Mission

The mission of the Olney Chamber of Commerce is to support, promote, and represent the business interests of its members.

Olney History

Olney no longer resembles the sleepy rural crossroads village of the 1700s. While the intersection of Maryland Routes 108 and 97 (George Avenue) still form the town's commercial core, the present Olney is home to more than 250 businesses and more than 30,000 residents. Numerous clusters of houses, townhouses and condominiums radiate in all directions from the main intersection.

Farming was the primary occupation of the villagers in 1879, when land sold for a mere four dollars per acre. Surrounding villages were once more prosperous than Olney. Brookeville, just 2 miles to the north, had a population of 250. It served as the nation's capital for a day in August 1814, when the British invaded Washington, D.C. and James Madison fled the White House. To the west is Laytonsville, where 100 families lived. Both communities incorporated in the 1800s.

To the east was a community of Quakers located in Sandy Spring, and this was considered the cultural center of the surrounding villages. Once a stop on the Underground Railroad, Sandy Spring boasted blacksmiths, carpenters and merchants, as well as three mills which served surrounding residents. Sandy Spring National Bank was established there, along with Montgomery Mutual Insurance Company, and a circulating library.