Thomas Kensett introduced the canning process to America in 1812 with a small New York plant that canned oysters, meats, fruits, and vegetables, but the American canning industry gained its early industrial strength in Maryland after 1860, especially in Baltimore and Frederick. Thomas and Company, already successful in western Maryland, became Montgomery County's first canning operation when the Thomas family chose Gaithersburg for a new plant in 1917 and built the Thomas Cannery there. The building typified early 20th-century light American industrial architecture, with double-thick exterior brick walls reflecting a shift from wood-frame sheds used in other agricultural regions. The factory first canned corn and pumpkin, then quickly changed to corn and peas because pumpkin created too much waste to be cost-effective. Pea season lasted four to six weeks beginning in late May, followed after a six-week slack period by corn production that continued until October. About 200 people operated the cannery, working from 6 a.m. to 3 a.m. in peak season, including college students and teachers on summer break as well as migrants from Alabama and Florida. The plant had its own railroad spur and siding to move canned goods to major distribution points, and during World War II labor shortages led to the use of German prisoners of war from a local camp. In 1956 Jenkins Brothers Cannery Company bought the cannery and Thomas Foods from the Thomas heirs, and in 1962 repeated fire damage and the replacement of farms with homes forced the cannery to close. Rockville Fuel and Feed Company, Inc. bought the abandoned property in 1967. It was designated a local historical site in 1987, entered in the National Register of Historic Places in 1990, and restored for commercial use in 2004 after a major rehabilitation supported by historic tax credits, city funding, and extensive rebuilding that returned the property to active use in Gaithersburg's historic district.