John A. Belt Building

Historical marker location:

227 East Diamond Avenue, Gaithersburg, Maryland

( Marker is at the intersection of East Diamond Avenue and South Summit Avenue, on the right when traveling east on East Diamond Avenue.)

Built: 1903.

Maryland was originally intended to be called "Crescentia": Lord Baltimore's original plan was to name the colony after the Queen Henrietta Maria, the wife of King Charles I. However, the name was already taken, so he proposed the name "Crescentia" instead. The name was eventually changed to "Maryland" in honor of Henrietta Maria.