The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1949-03-31
HORSE AND
BUGGY DAYS
by
Ida 10 Martin

villes oldest citizens talking about
having worked on a farm in the
Leitersburg district, near Paramount,
that l recognized as the farm
described in this column - the old
Abraham Lehman place, with the
almost two-centuries-old house,
Mount Cressap," built by Colonel
Thomas Cressap. These gentlemen
are Will Ebersole and Dan Binkley,
both between eighty and ninety
years old. They were carrying on
quite a discussion about the hard
work on the farms in those days of
all hand work, and one of them
described the big pay that attract
ed him to the Lehman place; the at
tractive pay was the sum of $14.OO
per month. They also described the
farm as being one of the best and
one of the most carefully kept in
the community.
In Williams History of Washing
ton County, / have discovered an
old picture of one of the outstand-
ing old homes of the County, located
within the city of Hagerstown. This
is "Gronhjem', the beautiful former
residence of M. P. Moller on North
Potomac Street. The word "Gronh-
jem'' is of course Holland Dutch, and
translated to English would be
Green Home" The Dutch pro-
nunciation makes an excellent
name for an old home, but unfor-
tunately we do not have sound in
the English to reproduce it, and so
the original name must be lost.
Closely related to the name of
this home was the name of the wife
of the builder. Mrs. Moller was
May Bell, j. Greenlund, and no
doubt part of her name is repre-
sented in the name of the home.
Matthias P. Moller, the founder of
the now world-famous Organ Com
pany, was born at Bornholm, Den
mark, in 1855. He lived there I'M
til he was Is, studying and learning
cabinet making. Coming to Amer
lea at the age of 16, he began to
work in a furniture factory at War
rem, Penna., where he had broth
,er, George. A year later he went
to Erie, Penna., and began working
in the Derrick & Felgemacher Reed
and Pipe Organ factory. After
working in this factory for a brief
two years, he returned to Warren
and built a pipe organ at his own
expense, no doubt the Worlds first
"Moller Pipe Organ" He then went
to Philadelphia, where he manufac-
tured and sold just four more or
gans.
The following year, 1877, Mr.. Mol.
Ter came to this Valley. But he die
not first settle at Hagerstown, but
organized a company to build Reec
and Pipe Organs at Greencastle
known as "Moller, Brenisholtz &
Co." Here he labored four years
and then in 1881 he sold his Interest
in that company and came to Hagers.
town.
Here Mr.. M. P. Moller began tt
work Immediately, hired eight mer
to start, and in small building neal
the Western Maryland tracks in the
northern part of the city, he begaT
what has become one of the larges
and best known factories of its kind
The original building housing the
M. P. Moller Organ Works burned
in 1895, and at this time the loca
ton was moved to the present site
and the work of rebuilding the fac
tory begun at once. Since that time
there have been numerous additions
till the plant reached its presen
size.
Mr. Miller did not center his &C
Invites on organ building alone. HI
was also a director of the Kee Ma
College, a director of the Craw
ford Automobile Company, directo
and president of the Reisner Manu-
featuring Company, president of thu
Home Builders Association, directo,
of the Susquehanna University a
Selinsgrove, Pa, and of the Tress
ler's Orphans Home at LOUISVILLE
Pa, and many other interests, sucl
as the Dagmar car and Hotel.
Mr.. Moller attributed his success
to "hard work, good management
and fair dealings" One historian
expressed his appraisal in much tn
same thoughts in these words:
His noteworthy success is the re
word of diligence, energy, AM
sound judgment, exercised in youtl
and throughout his whole bushes
career"
One of the most interesting thing
about the old picture, which wa