Washington County Historical Society

Editor's note: This is the final column in a 12-part series about Washington County Historical Society's founders. The Washington County Historical Society has been celebrating its centennial year with special exhibits and lectures throughout 2011. An informational exhibit on the lives of the founders is currently on display, drawing attention to their county geographic roots, vocational choices and civic involvement. The exhibit, which is on display at the the society's headquaters, the Miller House, 135 W. Washington St., downtown Hagerstown, also gives notice to the significant preservation efforts from the founders' time at the helm of the organization and of many of those who followed in leadership over the years.

The Washington County Historical Society in downtown Hagerstown is home to the Simms B. Jamieson Genealogical Library and research materials about local history, old homes and past events. Genealogical information at the library includes church records, cemetery records and 900 files of individual family histories. The library's collection includes old city directories and census data for Washington County dating to 1790. There are maps, photographs, documents and vertical files on events, people and places.

The Washington County Historical Society couldn't pass up using the 100th anniversary of the Titanic striking an iceberg as the theme of its fundraiser Saturday night at Fountain Head Country Club in Hagerstown. From gastronomic delights on the Titanic's menu to carved iceberg statues, the historical society spared no details to make the night as authentic as possible - without the loss of 1,522 lives, of course. Linda Irvin-Craig, executive director of the Washington County Historical Society, said the Mad Hatters' Ball, as the annual fundraiser is called, generates the most revenue of all the organization's fundraising events.

The Washington County Commissioners agreed Tuesday to assist the 1999 National Pike Festival and Wagon Train, which will come through the area May 14-16. The wagon train travels about 40 miles, going through several Washington County communities, starting with Clear Spring and ending with Boonsboro. Washington County has sponsored the event for the last 10 years. The Washington County Historical Society recommended the County Commissioners help again this year. The county will pay for a $50 to $100 insurance rider and mailings for the event, and provide two officers and vehicles to escort the wagon train.

1. U.S. Navy Commodores U.S. Navy's jazz band performs a fusion of classic jazz, big band and pop music, part of the Hagerstown Community College Alumni Association's Red, White and Blue Concert Series. 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, June 18, at HCC amphitheater, off Robinwood Drive, east of Hagerstown. Free. Call 240-500-2346. Go to www.hagerstowncc.edu/alumni-friends . 2. Edgy Appalachian duo The two sisters who comprise Rising Appalachia, shown, perform Appalachian-roots-soul music with local singer-songwriter Chelsea McBee.

Melinda "Mindy" Marsden calls her new work running the Washington County Historical Society "the perfect job. " Marsden became the executive director of the nonprofit organization three weeks ago. "This is a really interesting place. It's a treasure trove," Marsden said. The historical society owns and operates the Simms B. Jamieson Genealogy Library, the Beaver Creek School Museum and the Miller House Museum on West Washington Street, where the organization is headquartered.

After serving six months, the executive director of the Washington County Historical Society has been fired, according to Lee Stine, president of the organization. Linda J.M. Chatfield's last day on the job was Tuesday, Stine said. "Basically, in plain, simple English, it just didn't work out," Stine said. He said the board of directors conducted an extensive search to fill the position of executive director throughout the summer of 1998. "We thought we made the right decision, but we didn't," he said.

Editor's note: This is the 10th in a 12-part series about Washington County Historical Society's founders. In late August, the Washington County Historical Society plans to open a Founders' Exhibit on the many accomplishments of the 29 men and women, who came together from all over the county 100 years ago to establish the society. Jointly, the society began an extraordinary journey of preservation, saving some of the most important historic sites within the county. The Miller House, headquarters of the Society, currently hosts a special exhibit on Camp Ritchie, the Civil War Battle of Monterey Pass and ice harvesting from Lake Royer, all located in the northeast sector of the county.

The annual meeting of the Washington County Historical Society in January 1967 featured a presentation on the Mason-Dixon Line, which described he hardships experienced by the surveyors as they passed through the mountainous portions of the terrain and encounters with the American Indians in the 1700s. This sparked a suggestion that the State of Maryland might be encouraged to establish a state park to recognize the Mason-Dixon Line. With Victor D. Miller III at the helm as president, and coupled with a renewed interest in establishing an Elizabeth Town village near the Hager House, the historical society board was looking at the possibility of adopting new projects as they went forward.  Judge Irvine Rutledge was appointed chair of a committee to look at potential locations in Washington County, which incorporates about 40 miles of the Mason-Dixon Line, more than any other county.

