Ruritan National

Ruritan is a civic organization whose objectives include creating a greater understanding between rural and urban people on the problems of each as well as on their mutual problems and working with those agencies which serve the community and contribute directly to its progress.  It is similar to the service organizations of the cities (like Rotary or Lions) but designed to meet the needs of rural people and rural communities.

The first Ruritan Club was founded in 1928 in Holland, Virginia. Since its creation, Ruritan has grown to include clubs from the Mid-Atlantic to the Rocky Mountains, and from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, becoming the largest civic organization in the United States focused on serving rural communities.

The name "Ruritan" was derived from the Latin words "ruri," meaning country, and "tan," meaning small town. Ruritan National received a charter from the Virginia Legislature in 1930. 

The Potomac District

Ruritan National is organized into districts and zones. Burkittsville Ruritan Club is a part of the Potomac District, which covers most of Maryland from the Chesapeake Bay to the state's western border, the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, and south central Pennsylvania. The Potomac District began in the early-1950s with the founding of the first clubs in Maryland. The first district convention was convened in 1954 at Burkittsville, held in Saint Paul's Lutheran Church. 

Below the district level, clubs are organized into zones. Burkittsville Ruritan Club is located in Zone 3 of the Potomac District, which covers Frederick County. There are eight clubs in Zone 3: Burkittsville (1953), Jefferson (1955), Point of Rocks (1956), Wolfsville (1957), Johnsville (1960), Lewistown (1960), Mount Pleasant (1960), and Petersville (1961).

Click on the logo to visit the Ruritan National website

Click on the logo to visit the Potomac District website