Showing posts with label historic snow hill. Show all posts
Showing posts with label historic snow hill. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Wine Through Time At Furnace Town


For reservations please call 410-632-2032. If  no one is in the office please leave  a message and someone  will return your call as soon as possible. Thank you!

FURNACE TOWN on Facebook

Monday, August 6, 2012

The Blessing of the Combines ~ Another fun year !

I said it last year: This IS a must attend event!  Even if you do not move from you seat along the sidewalk in the shade the entire time you must attend at least once. 

There's just so much to see and  so much to do! 
Steve Hales did such a wonderful job and certainly entertained the crowd.  He's a great auctioneer too! 
Worcester County Commissioner Virgil Shockley spoke some powerful words too along with a little history on the origin of the Blessing of the Combines and how this extra special day began with Gus Payne and daughter Becky Payne.


Rev. Tina Whaley asked for Gods blessing on the combines and the farmers.

Delegate Mike McDermott was the keynote speaker for the days events.  "Sowing and Reaping" was the theme for his speech and as usual it was powerful!  Delegate McDermott, who very seldom makes a copy of his speeches did for this occasion and I have posted it here.  His words say it all and everyone agreed.....farming heritage is most important.  (Thanks, Mike).  

Sowing and Reaping
Blessing of the Combines-Snow Hill, MD 8-4-2012
by Delegate Michael A. McDermott
"Today we gather to celebrate and recognize the importance of our farming heritage...to acknowledge its importance to our world, and to ask God’s blessing upon those whose hard work makes food available for our tables.
Let us recall our humble beginnings.

There are homes here in town that were standing and full of life when our founders reached into their bag of seed and sowed independence into the hearts of their countrymen. Men and women stood on these very streets and saw the dawn of liberty. They would pledge everything to secure a hope and a future so that we could be a free people.

We are that posterity which was declared in the preamble of our Constitution and now the task of passing on "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" rests with our generation just as it was declared and passed down to us. It is a sacred trust.

Let us thank God today that many present here with us pursue their happiness while operating a combine. They do so in an ever changing environment full of risks and challenges. They are the original conservationists who clearly have a dynamic relationship with the land that is both historic yet always with an eye toward the future. It comes as no surprise that many of the original delegates to the First Continental Congress were farmers. They were men of shared vision and a passion for the land.

Maryland, from the beginning, has recognized the importance of farming to our economic well being as a people. It is for good reason that you find a farmer and a fishermen on the Great Seal of the State of Maryland, and it should serve as a constant reminder to all of the importance these two occupations played in the founding of our state.

We must do all that we can to preserve the right to farm for in doing so, we preserve ourselves.

It is time for a new generation of sowers to rise up that we might preserve liberty for all of our tomorrows. Change is needed if we are to expect farming to remain viable in Maryland. We must demand a regulatory environment that is reality based and governed by the Department of Agriculture and not the Department of the Environment.

We must demand that, before they are implemented, all further regulations and permitting practices take into account the full impact on our farming communities including their long term economic viability. And while the Eastern Shore takes care of our 4% responsibility for the health of our Bay, we must insist that Baltimore City and the metropolitan counties take a hard look in the mirror for the other 96%.

We must insure that those who choose to pass on their farming traditions can do so without the fear of their land being lost by crushing tax liabilities..and we must demand that taxpayer funded law school clinics do not terrorize our farm families. The attacks on our farming traditions must end now.

Every child in Maryland should be required to take a field trip to a family farm. Our culture must be viewed as something more than the fields and barns they drive by on their way to the beach. The children of Maryland need to know that their food does not originate in a grocery store. Education and liberty walk side by side and hand in hand.

I want our young people to know that there is a hope and a future for farming in America and especially on the Eastern Shore. I want them to embrace new and innovative technology and techniques just as those who have gone before them have done throughout history. We are the breadbasket of the world and our farmers lead the way.

