Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1949-11-24


Thanksgiving day and look back
to the time when as young wo-
nan-having just lost a very dear
member of the family and the man
of the house was I'LL announced
TO a neighbor in all seriousness ~
have not one thing to be thankful
for today" A gentle person u.s.
ually, she sternly said aren't you
ashamed of yourself-you have
many things to be thankful for"
Then she enumerated them and not
the least of those things was the
number of friends l had. Need
less to say this was before l be-
came newspaper editor.)
But even today when l count my
"intangibles" one of the first
thoughts is of the many people who
greet me with a smile as l walk
down the street. Yes, our friends
are one of our greatest blessings.
Friendships like gardens must be
cultivated" said Francis Bacon.
Often we do not take the time to
properly cultivate and keep alive
our common interests, without
which real friendship cannot
flourish.
Letters to the Sentinel editor
are often a joy and inspiration To
me. Miss Lucy Leigh Bowie, Of
Baltimore, a daughter of the late
"Tom" Bowie whom many coun-
tains will rememberS last week
wrote: -n
/ with the publication of Miss
Mona Thompson's book came an
unexpected regret. 1t was that |
had never been inside the old Rock
vile Jail.
ut was built in 1901 at the cost
of $6,495, an enormous sum for
that period; in fact that amount
was considered quite nice for
tune.
"The grim old building is doubt
less well remembered, "its outside
walls 21S feet thick, built of i'm
mense stones, the inside walls IA
inches thick of brick, the entire
structure supported by immense,
graceful arches"
"The above description, on page
81 of Miss Thompson's book, Indi-
Gates that the old Rockville jail was
constructed upon the exact pattern
of the new jail' built in Philadel-
phia shortly before the American
Revolution (about 1773) and de-
scribed by a British traveller in
publication of that approximate
date.
"The only example of this type
of construction that / know of as
still standing in its original con-
dition is the Hessian Guard House
at Carlysle, Pa, and it is well
worth a visit by the historically
minded. 1t is a beautiful drive
and a point not too distant from
Montgomery County"
Another note ran:
Dear Mrs. Haines,
l have your very kind note telling
of your latest visit to old Sugar
Loaf. l am glad that you had
pleasant weather. And that you
and your friends enjoyed the
Mountain.
No, we have not yet restored the
old pre-Civil War cottage. We
have definite plans for it. But the
increasing numbers of our visitors
have kept us busy on road-widen-
ing, parking places, tables and the
like.
And those numbers of visitors do
increase. Up to this summer, our
maximum for single day was
1852. Then, last August, we drew
1905; and not room for one more
car. So, in October, we received
1885. And how we came through,
| don't know.
= The coloring this autumn, as
you must have noticed, is even
finer than usual. The old Mountain
does seen to enjoy it so. And
even the white ducks, down in the
Willow Pond, floating past red
maple, remark on it.
Thanking you for your note,
and hoping that you will come out
here often, I am
Cordially yours,
Gordon Strong