Registration is open for the 2024 Montgomery County History Conference that will be held on Saturday, Oct. 19, at Montgomery College's Rockville campus in the Robert E. Parilla Performing Arts Center. The conference will offer myriad opportunities to engage with local history, including a keynote address, nine breakout sessions and a documentary screening. The keynote session will detail the life of Thomas Smallwood, a local man born into slavery who eventually purchased his own freedom.
Montgomery College’s Rockville campus is located at 51 Mannakee Street
in Rockville.
Tickets to attend the conference, which will run from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., are $75. To register, click here.
A special $15 student registration is available by emailing proof of enrollment status to Matt Gagle. Additionally, scholarship opportunities are available for those who need financial assistance.
Thomas Smallwood organized mass escapes from slavery by the wagonload, and first penned the phrase "Underground Railroad." Author Scott Shane will explore the incredible life's work of Thomas Smallwood and his lasting legacy.
The conference will close with a documentary screening of "Ten Days in September 1956," a film detailing the integration of Poolesville High School as told by those who lived it. This screening will close with a panel discussion by several participants from the film.
Breakout sessions will cover wide-ranging topics including the groundbreaking story of Romeo and Elsie Horad, Latvian immigration and freedom in the 1990s, the legendary life of Josiah Henson, a celebration of the 50 years of the tireless work done by Peerless Rockville Historic Preservation, the stunning designs of Montgomery County's mid-century religious architecture, a history of Hip Hop, Bethesda Big Train Baseball's first quarter century, a commemoration of the Historic Medley District and a discussion of the archaeology of the Emory Church property.
A full schedule, session descriptions and more information can be found on the Montgomery History website.
