The Prince George's County Historical Society
Vol. XII, no. 10 October 1984
The October Meeting: Luncheon at the Rossborough Inn
Saturday, October 6, will be the date of the society's annual luncheon meeting at the Rossborough Inn, University of Maryland. A cash bar will open at noon; lunch will be served at 12:45; and the program will begin at 2 p.m. Fuller details are included on a separate enclosure with this newsletter. Please note that reservations for the luncheon must be placed by October 1.
Our guest speaker for this luncheon meeting will be John Edward Hurley, president and curator of the Confederate Memorial Hall in Washington. The Confederate Memorial Hall is located at 1322 Vermont Avenue N.W., and is the only shrine to the Confederacy in the nation's capital. It was purchased by the Confederate Memorial Association and served for many years as a home for Confederate veterans. It is now a museum dedicated to the preservation of Southern culture. Mr. Hurley will speak to us about the Confederate Memorial Hall, its programs, and about the Confederacy in general.
Plan to join us on October 6 for a most interesting program and an enjoyable lunch in the historic Rossborough Inn.
Belva Lockwood Day and the Grigsby Station Log Cabin
One hundred years ago, Belva Lockwood, an attorney in Washington, was nominated for the presidency by a group of women's rights advocates. One of her supporters, Amanda Best, owned a home in Prince George's County, and it was there that the women's rights advocates held the kickoff rally of Belva Lockwood's campaign. Mrs. Best's home was in Landover; its site is now occupied by a funeral home. An old log cabin that was located on the property was saved, however, and moved last year to Glenn Dale.
The log cabin has been beautifully restored and will be open to the public from 1 p.m. until 6 p.m. on Wednesday, September 19. A ceremony will be held at 4:30 p.m. dedicating the cabin and commemorating Belva Lockwood's campaign. The cabin (covered, as it always has been, with clapboards) is now located at 12450 Sir Walter Drive in the Camelot community. Sir Walter Drive can be reached by Annapolis Road; it is very near Hillmead Road. Women in high places in both parties have been invited to attend this event; it will be interesting to see who shows up!
PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MARYLAND ERECTED ON ST. GEORGE'S DAY, APRIL 23,1696
"The Blessings of Good Training"
A few miles southwest of Upper Marlboro, U.S. Route 301 (Crain Highway) cuts through a rural district known as Cheltenham. The hurried motorist can pass through Cheltenham in a matter of minutes without even knowing it; the observant traveler will notice the store, post office, and Methodist church at the corner of Frank Tippett Road which mark the community's center. Cheltenham is still corn and tobacco country, even though a few of the fields have been transformed into small housing developments. Cheltenham is not unlike many other rural districts in southern Prince George's County, but it does have at least one characteristic that sets it apart from the rest, the remarkable number of government institutions located there.
Perhaps the best‑known of these institutions is the new Veterans Cemetery located along Route 301. The State Tobacco Warehouse, also on the main highway, is another landmark. The Maryland Forest Service and the Fish and Wildlife Administration maintain offices in Cheltenham, as does the state's Natural Resources Police. The U.S, Naval Communications Station occupies a campus‑like setting and quite a few acres on the northern edge of Cheltenham; Cheltenham was also, between 1901 and 1956, the site of a U.S. magnetic observatory. But the oldest and most venerable institution of all is the one known today as Boys' Village of Maryland. It is more than one hundred years, old.
Boys' Village of Maryland was established by act of the state legislature in 1870. Now under the management of the Maryland Juvenile Services Administration, it provides for the care and detention of boys awaiting further court disposition. The home also provides facilities for some emotionally disturbed and mentally retarded boys. Boys’ Village was originally known as the House of Reformation and Instruction for Colored Boys, or more popularly, simply as the "House of Reformation." In 1937 it became the Cheltenham School for Boys, and the present name was adopted in 1949. The origins of Boys' Village lie in the reform movements of the post‑Civil War era. We present below portions of its first annual report which provide a full accounting of its beginnings.
To the Honorable the General Assembly of Maryland.
