Directly in front of you, you’ll see a striking white brick church with a tall, silver steeple and beautiful stained glass just above the main doors-peek right through the trees and you can’t miss it!
Now imagine you’ve stepped back in time, boots clacking down a narrow, tree-lined street, and a gentle breeze makes the church’s weathered bell sing out softly. This isn’t just any old church-Old St. Mary’s is Montgomery County’s very first brick Roman Catholic church, at the heart of the Third Addition to Rockville, where life once bustled around a Victorian Gothic train station and families filled cozy homes with Queen Anne and Georgian charm. Walk a bit further and you’ll spot headstones nestled under ancient trees; these aren’t just any old gravestones, either. This is where F. Scott Fitzgerald, the legendary novelist of “The Great Gatsby,” lies forever “so we beat on, boats against the current.” Zelda and their daughter Frances keep him company. Is it just me, or does that add a dash of literary magic and mystery to the air? Just across the way, the old hardware store stands-survivor of Rockville’s boom days-its cast-iron brick front tough enough to endure time’s blows. Trains once chugged by the Victorian Gothic station, shaking windows and delivering hopeful travelers. This spot is a patchwork of stories, whispered by creaking doors and rustling leaves-can you feel the history humming all around you?
