Richard Gist, father of Revolutionary War hero Mordecai Gist, was the first inhabitant of this village in 1706. The industrial development of the Jones Falls Turnpike Road around 1806, and later the Baltimore and Susquehanna Railroad, led to the construction of Rockland Village. The Johnson family built the village to house the owners of and workers in its various enterprises, and it also included a blacksmith shop, flour mill, general store, and tavern. Johnson family involvement ran throughout the village’s history, including three restorations around 1880, 1930, and 1983.