Gentlemen:
The Board of Managers of The House of Reformation and Instruction for Colored Children" respectfully present their first Annual Report. In doing so it is their special gratification that they can congratulate you, and the People of Maryland in general, that we have an Institution that will confer the blessings of good training and discipline upon a class of persons hitherto deprived of such advantages.
The doors of our jails and penitentiaries we were open to receive them, but a home was not offered in any reformatory institution in which they would be free from the influence of bad example, and, under the guidance of those who would cultivate their better nature, become useful men and citizens. We hope to do this good work; to diminish the number of prison inmates, and prove that we have really a House of Reformation and Instruction, which will diffuse its blessings throughout our State, and make it the debtor, however liberal may be its contribution. The discipline is paternal. There is no semblance of prison life. A home is provided where no bolts or bars confine the inmates either by day or night, and after a few weeks they generally show no disposition to escape. There are at present seventy‑two boys in the Institution, and no boarding school has a more contented class of pupils than those under the care of Gen. John W. Horn, Superintendent, whose mild yet firm discipline, and the zeal and energy with which he discharges his duties, have secured the approbation of the Board, and won the confidence and affection of those under his care....
An Act of Incorporation was passed by the Legislature in 1870, and twelve citizens were named, who were "declared a body politic and corporate by the name and style of 'House of Reformation and Instruction for Colored Children.' Section 3d says: The estate and concerns of said corporation shall be managed and conducted by sixteen Managers, of whom twelve shall be elected by members of the Association, two appointed by the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore, and two by the Governor. The money conditions of the Charter were that five thousand dollars ($5,000) should be paid out of any unappropriated money in the Treasury for the end and benefit of the "House of Reformation" for the period of two years. But, before the Comptroller should issue his warrant for the first quarterly payment, the Managers were required to furnish satisfactory proof that the sum of thirty thousand dollars ($30,000) had been collected by private subscriptions." A vigorous effort was made to effect an organization to raise the money.
An address was issued to the public, pointing out the importance to the State of an institution of the kind proposed, and soliciting contributions from our citizens. An agent was employed to call upon them in person, and committees from the Board were appointed to aid in the good work. A voice from our Grand Juries had gone forth year after year urging the necessity for having a "place of detention to reform the many negro children who were committed to the jail," there being no other place of commitment.
"The immediate erection of such an institution" was "strongly recommended as a matter of social and moral necessity, as negro children were then "serving out sentences in the jail. [Editor's note: a house of reformation for white children had already been established elsewhere.]
Judge Gilmor, and A. Leo Knott, Esq., Prosecuting Attorney, added the weight of their testimony "not only to the usefulness, but to the necessity of such an Institution." Fortified and encouraged by such strong testimony, the Agent, Mr. N. Noyes, and the Committee went encouragingly to work, and labored during the years '70, '71, and ‘72. After long and patient work and waiting, the amount named in the Charter was more than realized, viz: $38,822.09.
Of the private subscriptions, $22,600 are included as the value of the farm of "Cheltenham," which was the handsome donation of Enoch Pratt, Esq., and was accepted by the Comptroller as the equivalent in cash. This enabled the Board to call upon the Treasurer of the State for the ten thousand dollars promised on the condition of $30,000 being raised by private subscription. In 1872 an application was made to the Legislature, which granted an appropriation of twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) for 1872 and '73, ten thousand for each year, provided we could from other sources raise an equal amount. The City Council of Baltimore made an appropriation of ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for 1872 and ten thousand ($10,000) for 1873. This enabled us to obtain the State appropriation for said years...
A contract to erect suitable buildings was entered into under Messrs West and Carroll in the fall of 1872. Under the most favorable circumstances we could not have the buildings ready for occupancy in less than a year; but so great was the demand of the State ("many children under twelve years of age being in our prisons for want of a suitable place to put them") that the Board, desirous of relieving the public anxiety in regard to the reception of colored children, decided to enlarge and otherwise improve the old Farm Mansion, and receive all they could at as early a day as possible.
On the fourth day of February, 1873, the first two boys, Nos. 1 and 2, were received. The number rapidly increased, crowding our limited room; but all were properly cared for, and the Superintendent now reports: "We have a school of contented and happy boys." Though upon an open farm, but few of the boys have escaped, of those who did, nearly all have been sent back; some of them returned and gave themselves up voluntarily. The absence of all apparent hindrance to escape seems to remove the desire to do so. After the trial of a few weeks, during which time the homesickness wears off, and they become acquainted with their companions, they seem as the Superintendent says, contented and happy.
