The Washington herald., 1913-06-08
Plans Completed to Make the
Town One Of the Most At
tractive Suburbs Woman
Has Been Elected One of
the Trustees.

After forty years of man-made laws.
Washington Grove. a pretty suburban
town in Montgomery County. Md. now
has one woman en- the board Of trustees
which makes rules and regulations for its
government At the meeting of stock
holders of the Washington Grove Associa-
ton recently held. Mrs. Amelia H. Hunt
ley was one of the three new trustees
named. marking the first time in the his
tory of the association that woman has
held any office in its councils
With the new spirit which manifested
itself with the breaking of the umeworn
rule of man-made laws, the stockholders
also set on foot many progressive plans
for the betterment of the grove which
they believe will convert the grove into
a still more attractive summer colony
for Washington people Electric lights
have now been installed in many of the
homes, street lights are being put in the
place of the gasoline lamps of the past,
a new sewerage system is TO take the
place of the old enc, improvements are
to be made on the hotel, the streets i'm
proved, and more flowers and shrubs pun
out to beautify the quiet place.
Never had fractional strife in the affairs
of the grove become SO intense as during
the past spring. eliminating in the defeat
of the old administration and the en-
throning of the progressIves at the stock
holders meeting held last week. There
were 916 shares of stock represented al
the meeting, by far the greatest show
ing since the establishment of the grove.
For months there had been rumblings
against what many of the stockholders
termed the imperial policy of the presi-
dent, Mai. s. II. Walker, which culminat-
t,,C ion, he do
during the early spring. Attention was
then directed to the stockholders meet
ing, which resulted in the election OF the
three progressive candidates, which had
been proposed by the Stockholders
League.
The strength of the rival camps was
shown in the voting, which resulted as
follows: L. Cabell Williamson. 726; Mrs.
Amelia H. Huntley. SO: Frank r.
Rynex, $50; Herbert L. Davis, 42s; R. z.
Cooke. $50 The three victors composed
the ticket put forward by the league.
Washington Grove has rather a unique
history. Forty years ago 1t was establish
ed as q Methodist camp-meeting ground.
and there each year were held great
gatherings of Methodists from the Dis
trict and from Maryland and Virginia.
About a common circle in the center Of
the grounds were thrown up tents which
housed the visitors during the camp
meeting days. Being in the circle the
church people were closer to the center
of activities. and the same families con-
tinued to come year after year and occupy
the same ground about the large tent.
This became so popular that many Of
the families remained living in the tents
all summer, and later several of them
constructed wooden shelters on the mar
row confines occupied by their tents.
The grove became famous as a mecca
for Methodists during camp-meeting
DAVIS, and It became evident that II was
impossible to keep all of them clinging to
the outskirts of the circle occupied by
the main tent. wherein were conducted
the services. Thus streets were formed,
lots were laid of, and the association
took shape On the newer lots were
constructed more modern and more last-
ing houses and the grove took on more
of a summer colony air than camp
meeting rendezvous. When campmeet-
ing declined, the grove continued TO go
forward, many Westinghouse building
homes there for the summer. The older
people of Washington will remember the
grove as a Methodist camp-meeting
ground. but few who visited the grove in
the old days would recognize the pretty.
modern colony of today. The old circle
and the old hotel remain as almost the
only landmarks u
The affairs of the grove are conducted
nv Q board of nine trustees, three Of