2. Commemorative Plate

In 1960, Rockville celebrated the centennial of its incorporation by Act of the Maryland General Assembly. The one-time village of Montgomery Court House, renamed Rockville by 1803, had become an incorporated town in 1860.

Kettlesprings Kilns in Alliance, Ohio, had been formed in 1950, designing customized plates for places and organizations to help finance commemorative celebration. Its stoneware products were fired by Royal China Co. in Sebring, Ohio, a firm that had developed direct application of underglaze designs rather than by transfer-printing.

Encircled with the title “Rockville, Montgomery County, Maryland Centennial Celebration” and the dates 1860 and 1960, the bowl of this green-decorated plate features images of the U.S. Capitol, the 1931 county courthouse, and the 1913 Confederate soldier statue (removed from beside the Red Brick Courthouse in 2017). Below the statue is the seal of the Civil War Centennial Commission, in honor of its impending four-year celebration from 1961-65.

The rim features other city sights – the c.1815 Beall-Dawson House (administered by the Montgomery County Historical Society); the 1821 Brewer House on Great Falls Road; the 1891 Red Brick Courthouse; the Rockville Civic Center (1926 Glenview Mansion); the Peter Home (then City Hall; demolished and replaced 1962); 1953 County Office Building (now the Stella Werner Council Office Building, 100 Maryland Avenue); the Town Clock; and the 1873 B&O Railroad Station.

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