USA > Maryland > Montgomery County > Sandy Spring > Annals of Sandy Spring history of a rural community in Maryland, Volume III > Part 20
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One of the barns burned was a comparatively mod- ern structure, built only forty-five years ago; the
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other was 155 years old, and had seen six generations of the Brooke family, who built and have always owned it. Four of these six generations in direct line are still living -- George E. Brooke, Alice Brooke Sta- bler, Jessie Brooke (Stabler) McReynolds, and George Brooke McReynolds. While the fire was at its height, another blaze was discovered in an outer kitchen, but it was soon put out.
About ten o'clock the same morning, while George M. Dorrance was at Brooke Grove offering his con- dolences to Charles F. Brooke, his own barn took fire. Again the telephone summoned the neighbors, and again their help was unavailing to do more than prevent the spread of the flames to the other build- ings. The barn, only a few years old; seventy-five barrels of corn, hay, and all the farm implements and vehicles were consumed. It is believed that the colored cook is responsible for their disaster, having accidentally dropped a match in some straw, while getting vegetables in the barn.
.As if two big fires within twelve hours were not sufficient, a third occurred before the day was out, near enough to make us feel that it was very close indeed, under the circumstances. The barn at the Hermitage farm, near Kensington, with valuable con- tents, burned that night.
In spite of the proverbial weather of St. Patrick's Day, Sherwood School chose the 17 March as the date of its entertainment for the Encyclopedia Fund. Luckily the night was fine and a crowded house en- joyed the varied and well-rendered program. Several
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songs, patriotic and funny ; "Uncle Sam's Reception," negro minstrels, and a short farce, were all enjoyable, · and showed careful preparation; but perhaps the most striking features of the occasion were a Delsarte drill, illustrating Paradise and the Peri, and the two scenes from The Taming of the Shrew. The young actors entered into their parts with zest, and careful training did much to overcome their lack of experi- ence, both on the stage and in life itself.
On March 24, the Wednesday Club, seconded by the Home Interest, gave a treat to a goodly company at Belmont, invited by those organizations to hear Nellie Simmonds, of England, read a paper on Aus- tralia. Almost five years a resident in that "land of topsy-turvydom," as she called it, she cleverly sum- marized the most striking and novel points of the life of the young continent.
The physical aspects of the country, its flora and fanna, its history and its people were all most ef- fectively described, and withal it was so simply and sweetly done that every one was charmed as well as instructed.
Remarkable weather is the historian's staple ma- terial, and March was no whit behind the rest of the year in that particular, being mild-for March- throughout, with no wind to speak of. The 7-8-9 brought us the first rainy days since November, and the 19 the first thunder storm of the season. The mercury grazed 90° on the 28, and on that day the last of the winter's snow was observed. The first gardening was done on the 17; the jonquils bloomed
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on the 26, eleven days earlier than last year; the robins came on the 4, the blackbirds on the 8, and the first frog's song was heard on the 10.
Frank T. and Bessie R. Leizear are making for themselves a home in his house in Sandy Spring village.
The Anchorage has again changed hands, Mrs. Page having recently sold it to the Girls Friendly Society of Washington, a charity of the Episcopal Church, and it will be occupied each summer as a vacation home for woking women.
Emma King and others have bought the house and lot in Sandy Spring village owned by Hurlebous, who closed his bakery some months since, and who ex- pects to take his family elsewhere in the fall.
Little building has been done during the year, but Thomas Leizear has begun to put up a dwelling house on his lot at Ednor, and Charles F. Brooke and George M. Dorrance are preparing to rebuild their barns.
It would seem that any new departure in agricul- tural methods should be recorded in these pages, and this year for the first time, some of our farmers are using "nitro-culture" for inoculating the soil where clover and other legumes are to be grown.
The automobile has taken up its abode amongst us-Dr. Roger Brooke, and Dr. F. W. Elbrey having bought very mild looking cars, which so far have been most modest and retiring.
Sandy Springers, like a certain personage not un-
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known to fame, are much given to "going to and fro in the earth, and walking up and down in it," but in the year just finished they have been unusally rest- less; the St. Louis Fair is responsible for a part of our wanderings, and the Conference in Toronto for other some. Boston and Florida, Bermuda and Bal- timore, New York, Wilmington and Washington, are some of other points in this hemisphere that our people have visited, and we have not stopped at that. Europe has received an unusually large Sandy Spring delegation this year, Alban G., Sue L. and Helen L. Thomas having sailed for Gibraltar on April 8, in addition to the party of four already mentioned. But the rising generation is yet more enterprising and goes farther afleld - Mary G. Moore having started for Honolulu-with T. L. and Dora A. Moore, of Richmond.