1. U.S. Navy Commodores U.S. Navy's jazz band performs a fusion of classic jazz, big band and pop music, part of the Hagerstown Community College Alumni Association's Red, White and Blue Concert Series. 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, June 18, at HCC amphitheater, off Robinwood Drive, east of Hagerstown. Free. Call 240-500-2346. Go to www.hagerstowncc.edu/alumni-friends . 2. Edgy Appalachian duo The two sisters who comprise Rising Appalachia, shown, perform Appalachian-roots-soul music with local singer-songwriter Chelsea McBee.

Alice Cohill Marquez, of Stafford Hall, Clear Spring, Md., died Friday, April 5, 2013, at her home. Born July 10, 1912, in Cohill Station near Hancock, Md., she was the eldest daughter of the late Leo Aloysius and Anna Marie Bevans Cohill. Mrs. Marquez attended boarding school and her first two years of college at Saint Mary's Female Seminary (now Saint Mary's College of Maryland), transferred to Southwestern (now Rhodes College), and graduated from the College of William and Mary in Virginia with a Bachelor of Arts in English and education in 1934.

Special to The Herald-Mail For a change of pace from extolling the accomplishments of the Washington County Historical Society over its 100-year history, this month's column focuses on a current effort to enhance the offerings in the society's research library. A significant collection of slave documents from Washington County has been indexed and catalogued. That collection is now available for serious researchers in the Simms Jamieson Memorial Library, which is in the lower level of the Miller House at 135 W. Washington St., downtown Hagerstown.

The annual meeting of the Washington County Historical Society in January 1967 featured a presentation on the Mason-Dixon Line, which described he hardships experienced by the surveyors as they passed through the mountainous portions of the terrain and encounters with the American Indians in the 1700s. This sparked a suggestion that the State of Maryland might be encouraged to establish a state park to recognize the Mason-Dixon Line. With Victor D. Miller III at the helm as president, and coupled with a renewed interest in establishing an Elizabeth Town village near the Hager House, the historical society board was looking at the possibility of adopting new projects as they went forward.  Judge Irvine Rutledge was appointed chair of a committee to look at potential locations in Washington County, which incorporates about 40 miles of the Mason-Dixon Line, more than any other county.

Special to The Herald-Mail For the first 55 years of the existence of the Washington County Historical Society, the group had no home and functioned under nomadic conditions. Early meetings were held in the Washington County Free Library, in churches and in members' homes and offices. As time went on, the group continued at parish halls, local hotels, restaurants, the health department, City Hall, the Rose Room of the YMCA, the Women's Club, and boardrooms of local businesses and banks.

The following is a list of the organizations that received more than $54,000 in grants from Hagerstown Rotary Foundation for 2012: 2 Acts Ministries Inc.; American Red Cross; Antietam Health Care; APPLES for Children Inc.; Aspiring to Serve Inc.; Barbara Ingram School for the Arts Foundation Inc.; Brook Lane Heath Services; Citizens Assisting and Sheltering the Abused, or CASA; Cedar Ridge Children's Home & School Children's Village of Washington...

Appreciating the history of Washington County is more than a passing hobby for some. It is a passion. Roger Fairbourn, 52, shares his passion for the architecture and historic landmarks of Washington County with the community while serving as the president of the Board of Directors at the Washington County Historical Society. Fairbourn's interest in the history of the county began at a young age. As a child growing up in Hagers-town, he said his parents always inspired him to be involved.

The centennial celebration for the Washington County Historical Society continues, because the founding dates ranged from the organizational meetings of August and September 1911 to the actual recording of the incorporation papers with the state of Maryland in January of 1912. The earliest projects of the society began in the spring of 1912. Continuing with the history and accomplishments of the organization, the following is an account of one of Washington County's and Hagerstown's largest exposition: In 1936, Harvey S. Bomberger, first president of the Washington County Historical Society, became incapacitated by health issues, so the organization was led briefly by Park W.T. Loy who was then chairman of the Executive Directors Committee.   Through a nominating process, Edward M. Tenney was selected as president to succeed Bomberger, whose death the following year inspired a resolution from the society honoring his many years of service and great accomplishments.