By the terms of our charter we are to receive colored children; this includes males and females. The managers consider it entirely impracticable to receive and manage both in the same institution. The experience of the Superintendent and Managers of the House of Refuge [for white children] justifies the Board in this opinion. They tried the experiment in houses and yards separated by high walls, yet failed to maintain that discipline so essential to good government. We respectfully ask a modification of the charter in this respect.
The Farm is situated in Prince George's County, Md., 45 miles from Baltimore, on the line of the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad [the Pope's Creek line], which passes through it about half a mile from the buildings. The Board expects to donate enough land to the Railroad Company for a station and post‑office, to be called "Cheltenham," the name by which the farm is known. This will add much to our convenience and comfort....The situation is high and healthy, commanding an extensive view. There has been but little sickness among the inmates. At the time of making this Report word comes, "All doing well."
We respectfully ask for an appropriation of ten thousand dollars ($10,000) each for the years 1874 and '75 for needed current expenses, and fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) for building purposes, to be called for in quarterly installments, as it may be needed. This may seem extravagant, but if we estimate, the cost of arresting, trying and supporting criminals, and think of the evil they inflict and entail upon the community, we will find the proposed expenditure economy instead of extravagance. Boys are now serving a term of two years in our city jail, and a large number could be found there at all times. There are many in the penitentiary at the present time, but none have been sentenced to either the jail or penitentiary since the House of Reformation at "Cheltenham" was opened. We ask you, therefore, to consider it a State Institution, and entitled to the fostering care of the State. It is a school, an agricultural school, and not a prison; its inmates are the wards of the State, receiving instruction that will qualify them for positions of usefulness in the community. The plan proposed for their reformation and instruction is not an untried experiment. In 1858 the State Reform School, near Lancaster, Ohio, opened its doors for the reception of juvenile offenders. Since then 1,822 boys have been received; 1,379 discharged, and 443 are now enjoying its advantages. The report for 1873 says: "Today the Institution stands as a proud monument of the great success of the humane and philanthropic enterprise." In Indiana, Iowa, New Jersey and other States are similar institutions, each one "performing its great mission in behalf of the fallen and unfortunate wards of the State."
The time is short since it was discovered that an open farm, with comparative freedom from restraint, is much better for young offenders than prison walls. The prison system of our country is a relic of barbarism, and needs reformation in accordance with the enlightened and progressive spirit of the age. The plan adopted by the various reform schools of the country is a wide departure from the old system, which is one of punishment, and not reformation. It has nothing to elevate the individual in sentiment and feeling, "to win him from vice, and attach him to virtue," but it hardens his nature, and turns him into the community at the expiration of his allotted time a greater criminal than he was when he received his sentence. Far different is it with those who go out from our reformatory institutions. All the influence surrounding them is good, and a large majority become useful and respectable citizens.
Vie have 72 boys, who, for various offences, were committed by our courts to the care of the institution. They have been saved from prison life and its pernicious effects, and have been under the influence of good discipline and moral training. They have given but little trouble; their conduct being generally very good. They performed most of the labor on the farm during the past summer, "working in squads under the supervision of one of their own number, and in no instance was the confidence reposed in them betrayed." We hope, in due time, to be able to furnish the farming interest of our State with a good class of laborers, now so greatly needed. When our family building shall be completed, we will have a school room and other apartments well furnished, and admirably suited to the needs of the inmates. Since the organisation of the Board we have lost two valuable members, James Baynes and Henry W. Drakeley. They were efficient, earnest workers, had the interest of the cause at heart, and to them we are indebted for much encouragement and valuable assistance.
Reviewing the work of the past year, through all the disadvantage under which we labored, the result is a success. With this to encourage us, we are sure the future will prove the usefulness of the Institution, and secure for it the approbation and continued confidence of the people and the authorities of our State.
Baltimore, January 12, 1874.
