Evening star., 1952-11-30
By George Kennedy

PooleSville would delight the
antiquarian.
It has interesting row houses
built sometime early in the 1800s
and several fine brick homes OF
the same period. It is in Northern
Montgomery County, 80 miles from
the District, surrounded by rolling
land, with the Potomac
seven miles to the west and Sugar
loaf Mountain looming on the
horizon.
It would be the despair Of a
town planner. It Is not q pretty
town. A gasoline station has been
built across from the most inter-
eSting old houses and a county
health station has been estab-
nshed in a particularly unfortu-
nate looking building. The rows
Of stores are in flimsy looking
buildings. Most of them replace
the buildings lost In the big fire
NJ 1928.
A wealthy woman purchased
two Of the old brick houses a few
years ago intending to restore
them. but apparently has given
up the project.
Old and New Combined.
Roy Selby. who runs the largest
store. has succeeded in combining
the new with the old. His store
is a combination of the old gen.
eral store and a modern self-serv-
ice market. He has shotguns,
hunting boots, rubber boots, tires,
fishhooks. garden implements,
wash tubs. work clothes, chicken
wire, salt blocks, cans of anti
freeze. weed killer and sheep dip;
and he has fresh fruits and vege-
tables. California grapes, pears
tangerines. broccoli, tubs of her.
ring in brine, and containers OF
fresh oysters. The night before
Thanksgiving farmers in dunga-
rees with mud on their boots were
buying eviscerated. ready for the
oven" turkeys and chickens and
all the trimmings for the feast.
Stanley Umstead. who recently
built the filling station. said
"The trouble with this town is
that 1t is owned by old people who
don't want any change. had
to wait a long time to buy this
property"
Sees Bright Future.
He did pretty well. He bought
a large corner lot with a house
on 1t in which he is now living
for $4,000 and there was room
enough in the corner of the front
yard to build the gas station
which cost him $4,000. He thinks
the town has a future because SO
many wealthy persons are buying
farms in the area.
Mrs. Fanny Williams (whose
father was a Poole) lives in the
long, pebble-throw house across
from the gas station. A delight
full little woman of IA, she was
glad to tell what she knew about
her house. 1t was built by Rob-
ert Wilson. some time after his
marriage in 1892. His daughter
married a Poole.
She told the story of Col. Ed
ward D. Baker. who dined in a
home near Poolesville one night
in October, 1861, and Dragged to
his host that he was going to dine
the next night in Leesburg, Va,
"or in hell"
But the next night the retreat
ing Union soldiers knocked at the
door Of the Poole house and
brought in the body of Col. Baker,
killed in the battle of Balls Bluff
II remained there until a convey
ance could be found to continue
the long trip back.
Buried in Oregon.
President Truman could have
learned something from Mrs. Will
liams. The story is that he set
out to show Gen. George G. Mar
shall, a new resident of Leesburg,
where Col. Baker was buried on
the battlefield. But Col. Baker,
who was a Senator from the new
State Of Oregon, is buried in
Oregon.
The Poole house is built of
brick. The beautiful grilled iron
supports Of the porch were added
in the mid-19th century; the peb-
ble-dash stucco in 1880.
The finest looking house in
Poolesville, one of the finest in the
county. is the home of DIR. Thomas
Poole. next door to Mrs. williams.
Roger Brooke Farquhar, who
recently published a monumental
work on Montgomery County's old
houses. says the most difficult
thing Of all is to determine Just
when a house was built. Building
permits were not necessary in
those days-the 0Y1lv records are