In our midst today are tomorrow's farmers. Their hopes and dreams are precious and insure that our own future is secure and prosperous. Today, let us determine to do all we can to protect those dreams. Let us insure that the blessing of the combines does not become a parade of antiques that we dust off once a year to remind ourselves what life use to be like on the Eastern Shore.

Let us stand together today with our farming brethren and again sow the seeds of freedom that will insure that our children’s children have the opportunities of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness all the days of their lives.

May God Bless Maryland."


Rachel Allman has a powerful voice and sang the National Anthem plus a few more songs.  In this photo Rachel sings with The Country Grass.

Little Miss Worcester County Farm Bureau Mallory Lambertson  after the parade.
More photos to be posted.  I haven't even gotten to the parade which was actually before the speeches and the blessing of the combines.  So keep checking back....there's lots more to be posted later today.

Friday, August 3, 2012

Snow Hill's "Arts On the River ~ First Friday"


Blessing of the Combines is Saturday, August 4th

And since this weekend is all about combines dont miss this almost life like handmade combine across the bridge!

The straw combine was designed,  built and painted by the employees of Aurora Agronomy located  in Pocomoke City, Maryland.  They are: Mike Rew, Dean Brittingham and Barry Wise

Be sure to check out the combine after dark! 

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

"Blessing of the Combines" ~ This Saturday....

The Blessing of the Combines

Collectible t-shirt for 2012  designed by Beth McGrath Cooper
Snow Hill, Maryland
Saturday August 4
Begins at 11:00 am

In preparation local farmers - Byron Hauck, Bill Figgs, Roger Richardson, Buster Powell, David Shockley, Virgil Shockley, George Lee Clayville, Jack Shockley and Lee Holloway - are shining up their combines for the Parade of Combines.

Steve Hales will introduce the keynote speaker, Delegate Mike McDermott.

Hundreds of folks gather for this annual celebration of agriculture, strolling Green Street’s booths, visiting Bank Street’s craft and food vendors, learning from Scales and Tales, checking out antique tractors and garden tractors, and taking a hay ride or a carriage ride.

Young people look forward to pony rides, the Children’s Tractor Pull, and games (and Lollipop) at the Children’s Barnyard on Pearl Street.

Adults await the Pie Eating Contest. All tap a toe to the music of The Country Grass, Rachel Allman, The Waters Family and Danny Jackson.

They head toward the Pocomoke River to admire The Wheels that Heal Car Show and "The Journey", a pontoon cruise boat. They are drawn to the sounds and scents of the Petting Barnyard’s horses, donkeys, sheep, alpaca, rabbits and chickens. They enjoy the hospitality of downtown eateries, shops, galleries and businesses.

These same folks stand silently as the Snow Hill High School Marine Corps ROTC color guard presents the American flag, Rachel Allman sings the national anthem, and Rev. Tina Whaley delivers a brief homily and then blesses the combines.

Collectible T-Shirts, designed this year by area artist Beth McGrath Cooper, are available at Snow Hill Flower and Gift Shop in downtown Snow Hill on Washington Street.

Event hours are from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm. The Parade of Combines sets off at 11:15 am and will be on Green Street by 11:30 am.

For details contact Becky Payne at 443-783-1715, or email kfisher44@verizon.net.


Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Museum Program & Luncheon

Tickets are on sale for the Purnell Museum's special program Maids & Mistresses at the Nassawango Country Club on May 19th.

Live models will help us explore the realities of Victorian women's lives by taking a close look at the styles they wore.

An elegant lunch is included in the ticket price of $25. Call the museum for more details: 410-632-0515.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Two Historic Snow Hill Buildings Are Saved

This is so wonderful for the beautiful town of Snow Hill.

There probably isn't a person in Worcester County that never shopped at Goodman Clothing Store, or at least have heard the name. 

There aren't many that never dined at  the Snow Hill Inn.  Once one  of the finest restaurants in the area years ago.  I don't ever remember eating an undesirable meal there or an unpleasant dining experience.  I never saw J.J. the ghost....  not even on the one night my husband and I slept there.  In fact, I've probably seen more ghosts in my home.  Besides, ghosts don't frighten me.