The fourth report of the board of managers, issued in 1876, provided some interesting statistical information. There were, at the House, 186 boys on November 30, 1876. Of the total, 105 had been received that year. The largest group‑‑65 boys‑‑were committed by justices of the peace in Baltimore City. The next largest group‑‑14‑‑were committed by the, Criminal Court for Baltimore City. The rest came from other locations around the state. One boy came from Prince George's. Thirty‑one boys were committed for being incorrigible, 28 for vagrancy, 28 for larceny, 12 for vicious conduct, and the rest for a variety of offenses including stealing from the U.S. mail (4 boys). Fifteen of the boys committed in 1876 were age 12, 12 of them were age 13, 15 were age 14, 14 were age 15, and 12 were age 16. The two youngest boys were just seven years old; 11 of them were only age 10. Sixteen boys had lost both parents, 24 had lost their fathers, and 12 their mothers. The fathers of 24 boys were considered "intemperate." The educational attainments of the boys are also interesting. Thirty‑two did not know the alphabet, 18 knew the alphabet only, 20 were beginning to spell, another 20 were beginning to read, 11 could read easy lessons, 24 could read books generally, 15 could read and write. Eighteen boys could cypher in addition, 2 in subtraction, 1 in division, and 1 in fractions. Many of the boys, it must be remembered, were what we would consider "elementary school students," so their lack of education should not be surprising. A good many of them, too, must have been the sons of slaves.
Some of the quotations in the first annual report of the board of managers came from the superintendent's report to the sources of the other quotes are not identified. Attentive readers may have noticed several beginning quotation marks (") with no closing quotation marks; that is how the report was printed.
The problem of juvenile delinquency clearly has been with us for‑some time. The House of Reformation for Colored Boys at Cheltenham was established to combat that problem; under the name of Boys Village of Maryland it continues its work more than 100 years later.
The Prince George's County Historical Society, Riverdale, Maryland
John Giannetti, President , Alan Virta, Editor
This newsletter is published monthly; dues are $5.00 per year
NEWS AND NOTES FROM The Prince George's County Historical Society
Vol. XII, no. 11 November 1984
The November Meeting: American Victorian Interiors
"American Victorian Interiors and Their Furnishings" will be the topic of the next meeting of the Prince George's County Historical Society, to be held on Saturday, November 10, at Riversdale. The guest speaker will be Mr. Denys Peter Myers, an architectural historian from Alexandria, Va. A native of Boston, Mr. Myers worked for twenty years in museum administration, and since 1978 has been architectural historian for the Historic American Buildings Survey and Historic American Engineering Record at the National Park Service. He has taught at the college level, and has prepared a most interesting talk on the home interiors of the Victorian era. The talk will be illustrated by slides.
The meeting will begin at 2 p.m. Riversdale, the Calvert mansion, is located at 4811 Riverdale Road in Riverdale. Guests are welcome, and refreshments will be served. In a brief business meeting, the Nominations Committee will make its report and officers for the coming year will be elected. Additional nominations will be in order from the floor. Plan to be with us on November 10 for "American Victorian Interiors and Their Furnishings."
The Christmas Party: December 15
The Christmas Party this year will be on Saturday, December 15, at 2 p.m. at Riversdale. The traditional site of the party, Montpelier, is still undergoing restoration work and is closed. Details will follow in the next newsletter.
To Be Published Soon ...
The Maryland Heritage Committee for Prince George's County (the 350 Committee), in cooperation with the University of Maryland will publish within the month a handsome map and guide, suitable for framing or for reference, of Prince George's County's historic sites. Pictures of many of the homes will be included, as well as capsule histories of each. Also available in December will be Alan Virta's book, Prince George's County: A Pictorial History. Published by Donning Company in Norfolk, it will contain about 350 photos.
PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MARYLAND ERECTED ON ST. GEORGE'S DAY, APR I L 23, 1696
Senator Schall of Minnesota
Over the years, a number of Congressmen and retired Congressmen from other states of the Union have made their Washington homes in Prince George's County. Riversdale, the Calvert mansion, was the home of Senator Hiram Johnson of California, Senators Thaddeus and Hattie Caraway of Arkansas, and Representative Abraham Lafferty of Oregon. Bird Lawn plantation near Clinton‑‑ known in the 20th century as the Terrett farm‑‑became the home of Representative Fred Lewis Crawford (R‑Michigan, 1935‑1953). Other Congressmen could be added to this list, but perhaps the most remarkable of them all was a Senator from Minnesota, Thomas David Schall.