Whenever a neighborhood person has achieved newspaper fame we have chronicled it in these pages, usually with pride; and it is certainly with altogether pleasurable feelings that we record the success of a work of propagandism done by a Sandy Spring woman. Mary Bentley Thomas, always jealous for the woman-suffrage cause, wrote to the Governors of Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and Idaho, asking their opinion of the results of woman suffrage in those states, where it is operative. This appeal, together with the Governors' favorable replies, has been pub- lished in the leading newspapers of Washington, D. C .: in the Baltimore Sun and American; in a dozen or so of our Maryland County papers; in the
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Woman's Journal, of Boston ; the Springfield Repub- lican, the Troy Times, etc .; and printed in leaflet. form, it was distributed by thousands at the St. Louis fair.
Another reform movement, with which a number of Sandy Springers are closely identified, is the Anti- Saloon League, and a member of the grand jury at the March term of Court in Rockville said that "all sorts and conditions of men" had a good word to speak for the work of the League. Some of the pratcical re- sults. of the antisaloon sentiment which it has fos- tered are shown by the facts that only four days suf- ficed for the work of the grand jury this spring; that but one case was presented for violation of the Local Option law, and very few for disorderly conduct.
For a while our narrative seemed to close here, but once more fire has come to add to our story. Three barns, a stable and one house, besides forest fires in the neighborhood, seemed a large fire record, and we all sympathized deeply with Edwin Adams and his sisters, who lost their home near Clarksville on April 3, but the horrors of a burning dwelling were brought right home to us on the 15 April, when the old homestead at Leawood, occupied by Charles R. Hartshore and family, was destroyed in the late after- noon.
The cause of this fire is unknown, but when it was discovered it happened that the Senior Club was beginning to assemble at Leawood for its regular April meeting, and except for a scarcity of water they thought the house might have been saved. The neigh-
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borhood was alarmed by telephone, and a great crowd soon collected, so everything indoors-furniture, cloth- ing, etc .- was rescued, as well as windows, doors, and all the easily separable parts of the building.
And now the record of our year is ended; often enough, in the writing, the events have seemed too small to be worth setting down, and we might easily have "despised the day of small things" but for the thought so forcibly set forth by Browning in these lines :
"Say not a 'small event' ! Why 'small' ?
Costs it more pain that this ye call
A 'great event' should come to pass From that ? Untwine me from the mass Of deeds that make up life, one deed
Power shall fall short in, or exceed."
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CHAPTER XI.
1905-1906.
At the Annual Meeting, April 17, 1905, there was a good deal of discussion as to ways and means of renovating and enlarging the Lyceum, the practical results of which may now be seen in the improved appearance of the interior of the hall, and in a grace- ful excresence at the northeast corner of the building.
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There the youth and beauty of Sandy Spring may find the needed space in which to array itself to ap- pear "in public on the stage."
Henry W. Wilbur and wife, of Swarthmore, Pa., spent the week April 17-24 in Sandy Spring. He is the able and consecrated representative of the Com- mittee for the Advancement of Friends' Principles ; and on this visit, as always when he has been among us before, he left behind a quickened interest in our meeting, and a new spiritual impulse. Besides mak- ing numerous social visits, he spoke at the Ashton meeting-house on April 19, at Lay Hill on the 20. at Sandy Spring meeting and at Sharp Street on the 23; and at Mt. Airy, on the 21, he held a conference to consider the greatest need of our meeting. In the opinion of those present that need seemed to be for a more earnest effort among the members to make the meetings interesting and helpful.
The evening of April 23, a mild, bright Easter day, brought us the sad tidings of the death of Dora A. Moore, of Richmond, Va., at Los Angeles, Cal., where illness had overtaken her on her way to Hawaii.
For several years of her early married life a resi- dent of Sandy Spring, and from her childhood closely in touch with the neighborhood-her death brought the sorrow of a personal bereavement to many hearts among us-for her sweet personality and generous spirit endeared her to all who knew her.