It's just wonderful to know that two properties that hold so many memories will soon be bustling with activity!

SNOW HILL -- Two historic Snow Hill properties were sold at auction, and their new owners are locals who want to reshape each for use in the 21st century.

The former Goodman Clothing Store at 110 Green St. and the Snow Hill Inn at 104 E. Market St. were gaveled into new ownership by Marshall Auctions. The Goodman Building was sold to Snow Hill Realtor and business owner Gary Weber for $26,000. The Snow Hill Inn went to Shane C. Spain of Snow Hill for $42,000. Each auction had four bidders.

Both buildings were sold by owner PNC Bank, and the bank had sought a $50,000 minimum bid for each, according to auctioneer Doug Marshall.

"It's unbelievable to see the banks selling them this cheap," he said. "That's what that thing sold for, probably, in the 1930s. It's scary when you see the market in these little towns going back to that pre-Depression era pricing. Welcome to downtown America."

Spain says he plans to significantly renovate the Snow Hill Inn, which property records says dates to 1790, into a livable single-family home for his son, his wife and their three children.

"We just bought a $250,000 house for $42,000," Spain said with a smile. "Where else can you do that?"

In the second half of the 19th century, the home was owned by Dr. John S. Aydelotte, a prominent Snow Hill physician, according to documents in the Maryland State Archives.

Aydelotte reworked the property "in Victorian taste" about the time of the Civil War. He added a metal fence with a swinging gate that still bears his name. With the exception of an addition across the back of the house, the building is mostly unchanged since the Civil War.

The house was sold and made into apartments after Aydelotte's death, and later was turned into a bed and breakfast, according to Jim Washington, a former owner of the property. Washington lived in the building for about 15 years and later turned it into a restaurant. It has stood vacant for several years since his departure.

Washington said the house is haunted by the spirit of a man who took his own life in the 1920s or '30s. He nicknamed the ghost J.J.

In his first five years living there, Washington always had a reason to explain away the strange activity in the house -- candles blowing out on their own, strange activity with burning fireplaces -- before he saw something than convinced him that he wasn't alone n the house.

"I'm sitting there doing paperwork," Washington recalled. "All the doors are locked and it's late. One of my employees walked in, and I said, 'What are you doing here? How'd you get in?' Thin tie, old-looking gray suit. I watched him walk by me -- I still get the chills when I think about it -- and faded. I talked to this guy, and I believed that was a real human being there. And I still believe what I saw."

Spain doesn't necessarily believe the ghost stories, but he doesn't mind, either.


Goodman Clothing Store
PHOTO/ Brian Shane/ Wor. Co. Times

"For 42 grand, he can stay as long as he wants," Spain said.

The roughly 8,800-square-foot, two-story Goodman building was in significant disrepair at the time of the auction. Its two downstairs storefronts were empty and the flooring had been ripped up.

Its recent history as an antique mall was evidenced by a greens-and-tinsel-wrapped pole propped against the wall, tufts of synthetic snowy fluff on the floor beside it. The building also had briefly housed a popular wine bar.

Weber plans to significantly renovate the property, and hand over its operation to the Worcester County Children's Theater. He also plans to lease retail space on the first floor.

"I didn't really think I was going to get this stupid thing," he said.

Weber said he wants to see owner-operated businesses flourish in downtown Snow Hill, so it can grow to be as popular as Berlin.

The Goodman family ran the building as a clothing shop for more than 100 years, according to Jeff Chapman, a Realtor and Snow Hill native.

According to documents from the Maryland State Archives, it was Dr. Aydelotte who opened the retail property following a downtown fire in 1893, and the store first was occupied by William and Annie Goodman of Baltimore. There were two separate storefronts on the ground level until they were joined by an arched doorway through an open wall in 1924.

Records show the Goodmans still ran the store through at least 1988.

Source;  http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20110915/WCT01/109150315/Historic-Snow-Hill-buildings-sell-for-a-song?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Worcester County Times|p