Thomas David Schall served in the U.S. Senate from 1924 until his death in 1935. Prior to that, he served five terms in the House of Representatives. Schall made his Washington home in Berwyn Heights, a small town in northern Prince George's County. He lived in a very old house, since destroyed, that stood in what is now the 8700 block of Edmonston Road. What was remarkable about Senator Schall was not his politics or his record, but the fact that he entered the field of politics at all. Schall was blind-‑the result of an accident when he was a young man. Blind public officials have not been unheard of, but their political careers have usually been well established before their blindness has come about. Such was not the case with Senator Schall. He was blind before he entered Congress.
Senator Schall died in December 1935 as the result of an accident in Cottage City. A member of Congress for nineteen years, a resident of Prince George's County‑‑and an enthusiastic horse back rider‑‑Thomas David Schall was struck and killed by an automobile driven by a Hyattsville man as he tried to cross busy Bladensburg Road. The accident was reported on the front page of the Evening Star of December 20, 1935. Senator Schall died two days later.
SCHALL, HIT BY CAR,
STILL UNCONSCIOUS
Six Doctors Fight to Save Life
After Accident at Cottage City
Background: In 1908, a young Minneapolis lawyer walked into a store in Fargo, N. Dak. Purchasing a cigar, he leaned toward an electric lighter, pressed it and recoiled sharply as blinding flash swept his face. Carelessly connected to street lighting system rather than low‑voltage battery, that lighter brought complete blindness to Thomas D. Schall. Recovering from shock, Schall, aided by wife, returned to law practice; few years later came to House of Representatives to serve five terms from tenth district, Minnesota. In 1924 he was elected United States Senator, held seat in 1930. For nearly five years prior to April, 1933, his walking eyes were those of German shepherd dog, Lux, who died that Spring while master was attending funeral of late Senator Walsh, Montana. Since advent of New Deal, Senator Schall has been most outspoken critic....
Senator Thomas David Schall remained unconscious at Casualty Hospital today as six physicians fought to save the life of the blind Minnesotan after he was run down by an automobile last night while being led across the Washington‑Baltimore Boulevard [now Bladensburg Road] in nearby Cottage City, Md.
Following a consultation shortly before noon today, Dr. George W. Calver, physician of the Capitol, announced examinations had disclosed Senator Schall suffered a skull fracture and fractures of both bones of the left leg below the knee. His condition was regarded as critical and he had not regained consciousness some hours after the accident.
The Senator, who is 58 years old, also suffered internal injuries to the stomach which are believed not serious. Doctors thought they could save the Senator's leg, although the bones were crushed.
The accident occurred shortly after dark, at 6:50 p.m. while the boulevard was full of traffic....
The Senator's companion, Orel L. Leen, 39, of 922 Hamilton Street, an employe in his office, also was bowled over by the automobile. Leen remained at Casualty Hospital today under treatment for scalp cuts, possibly concussion of the brain and minor bruises about the legs and body.
The Senator's wife and son, Richard, a senior at Georgetown University, hastened to the hospital and remained there while doctors worked through the night over the injured man.
Physicians summoned into consultation included Dr. Calver and Dr. John Allan Talbot, a bone specialist. They were assisted by four other doctors.
At the Senator's office today it was said an operation will be necessary if and when the injured man rallies sufficiently.
Senator Schall and Leen were en route from the Senate Office Building to the Schall residence, Wyncrest, at Berwyn Heights, in Md., in the automobile of Harold Birkeland of Minneapolis, an old friend and house guest of the Senator. With them was another friend, James Laughlin, also of Minneapolis.
When the party drove into Cottage City, Birkeland stopped the car while the Senator and Leen alighted to purchase some sandwich bread and meat from a grocery across the boulevard. The Senator wished to make the purchases personally so that sandwiches could be prepared for Laughlin and Birkeland, who planned to leave for Minneapolis early this morning.,
The Senator and Leen were struck as they reached the center of the boulevard.... The fender knocked Leen free of the car, but at least one wheel must have passed over the Senator's leg.
