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- PRINCE GEORGES COUNTY, MARYLAND ERECTED ON ST. GEORGES DAY, APRIL 23,1696
NEWS AND NOTES FROM The Prince George's County Historical Society Vol. XI, no. 7‑8 July‑Aug. 1983 This Spirit‑for Improvement In 1852, W.W.W. Bowie of Prince George's County visited Charleston, Va., where he spoke before the Valley Agricultural Society. His topic was broad‑‑agriculture in general‑‑but within his talk was a theme: the progress of agriculture "Men no longer look with contempt upon the occupation of the farmer as one of mere physical employment, and the farmer himself as a drone, a poor ignorant clod hopper," stated Bowie, "but as a rational, intelligent, scientific gentleman, pursuing a noble, dignified, independent profession, and commanding a position in society, ranking with any of the ‘learned professions.’" W.W.W. Bowie was one of those men from Prince George's County in the 1840s and '50s who gained national recognition for their work advancing the cause of scientific agriculture. In response to worn‑out soil, declining farm productivity, and the migration of their sons to the West, these men promoted crop rotation and variation, agricultural experimentation, farm fairs and festivals, professional journals, agricultural education, and the formation of agricultural societies. Farmers and planters, they believed, had allowed farming to become merely physical labor, following without thought the practices of their fathers and grandfathers. These advocates of scientific agriculture sought to improve the state of American agriculture and raise the status of farming to that of one of the professions. Of the Prince Georgeans active in this effort, none is better known than Charles B. Calvert, founder of the Maryland Agricultural College. Dr. John H. Bayne and Horace Capron were also nationally‑recognized leaders of the movement, as was W.W.W. Bowie. The role of Prince Georgeans in "this great cause," as Bowie termed it, was significant. Walter William Weems Bowie was born in 1814 at Locust Grove, near Collington, the eldest son of Walter Bowie, Jr., and Amelia Margaret Weems. He studied the law, and several times before the Civil War was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for public office, the Whigs then being the dominant party in this county. He established a farm of his own near the Patuxent at Governors Bridge, where he lived with his wife, Adaline Snowden, and their children. The home he built stands not far off the Crain Highway (Route 301) between the Belair and Pointer Ridge sections of the city of Bowie. One of Bowie's sons is a local folk‑hero. PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MARYLAND ERECTED ON ST. GEORGE'S DAY, APRIL 23,1696 He was the legendary Wat Bowie, one of Mosby's men, who made a daring escape from near‑capture in southern Prince George's County, only to meet his fate in a Union ambush near Sandy Spring. W.W.W. Bowie's interests as a young man lay in politics and the law, but as he moved into his middle years he turned more toward the promotion of scientific agriculture. He wrote and spoke extensively on the subject and became a contributor and associate editor of the national agricultural journal, The American Farmer. A. paper he wrote on the cultivation of tobacco won a national competition sponsored by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture in 1867. With his relative Oden Bowie, he championed the building of a railroad for Southern Maryland, the Baltimore and Potomac. He died in 1891 and was buried at his birthplace, Locust Grove. Printed below is an excerpt from Bowie's address before the Valley Agricultural Society of Virginia, delivered on October 22, 1852, which describes the state of agriculture in Prince George's County. It illustrates well Bowie's faith and belief in "this great cause," the cause of scientific agriculture. “... Of the practical benefits of Associations like yours, innumerable instances might be given. I shall content myself with but one. In my own county an Agricultural Society has been successfully continued for twelve years. In‑that time the cattle, hogs and sheep have improved at least one hundred per cent in value, on an average for the whole county. Hundreds of the lordly Durham, beautiful Devon, and noble Hereford cattle have been brought into and reared in the county. The breeds of hogs and sheep have also been greatly improved.‑‑Our stock generally brings one‑third more in the shambles than it did before the Society was formed. Our barren hills have become rich, and teem with heavy crops; unproductive marshes have been drained, and no longer load the air with noxious vapors, that dealt death around, but the passing breeze is perfumed with the sweet breath of well‑kept meadows. Horticulture and gardening have received a due share of attention, and the garden and pleasure grounds, once a waste, now 'blossom as the rose.' For fruits, flowers, and vegetables, the county has a reputation excelled by none in the Union. One of our intelligent young planters, Col. Oden Bowie, received at the exhibition in Baltimore, last year, the first premium for the best lot of vegetables, which for variety, size, beauty and excellence, were by every body admitted as never to have been equalled by any one exhibition in the Union. It is also our pride to claim as a citizen, Dr. John H. Bayne, one of the most distinguished horticulturists in the country, besides others who have made poverty-stricken fields yield, by science and practical skill, large sums per acre from fruits and vegetables, grain and grasses. How was all this done? By the formation and encouragement of an Agricultural Association. Men of intelligence were yearly brought together, and made to compare their crops, their stock, their fruits, flowers and vegetables. A rivalry was excited‑‑inquiries were made‑‑'how did you do this or that?'