April 29, Ellen H. Thomas and Gertrude Massey sailed from New York for Naples, to spend three
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months abroad, in company with the Thomas and Brooke parties, who had preceded them.
.April was cold and vegetation developed slowly, owing, in part, to the extreme drought, which also delayed the corn-planting, and lasted till the 14 May.
A bad beginning does not always entail a disas- trous event, however, and the corn, in spite of late planting, grew as it has seldom grown before, pro- ducing giant fodder and excellent ears. Maurice J. Stabler made nineteen barrels per acre on one field, and J. W. Jones 700 barrels on forty acres.
On the 25 April, one of the few really pleasant days of the month, Mrs. Page sold at auction house- hold goods and farming outfit, and soon after estab- lished for herself a new home at Oakleigh, the house there being improved in many ways for her use.
During May, John P. Simon brought his family to live at Ashton, and took charge of the wheelwright shop, where he had learned his trade years ago.
There was frost on May 20 and 23, but from the 27-30 the temperature rose to 83º and over.
May 27 the rose bloom was at its height, and it was unusually fine this year, as was the strawberry crop. Francis Thomas and R. H. Miller had rea- son to revise their opinion as to the profits of straw- berry culture.
About June 1, Margaret E. M. Janney took Wal- brooke for the summer; by that time, all our migra- tory neighbors had come back from their winter flit-
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tings cityward, and the seventeen houses, empty so long, were again occupied.
June 6, Thomas J. and Merritt M., twin sons of E. W. and Sarah M. E. Haviland, were born at Havi- land's Mill.
Sherwood Commencement, on June 7, as usual proved a "drawing card," and its program showed careful preparation. The little people gave us an insight into the ways of "Goops," and the Senior class received much in the way of good advice and friendly sarcasm in prose and verse from their juniors before they had their turn at the audience. The theses of Douglas Farquhar, Nellie T. Jackson, William W. Moore, Jr., Gertrude O. Cuff, William D. and Anna Hartshorne, were very creditable productions.
This commencement not only brought to an end the school life of these young people here, but it also closed the official connection of Sallie P. Brooke with Sherwood, where she had taught most acceptably for four and a half years.
Quarterly Meeting came June 10-12, and many Friends from a distance were in attendance. Henry W. Wilbur, O. Edward Janney, Martha S. Town- send and Pauline W. Holme were the chief speakers, and the devotional, business and First-day school ses- sions were all of unusual interest. Everyone agreed that it was one of the best meetings ever held in the meeting-house.
Monday of Quarterly Meeting was Whit-Monday, and the usual "turn-out" of the colored people at
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Brighton on that day complicated the domestic situa- tion for many of our housekeepers. But that was not the most serious feature of the case; an incident oc- curred that afternoon that might have had very pain- ful consequences.
A party who had driven up from Washington to attend the festival broke a wheel of their vehicle, and . going to the home of Catherine Janney, near Brigh- ton, they "borrowed" a wheel from her buggy, in spite of her vigorous protests. Thus fortified, they set out on their return trip. Hearing of the outrage, John H. Janney, and J. Hilles Robison took their guns and rode after the offenders, overtook them, made them give up the "borrowed" wheel, and re- turned with it in triumph.
How the excursionists got home after that "the deponent sayeth not," but what all too easily might have resulted in a terrible tragedy, fortunately turned out a farce.
On June 14, William W. "and Mary E. Moore, Benjamin H. and Sarah T. Miller, William. E. and Margaret B. Magruder, and Emma Magruder started for a ten-weeks' tour in the west, including Yellow- stone Park, Alaska, the Portland Exposition, and southern California.
June 17, witnessed two "sporting" events in Sandy Spring-a clay pigeon shoot at Pen-v-bryn and a baseball game at the Cedars, in which the home team defeated Valley View.
To offset these, on the 21, Mrs. Helen Weil, of
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Boston, gave to the Wednesday Club and its guests, at Edgewood, a most interesting reading of Brown- ing's drama, Pippa Passes; followed by another at the Lyceum on the 26, with a Tennyson program. On that evening she gave beautiful renderings of Lancelot and Elaine, and Grimerere to a small, but highly appreciative audience.
On June 19, hay harvest began, or rather was re- sumed, as crimson clover had been cut in May. The introduction of such forge crops as crimson clover, alfalfa and ensilage have prolonged the harvest sea- son from May to October, and labor grows scarcer and less competent as the need for it increases.