Both men were rendered unconscious. Birkeland and Laughlin warned other automobiles away from where the Senator lay in the middle of the highway while the ambulance of the Bladensburg rescue squad was on the way to the scene. . .
They were afraid to lift the unconscious Senator lest the effort cause him additional injury. The men placed a coat, under Mr. Schall's head and guarded him until the ambulance arrived some 15 minutes later....The accident occurred about 200 yards this side of Peace Monument at a point, police said, where automobiles can be seen for at least several hundred yards in either direction.
The rescue squad ambulance en route to the scene was delayed by scores of automobiles which had halted in the busy thoroughfare, and by throngs of curious persons who collected about the spot where the Senator lay....
Only last Summer Senator Schall took up horseback riding and frequently was seen galloping over the bridle paths near Laurel, Md. He had trained his memory to recall the various turns of his rides through the country and enjoyed the sport hugely.
Prior to that, the Senator's steps about Washington often were guided by Lux, a "seeing eye', police dog with a $10,000 education as a leader of the blind. Lux, however, died of a broken heart in the Spring of 1933 while the Senator was away from home attending the funeral of the late Senator Walsh of Montana. Senator Schall remained away for several weeks and on his return Lux was dead....
Senator Schall has been a vehement enemy of the "New Deal," making speeches and issuing statements attacking the administration and its policies. Only yesterday he assailed the Roosevelt reciprocal tariff pacts as "star chamber treaties."
A former newsboy, bootblack and circus roustabout, Senator Schall first came to Washington in 1915 as an independent in the House. At that time he had been blind for nine years.
In 1918 Senator Schall was on a ship which was torpedoed while taking him to France on a mission for the Government. The ship limped into Brest after great difficulty. Mrs. Schall, who accompanied her husband, was decorated for bravery displayed on this occasion.
In 1924 Schall defeated the Farmer‑Laborite Senator Magnus Johnson, and has since been a member of the Senate [as a Republican].
The ambulance took Senator Schall and his aide into Washington because there were not yet any hospitals in this county. Leeland Memorial, in Riverdale, was the first, but it did not open for another few years. Congressman Crawford's home near Clinton, incidentally, was (and still is) a most unusual one. He bought an early 20th‑century farmhouse, and with Victorian details (mantles, stained glass, porch woodwork, etc.) transformed it into a "virtual museum of high quality late Victorian detail" (History Division, M‑NCPPC). The ornamentation came from the home of a lumber baron in Saginaw, Mich. Congressman Crawford's home now stands in the small Stonesboro subdivision, which was built around it, not far off Allentown Road.
An Exhibition: The School of Architecture, University of Maryland is sponsoring an exhibition of photos, drawings, and models, entitled "350 Years of Art and Architecture in Maryland." Located in the school's gallery on Mowatt Lane at Campus Drive, it will be open through December 31. Riversdale, the Calvert mansion, and Greenbelt (noted for its town planning and Art Deco) will be included.
The Prince George's County Historical Society: Riverdale, Maryland
John Giannetti, President Alan Virta, Editor
November 84
NEWS FROM THE LIBRARY AND COLLECTION
In our first report, issued in July 1983, we promised a monthly communication on the happenings in the library and collection of the Society. Keeping the library open every Saturday afternoon, as well as the collecting and filing of materials tends to take a great deal of time, therefore the reports on our activities may not appear every month as promised. We will therefore keep our reports as current as time will permit. Volunteers to work on all sorts of projects in the library (in your spare time) are still welcome.
PLANTERS ADVOCATE
We are pleased to announce that eleven rolls of microfilm of the Planters Advocate, published in Upper Marlboro 1851‑61, were received from the Hall of Records in early April and are now part of the permanent collection. Once again we are indebted to Chris Allan of the Hall of Records for his efforts. And, our appreciation to all of you who have contributed to the support of this project.