‑‑'where did you get your stock?'‑‑'how did you feed and keep them?'‑‑'how came you by such knowledge on this or the other subject?' A frank interchange of opinion, and a general diffusion of useful knowledge was the result. These meetings caused a generous rivalry, and a determination on the part of each one to excel in something the next year, and consequently a wonderful improvement was speedily manifested in the whole system of husbandry. Men who spurned book‑farming began to read and reflect, became enlightened, and felt it to be their interest to band together, and by concert of action‑‑by expanding their views, and no longer closing their eyes to the lights of science, to advance as far as possible the cause of Agriculture. I have dwelt perhaps too long upon the benefits which have resulted to the people of one county in my own State, from an Agricultural Society, but I wished to show you, sir, how important it is to keep alive this spirit for improvement, by all farmers taking a lively interest in these annual farming festivals...." A copy of this address is kept by the Library of Congress. ‑‑Alan Virta Helen W. Brown Helen W. Brown, for many years a member of this Society, died on June 7 at the age of 84, several days before she was to move with her daughter and son‑in‑law to a new home in Indiana. Helen's many contributions to the preservation of our county's heritage were described in an article of appreciation in the June issue of News and Notes. Her presence will be greatly missed, and the Society has lost a great friend. Mrs. Brown was a native of Attleboro, Mass. and a member of the Roger Williams Family Association. She was active in the Daughters of the American Revolution, locally and nationally and served as their national genealogical records chairman, 1965‑1968. A resident of College Park, she was an inaugural recipient of the Society's St. George's Day Award. Her husband, Irvin C. Brown, died in 1961. Helen's contributions to the study of Prince George's County' history were important ones. Our appreciation and sympathies are extended to the family. Lewis C. Cassidy We regret to inform the membership of the death on July 5 of Lewis C. Cassidy IV. Lew was an attorney in Upper Marlboro and a resident of Greenbelt. A past president of the Prince George's Civic Opera, he had been a member of our Society for several years. He was a native of Boston and a veteran of the Korean War. Lew died at home from cancer. On behalf of the Society, the officers and directors extend our sympathies to the family. The next meeting‑‑Saturday, Sept. 10‑‑2 p.m.‑‑at Riversdale, the Calvert mansion Perrywood to be Open this Fall Perrywood, an old Brooke home on Largo Road, will be open on Sunday afternoon, September 25, for a limited showing to benefit the Prince George's County Historical and Cultural Trust and the Friends of Preservation. Now the home of William Chesley, until recently it was the home of Mr. and Mrs. William Hallam Tuck. Tickets are limited and cost $25.00 a piece. For information, contact Mrs. Joyce McDonald, chairman of the trust, at 779‑5825. The Greenbelt School The Board of Education will conduct a public hearing on Monday evening, August 15, to hear testimony regarding its staff's recent proposals for the destruction of three old elementary schools and their replacement with new structures. The inclusion of one of those schools in the plan‑‑Greenbelt Center School‑‑has raised the ire of historic preservationists in this county and admirers of the Art‑Deco style of architecture across the country. Built in the late 1930s as part of the Greenbelt new‑town project, the school is recognized as one of the most important Art Deco structures in the nation. The Art Deco Society of Washington classifies it as one of the two most impressive Art Deco buildings in the Washington area. The Art Deco Society and local preservationists seek support for the preservation of Greenbelt Center School. Letters should be addressed to the school board chairman, Mrs. Susan B. Bieniasz, at Upper Marlboro, Md., 20772. Those wishing to testify at the hearing should register in advance with the board at 952‑4324. Montpelier Restoration The restoration work at Montpelier, which will cause the closing of the house for almost a year, has been delayed until January. A benefit for the restoration fund will be held on Saturday, September 10. For information, contact jean Speicher, at 776‑3086. The County Fair The County Fair returns to Upper Marlboro this year, at the fairgrounds, of course, now known as the Equestrian Center. The dates are September 8 to 11. Watch the newspapers for details, and watch for the exhibits by several of our historical organizations. Fall Tour to Frederick Our tour directors have arranged a tour to Frederick on October 22. Details will