There was almost daily rain throughout harvest this year, till the farmers were in despair about their crops. As a consequence much of the hay, which was unusually abundant, was over ripe, and there were few loads put up that escaped a wetting. The wheat. much of it, cured on the stalk, and during the few bright days that came the latter part of June, it was cut and hauled right to the barn without being shocked in the field. When threshed, it proved to be a good crop, of extra quality.
Potatoes this year, though yielding very unequally, averaged well, and the tubers were so fine that they -
took precedence of northern potatoes in the Wash- ington market.
July 1, the first consignment of "Girls' Friendly" guests from Washington came to the Anchorage for a week's outing. to be followed by other parties of
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from twelve to twenty throughout the rest of the summer. An Episcopal Deaconess had immediate supervision of the girls, and the housekeeping was in charge of Rebecca Hollingsworth.
On the 7 July, the "Friendly" girls gave an enter- tainment in the Anchorage hall, to secure some needed matters for the house, and a good program of char- ades, music, etc., was enjoyed by a large audience.
Rain was really the event of the summer-falling weather and east wind were the prevailing conditions until the middle of September, and heat accompanied the moisture, so that everything that could mold, molded; doors and windows stuck, and people swel- tered. We were not surprised that the papers daily gave account of heat prostrations. But we could not take life easy on account of the weather, because of the way weeds grew, and grass blades stretched up, looking for the lawn-mower. Vegetation of all kinds grew phenomenally - cornfields looked like forests, tomato-vines grew like Jonah's gourd, and lima bean vines were only limited by their opportunities for climbing: one at Ashton grew thirty feet high, and full of beans to the top.
From July 20-27 nine 'gils camped at Lyndon, where they took life leisurely, and entertained their friends.
July 25, the annual Catholic picnic, at Olney. gathered a great crowd, among whom. the smiling faces of would-be candidates for the Legislature were visible on all sides.
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In addition to the usual hordes of summer board- ers and visitors who filled the neighborhood by Au- gust 1, our travelers in distant lands began to return. Ellen H. Thomas was the first to be welcomed home, and Eliza N. Moore came next, bringing with her tidings of sorrow for us all.
On their homeward voyage, her companion and well-loved, life-long friend, Dollie E. Vedder had died after a brief illness.
Mrs. Vedder had been known in Sandy Spring since her school-girl days at Fair Hill, and her vivac- ity, charm and sweetness had won a warm place for her in our hearts. For a number of years past she had spent her winters at Norwood, and identified herself with the life of the neighborhood, so that her passing on to the Beyond made a break in our circle- leaves a vacancy that cannot be filled ; but her mem- ory will ever be an inspiration to all who knew her.
On August 5, Charlotte Howard, an intelligent, worthy and respected colored woman, was buried. She was very old when she died, having lived to see her great-great grandchildren.
During the summer the ranks of the "old time" colored people were further thinned by the death of William Wright, an honest and worthy man who came here from Harford County about 1848, and lived for years in the Ellicott family.
August 9, the Oakdale W. C. T. U. gave a supper at Olney Hall, which was a financial success, as was a lawn-fete at Earnshawe, on the 18, given by the
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Sandy Spring W. C. T. U. though a temperature of 60° did not foster an appetite for ice-cream !
During the third week in August the Tanglewood party came home from Europe.
Early in August, William F. Thomas, who was spending the summer at his old home, Lucknough. suggested the building of a Country Club house in Sandy Spring. The young folks, who represent So- ciety (with a large S!) among us were quick to see what advantages there might be in such a social cen- ter, and the older people belonging to them hardly · less so, so a short campaign of soliciting subscriptions seemed to insure its erection. Almost every one was ready to give to the enterprise, and four plots of ground were offered for the purpose. On August 14. ground was broken for the foundation, on a lot pre- sented by John and Catherine D. Thomas.
August 23, a very good entertainment was given at the Lyceum for the benefit of the Club House to be, and if we had not been told that it was "Polite Vaudeville" we would never have supposed that the music, the recitations, and the Negro minstrels- who gave us some excellent clog-dancing-were any- thing radically different from what we have often seen on those boards before!
Somehow, it had begun with such a halloo, that we thought to see that Club House full grown by Thanks- giving at the latest, but the early frosts seemed to nip it in the bud, and not till the mild sunny days of February did it shoot up above the ground, along with the crocuses and jonquils.
