Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1948-06-03
By Elsie White Haines

Elsewhere in the SENTINEL you
will find story of the celebration
of the one hundredth anniversary
of The Mutual Fire Insurance
Company of Sandy Spring. AS a
guest of the company at its ban
quet Tuesday evening at Manor
Club we could but reflect upon the
many changes that have come to
pass in that 100 years, few of
which we have jotted down.
That distant day, June 1, 184S,
was an important time in the his
tory of the U. S. A. as we'll as the
rest of the world. James X. Polk
was president. The war with Mex
leo just ended-the nugget found
at Suffers saw-mill which FORE
cast the gold rush Of the Forty
miners. Queen Victoria had worn
her crown but short time-there
was revolution in France and Ger
many.
1848 was the day of Horace
Greeley and Walt WThitman-the
rotary press and sewing machine
had just been invented - wood
burning railroad trains We're ex-
perimenting with coal burning To-
comotives-the tide of immigra-
ton had started to flow into the
country with a riot of color, and a
babble of tongues. The -hypodermic
needle. and chloroform had been
used for the first time the year
before. The first bank notes with
silk threads had appeared, the
first adhesive postage stamps were
on sale at 5 and 10 cents and the
first ready-made mems clothing
appeared.
One hundred years ago the work
day was being reduced from IA
hours to 10 in many places. A
teacher complained that her pu-
pills were not at their best for
study after the longer period!
Others said, "just more time for
mischief" An advertiser sought a
little girl between 8 and IA years
for good job in a furniture
store"
In Connecticut the manager of q
company of strolling players had
to pay a fine-he was charged with
causing Certain females dressed
in women's clothes to whirl around
swiftly on one foot, with the other
extended at right angles in a hori-
zontal position"
The Capitol the year before had
quit oil lamps for gas thus .becom-
ing the best illuminated building
in the world. The Smithsonian
Building was being erected from
Seneca sand stone. Henry W.
Longfellow had just published
"Evangeline." Thomas A. Edison
and Alexander Graham Bell were
two years old.
At the time the Insurance Com
pany was established there were
only five election districts in the
county - known as Cracklin,
Clarksburg, Medley, Rockville, and
Berry. Sandy Spring was in Ber-
rvs district. The population Of the
entire county then was about 49,
860-9,435 white and 7,4S4 col
ored. Compare that with the cen
sus of today, approximately 1885,
900 Health Dept. figures), of
which 10000 are white and 5000
non-white. The civic planning COM
mittee appointed recently by the
commissioners to analyze popula-
ton trends. predicts more than
100000 by 1865. !
One hundred years ago the only
turnpike in the county was the one
running from Georgetown to Fred
erick. The Union Turnpike from
Washington to Brookeville was
chartered SO years ago in 1849,
but not completed for some years.
There were many roads, but these
were deep with mud in winter.
There was no railroad through
the county. Travel, for the most
part, was on horseback. Mention
was made in an account of the An
nual Meeting of the Insurance
Company in the 1905 in which
"all came horseback, except Mr..
Riggs (Remus Riggs, who came
in his OK cart and Mr.. Newlin
(Artemus), who walked" Now the
county is a network of fine, hard
roads and almost every farmer is
out Of the mud. T.
In 1848 boats were running on
the canal from Cumberland to
Georgetown--water mills were in
their heyday. The mills were very
important. Usually the neighbor-
hood Post Office was there-a store
and blacksmith shop nearby.
Farmers, while waiting for their
grist, had their horses shod, took