Gaithersburg began in 1765 as an agricultural settlement known as Log Town. The town officially became " Gaithersburg " when it was incorporated on April 5, 1878. The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad finally came to 
Gaithersburg in 1873. The railroad brought a large summer community to town, allowing people to escape Washington, D.C. during the hot summer months. Agricultural businesses expanded as area farmers were able to ship faster with less risk of spoilage. The brick station and freight house building, constructed in 1884, were designed by Baltimore architect, Ephraim Francis Baldwin.
The City is named after Benjamin Gaither who built a house in 1802 on the property where a famous Forest Oak tree used to grow (the Post Office was actually named "Forest Oak" in the early 1870's). It was determined in 1975 that the tree was close to 300 years old at that time. This ancient tree witnessed much change in those some 300 years along Maryland 's Route 355, known at that time as " Great Road West," (now known as Hungerford Rd, Frederick Rd/Ave, Wisconsin Ave, among others). It saw the coming of generals such as George Washington and Edward Braddock traveling between Georgetown and Frederick, as well as the twentieth century's recent commercial development of the road in this modern era. Unfortunately, in the summer of 1997 this city landmark was felled during a terrible storm and a beloved landmark was lost forever.
As if foreseeing Gaithersburg 's upcoming role in the science industry and the "270 Corridor"; scientists gathered in 1899 as the Gaithersburg Latitude Observatory was built as part of an international project to measure the earth's wobble on its polar axis. This Observatory and others in Japan, Italy, Russia and the United States gathered information that is still used by scientists today, along with information obtained from satellites, to determine polar motion; various specifications of the earth; and to aid the space program through the precise navigational patterns of orbiting satellites. In 1982, the station was closed as the computer took over for manual observation.
Gaithersburg City Hall was once the home of Edward P. Schwartz who established a famous peony garden in 1913 on land that stretched from the railway station to Hutton Street. His garden included hundreds of varieties of peonies from all over the world and each spring was a tourist attraction visited by admirers, including President Woodrow Wilson. In 1958 the City purchased the estate and renovated the house for government and municipal offices.
On June 14, 1961, NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology), formerly the National Bureau of Standards broke ground on its first building in Gaithersburg. This move brought a tremendous amount of growth to the City. The Bureau maintains standards for scientific research and in the complex are the standard meter and kilogram to which all others are compared. Their move gave Gaithersburg the designation as "Science Capital of the United States." When the Bureau moved to the area, other science-related firms came to do business in the community.
There have been significant changes in Gaithersburg in recent years. The City is now an urban area and a suburb 
of Washington, D.C. and has become a major regional location for high-tech companies while commercial agriculture (which was its primary product in the past century) is close to non-existent. The rolling fields that once grew wheat are roads, housing developments and commercial buildings, but a number of historic communities and traditions have been well preserved. While in the 21st century Gaithersburg continues to grow, the City still retains so many of the qualities of a small town that cherishes its rich, diverse heritage and diverse communities.
