipment were
scrapped at once and entirely rS
placed. Ii is considered as marx
toward which to work rather than
something capable of immediate real
ization, but Mr.. Broome believes that
the next rating of the Montgomery
County schools will be few points
higher.
History of County.
Historically the settlement of Mont
eomely County began when Maryland
still was proprietary colony Of the
Lords Baltimore, and many of the
present Ia andowners can trace their
deeds back to grants received from
the Calvert family. 1t was organized
as county in 11I6, being formed
from Frederick County. which up TO
that time had included all Of Mary
land west of Prince Georges. The
county was named after Gen. Richard
Montgomery. who was in command
of the Northern forces OF the Conti-
Mental Army during the fighting be
tween England and the Colonies previ.
Gus to the Declaration of Indeperd-
ence. lie had been killed at the
battle of Quebec on December 81,
lT75. and was the popular hero of
the 1S Colonies at that time.
When the county was organized
there was not a village Of any size
in all its area. There were many
farms in the southern part. however.
and the people were accustomed to
assemble at Hungerford's Tavern.
located at what is now the heart Of
Rockville The freemen of the section
had met in June. 17I5, at that place
and passed a resolution to the effect
that the most effectual means of
securing the American freedom will
be TO break off all commerce with
Great Britain and the West Indies
until the said act (ordering the block.
ade of Boston harbor) be repealed and
the right of taxation given up" This
resolution was sent TO the Legislature
at Annapolis.
Named for Creek
Following the organization Of the
y
set up near Hungerfords Tavern and
a village grew around IT, In 1884 town
lots were being sold by one William
Williams. who. quite appropriately.
called the place williamsburg The
name did not take. however, and I'm
1901 the Maryland Assembly passed an
act remaining the village Rockville.
after Rock Greek, which flows through
that section of the county.
The bulk of the early settlement OF
County was English.
Many OF the settlers came from the
Eastern Shore and from the neighbor.
hood of Baltimore and were sons OF
the pilgrims who had come with the
Calvert party. There was a steady I'm.
fusion, however, of German settlers
VINO came in from Frederick County
and from Pennsylvania.
Tobacco was great ciyilizer. IL
was an exceedingly popular crop but
L required new land from year to wear
and forced its cultivators to increase
their holdings. Timber was cut off
rapidly. Great estates became the
order Of the day. Slave labor was
cheap and resulted in Montgomery
County plantations OF thousands OF
acres. The owners lived in the pomp
md luxury of feudal barons. But with
he end of tobacco prosperity, and par.
icularly with the downfall Of slavery.
he great estates were broken up.
only in the northwestern end of the
near Poolesville and Barnes.
1ille. are there farms today compar.
lble In size TO those of the Western
states. There are still dozens OF hold.
ngs of approximately 500 acres and
| few, largely devoted to beef raising,
# 200 acres.