OUR THANKS
Francis Geary, Hyattsville Historian, and Glen Largent, General Manager of the Prince George's Post, for six large boxes of photographs from the newspaper's files, culled during their summer move to new quarters in the George Washington House in Bladensburg. This is the paper's second very valuable, and appreciated, contribution to our archives.
To Mrs. Mary Charlotte Chaney of College Heights, for a six‑year run (1977‑82) of Antiques magazine.
To Ann Ferguson who provided us with many early photos of Riverdale town scenes. From Gen. Frederick Caraway, through the courtesy of Ann Ferguson, we have received portrait photographs of his parents, Senator Thaddeus Caraway and Senator Hattie Caraway, former owners of the Calvert Mansion in Riverdale.
to Paul Lanham, past president of the Society, for several photos from his personal collection on early Lanham. Also, through Paul's efforts, we have received from Richard Downes, DDS, of Laurel, other early Lanham material, including the Civil War era attendance records of the old Bald Hill School.
-To William H. Whitmore, Jr., MD of Williamsburg, Va. and formerly a Clinton resident, for a detailed documented study of the land title for the St. Elizabeth's Hospital tract. This work contains a wealth of information on early Prince George's County landholders. It was accomplished by Dr. Whitmore as a labor of love during his tenure as a member of the professional staff at the hospital. (The study contains an interesting commentary on the use of saints' names on land tracts in early Maryland and elsewhere.)
‑ To Mrs. Helen A. Daley and Elizabeth Aman of Hyattsville, for several gifts of memorabilia pertaining to early Hyattsville, Mt. Rainier and Prince George's County.
ACCESSIONS - LIBRARY
Author Title Donor
Taussig,B. C. Windfall of Inherited Treasures Betty C. Taussig
(Aquasco) (Author)
Frank, B. A Pictorial Hist. of Pikesville, Md. Purchase
Goldsborough, W.W. The Md. Line in the Confederate Purchase
Army, 1861‑65 .(Reprint)
Rogers, J.W. Madame Surratt Pr. Geo. Co.
History Program
Wilson, R.G. Victorian Resorts & Hotels Marguerite Ritchie
Laws of Md. Made Since MDCCLXIII Anne S. Musgrave
Clark, E. & E. The Spirit of Captain John Edith & Eugene Clark
The Swampoodle Book (Lower Marlboro) Edith M. Bagot
Nalls, L. Mt. Rainier Bicentennial Booklet City of Mt. Rainier
Williams, H.A. Robert Garrett & Sons Fred De Marr
State of Md. Report/Md. Commission to the Minnie M. Hill
La. Purchase Exposition (1906)
Desaint,A.Y./ Rose, L. So. Md. Yesterday & Today: Lou Rose
Crab Pots and Sotweed Fields
Proceedings/Grand Lodge of. Md/ Edith M. Bagot
A.F. & A.M.
Newman, H.W. The Flowering of the Md.‑Palatinate Fred De Marr
St. Maries City. Tercentenary Program/ Margaret Marshall
1934.
Shreve, J.H. Upper Marlboro 250th Anniv. Booklet Margaret Marshall
Kent/Azrael The Story of Alex. Brown & Sons John Giannetti
1800‑1975
Preston, D.J. Moore, F. (ed.) Oxford. (Md.) The First Three Centuries Purchase
Moore, F. (ed) The Rebellion Record (Reprint) 12 vols. Celia Holland
HELPING OTHERS
The historical societies in St. Mary's County and Calvert County now have a complete set of the Maryland Historical Magazine in their respective libraries. The missing issues in their collections were supplied from back issues held by the Prince George's County Historical Society's library at Riversdale.
CHRISTMAS IS COMING
A part of the Spirit of Christmas is giving. Why not include the library of the Society on your Christmas list this year? Forget your pocketbooks! Dig into your desk, closet, cellar, garage or attic instead! Only you can give that program, book, letter, pamphlet or other bit of memorabilia on Prince George's County or Maryland, which money cannot buy - because it's probably one‑of‑a‑kind.
Bring it with you to the annual Christmas Party, to be held this year at Riversdale on December 15th. Your gift will be treasured by future generations of Prince Georgeans.
LIBRARY IS OPEN: Saturdays, Noon ‑ 5 PM. Telephone 779‑2313.
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