Poolesville

History

In 1760, brothers John Poole Sr. and Joseph Poole Sr. purchased in the area that is now Poolesville. Thirty-three years later, John Poole Jr. used a tract that he inherited from his father to build a log store and subdivided the tract, selling portions to a number of other merchants. The settlement grew from there and was incorporated in 1867. During the Civil War, Union military leaders realized that the shallow fords of the Potomac River posed a threat to the capital city. At certain times of the year, the Potomac River is shallow enough to cross and thus thousands of troops were moved to both Darnestown and Poolesville. The Corps of Observation was established just outside Poolesville and soldiers were stationed near the river to monitor potential Confederate incursions into Maryland. During the winter of 1861–1862, it is estimated that 20,000 Union troops were stationed in or around the town. There were no battles fought in Poolesville; however, the infamous Battle of Ball's Bluff was fought nearby on October 21, 1861. Hundreds of Union soldiers who were stationed in Poolesville were killed in this battle that was badly managed by inexperienced Union generals. There were several Confederate raids into the town during the war, and the Confederate Army invaded Maryland by crossing the Potomac near Poolesville in 1862 and 1864. The old Poolesville Methodist Church cemetery contains the remains of approximately twenty soldiers who either were killed in action at Ball's Bluff or who died of illness while in camp. The Seneca Schoolhouse, a small one-room schoolhouse of red sandstone, was built in Poolesville in 1866 to educate the children of the stone cutters who worked at the Seneca Quarry. Operating as the Seneca Schoolhouse Museum, it provides tours to…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Poolesville lies off Montgomery County's main axis of suburban development along the Interstate 270 and Maryland State Route 355 corridor, separated from the contiguous Maryland suburbs of Washington by the rural lands of the county agricultural reserve, where new housing and commercial starts are restricted.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Northwest High
  High · Germantown · 2,484 students · 17.3:1 ratio
• Clarksburg High
  High · Clarksburg · 2,251 students · 17.3:1 ratio
• Seneca Valley High
  High · Germantown · 2,239 students · 14.5:1 ratio
• Quince Orchard High
  High · Gaithersburg · 2,154 students · 16.6:1 ratio
• Poolesville High
  High · Poolesville · 1,309 students · 18.4:1 ratio
• Rocky Hill Middle
  Middle · Clarksburg · 1,058 students · 15.3:1 ratio
• Lakelands Park Middle
  Middle · Gaithersburg · 1,042 students · 14.3:1 ratio
• Kingsview Middle
  Middle · Germantown · 960 students · 16:1 ratio