follow; mark your calendars. The Prince George's County Historical Society, P.O. Box 14, Riverdale, Md. 20737 NEWS FROM THE LIBRARY AND COLLECTION July/August 83 Almost two years ago we made an appeal to the membership for financial support of the projects to purchase a complete set of the Archives of Maryland and to microfilm the Upper Marlboro newspapers. Also, last January we announced that the Society's library, located in the servants' quarters at Riversdale, would be open each Saturday from Noon to 5 PM. Other than to acknowledge donors to the Archives and microfilm projects, little or nothing has appeared in News and Notes to bring the membership up to date on our progress in the areas of the library and collection of the Society. We hope that the following information will help to correct this oversight. In the future a report such as this will be a regular feature of our monthly mailings to the membership. UPPER MARLBORO NEWSPAPERS We are pleased to announce that the first phase of this project has been completed. Delivery was received from the Hall of Records in Annapolis last May of 34 reels of microfilm of the Prince George's Enquirer and Southern Maryland Advertiser. The period covered is as follows: Jan‑Nov 1887; Dec 21, 1888‑May 3, 18897 and Jan 1893‑Jan 30, 1925. (After this last date, it became the Enquirer‑Gazette.) This month the Hall of Records will get the back files of the Planters' Advocate (1851‑1861) and the Enquirer‑Gazette (1925‑present) from the Enoch Pratt Library in Baltimore for filming. We should have this microfilm in hand by January 1st. Earlier we asked that any members having copies of the Marlboro papers contact us so that they could be borrowed to fill in some of the missing issues. We are interested in receiving copies of the Enquirer (other than the dates listed above), the Prince Georgean (any date--all are late 1800's), the Marlboro Gazette (any date) and the Planters' Advocate (any date). The Prince Georgean mentioned here is not to be confused with the Prince Georgian published in the Mt. Rainier‑Hyattsville area during the first half of the 20th century. The Marlboro paper was the 19th century successor to the Planters' Advocate and the forerunner to the Prince George's Enquirer. This paper and the Marlboro Gazette are extremely scarce. Very few copies are in the Pratt Library. Therefore any single copies you may have will be most helpful to our project. They will be returned to you after filming. Finally, we wish to acknowledge the interest an cooperation of Andrew Wyvill, Editor of the Enquirer‑Gazette. He has provided us with many copies of the current newspaper to help fill in the gaps. Likewise the interest and hard work of Chris Allen of the Hall of Records have made this entire project a reality. ARCHIVES OF MARYLAND We have the 72 volume set in the library. To date, 50 of these volumes have been underwritten by our members. These bear the Society's bookplate with the donor's name and requested inscription. Since there have been some recent inquiries about this project, a form is enclosed for the benefit of others who may wish to participate. GIFTS TO THE LIBRARY AND COLLECTION Gifts are always welcome. Books, pamphlets, programs, memorabilia, papers, business records, artifacts of all kinds, etc. are necessary to build our research and exhibit collection. Many times people will discard material which they feel is of no value or interest. Our request is that you call us at 277‑0711 before you throw out anything! CURRENT ACTIVITIES/VOLUNTEERS Margo Ritchie is working on an index for the first 5 years of News and Notes. When completed, it will be published and will be available for members who have saved complete sets of the publication. Alan Virta has been rummaging through the picture files for items to appear in his illustrated history of Prince George's County. He would still like to hear from you if there are some good early photos of the local scene in your personal collection. Some photos from the Society's files will appear in a calendar bearing pictures of early days in the metropolitan area. Publishing date will be about October. Volunteers are needed to keep the Library open on Saturday afternoons, Noon‑5 PM. There are also a number of volunteer opportunities available to work on projects both in the library and at home in your spare time. More details will be given next month, however call Fred De Marr at 277‑0711 in the meantime for information. LIBRARY ACCESSIONS Author Title Donor Rice/Brown Amer. Campaigns of Rochambeau's Edith Bagot Army. 1780‑1783. 2 vols. Records Comm. Index to Registers/St. Matthew's Toaping Castle DAR Parish, Hyattsville. 1834‑1926 Andrews Tercentenary History of Md. 4 vols. Paul Lanham Footner Maryland Main & the Eastern Shore Ben Miles Loudermilk History of Cumberland Mary Sorrell Winebrenner Maryland Manual for 1934 Grace Watkins Pleasants/Sill Maryland Silversmiths. 1715‑1830 Purchase Douxchamps Rubens & His Descendants. v.1 & 3 Henry de Witte Scharf History of Md. 3 vol. Minnie Hill Smith Richard Snowden Andrews. A Memoir Minnie Hill Scarborough Homes of the Cavaliers Louise Bowen Dooly Fifty Years of Suburban Banking. Edith Bagot A Hist. of the Sub. Trust Co, Ketzenberg Baltimore Album Quilts Purchase Elder Baltimore Painted Furniture Purchase 
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