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On August 20, Frances Earl, daughter of George E. and Constance A. Cooke, was born.
August 23, Elizabeth, daughter of Frank T. and Elizabeth R. Leizear, was born at Sandy Spring.
The County Fair at Rockville, August 22-25, was favored with fine weather, cool and clear; conse- quently the attendance was large and the exhibit good, though there was little display from Sandy Spring.
At Stanmore, on September 2, Caroline H. Miller died, after many weeks of distressing ilness, and was laid to rest beside her husband, Francis Miller, in thhe meeting-house yard.
At her funeral the feelings which filled all hearts to overflowing were voiced by Allan Farquhar in these words :
"In the life of her that has just gone from us there was more sorrow than joy, more shadow than sun- shine.
"The mother of seven children, three of whom died in infancy or early childhood, she saw the re- maining ones-all married-widely scattered; she lived over again her own bereavement in the death of lovely and promising grandchildren; she lost her natural protector and loving husband-struck down by a fatal disease in the prime of his vigor and use- fulness ; she felt-probably more than he did -- the strange and grievous physical affliction that befel her beloved son in the west ; she mourned the untimely death of a dear brother and sister, both in early
(
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married life, who left young orphans; she was the last but one of a family of nine children.
"These were heavy visitations indeed for one mor- tal to bear, but, alas ! not uncommon ones. Added to these was the wearing effect of acute, constant, hope- less physical suffering, shattered nerves, and a con- stitutional mental anxiety that it was impossible for her to shake off or to escape from. Is it any wonder, then, that there is an impression of sadness when her loving friends recall the latter years of her life ?
"But there is a brighter side. Her character shone pure and clear through all trial and sorrow; when- ever there was sickness or distress around her, there was sympathy and practical help from her generous heart, and thoughtful mind; she was endowed with an intellect that was unsurpassed, if ever equalled, in this community; her attainments were as varied as they were brilliant. In conversation the brightest lights paled in her presence; she had wonderful dra- matic power ; her public addresses, when delivered in her own inimitable manner, were marvels of elo- quence, and the few times when she spoke in meeting it was so impressively that there was a universal longing to hear her oftener.
"Besides engrossing household duties, she carried on for many years a model school, where her pupils not only learned the lessons found in text books, but developed that well-rounded character which is the object of all education.
"She was earnest in support of public measures for the advancement of Humanity, from the days of
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the anti-slavery movement, to recent times, when she used in the cause of equal rights for women, such forcible and logical arguments, that no one dare at- tempt to answer them.
"Can such a life as this be gone forever? Is it possible to believe that a wasted form of inanimate clay represents all that is left of so gifted a mind and so noble a soul ?
"To quote her own words uttered in our meeting- house many years ago : 'Let us listen to no reasoning, however subtle, to no logic, however asute, that may undermine our trusting faith in an almighty and lov- ing God, who will not leave his children to perish ut- terly.'
"In the same spirit let us trust that in that- 'sphere
Where all is made right that puzzles us here,' Caroline H. Miller-worthy daughter of Benjamin Hallowell -- will now enjoy the tranquil peace and radiant happiness she so well deserves, and which could not be her portion while on earth."
Another phase of her remarkable personality-"so warm-hearted, so true, so honorable, so sympathetic" -is shown in the following extracts from a letter to her children, written by Edward Farquhar from his sick-bed :
"How strange to be in a world that has not Caro- line H. Miller in it! * * *
"Though, as a mind, I might not have rated her quite so highly as some appeared to do-though it
1
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might not be that, and still be very high-in the en- joyment of her society, she used to be first of all Sandy Spring to me. What a new world of good company she and your father opened to me when they first moved to the neighborhood half a century ago! It was like a fresh standard of human society being raised before me. I would venture, that no one in the world ever went beyond .me in that enjoyment. Not * * * only that she seemed to me so decidedly the most brilliant in conversation of all that community, but there were far higher attributes, which this bril- liancy rather seemed to mask, than to cause or to in- ply. The splendid hospitality of mind; the readiness to hear what anyone had to say ; the perfect, ungrudg- ing disposition, the cordial and almost excessive ap- preciation of anybody else's brightness-said to be none too common with wits-here were moral quali- ties that made those shining parts, after all, but a subordinate thing.
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