William Early House Tour

The following information was buried in a comment. None of us should miss the chance to walk through what promises to be a beautiful property. Thanks to UUMom for bringing it to our attention.

You are Invited to the

100th Anniversary Celebration

of the William Early House
in Brandywine, Maryland

Sept. 16, 2007

for a historic tour includes food & brief lecture

sponsored by Prince George's County Historical Society

for more information or reminder, subscribe to either:

PGHist-chat or PGHistory-L from PGHistory.org

or contact 301-782-9922

(Note: there will be a fee to benefit the Society)

Historic Preservation Reception

May 17, 2007
Prince George’s County Historic Preservation Reception
Snow Hill Manor, Laurel from 6 to 8pm.
Historic Preservation Reception celebrating historic preservation in the County with Dr. William Kirwan, Chancellor of the University System of Maryland. In addition, the 2007 List of Endangered Historic Places in Prince George’s County will be announced at the reception.

Free (RSVP required). For more information, contact Pam Cooper, 301-390-0797. Sponsored by M-NCPPC, Prince George’s Heritage, Prince George’s Historical Society, Prince George’s Historic Trust and others.

Update: RSVP quickly! The due date for RSVP’ing was May 9th, so if you plan to come please RSVP immediately to 301-627-2270.

Grand Tour of Prince George's Historic Homes

Wow.

That's the synthesis of my feelings after touring the historic homes here in Prince George's County this past Saturday.

Wow for the sense of history -- a true feeling of walking back in time.

Wow for the beautiful renovation at Bowieville and kudos to the developer for making it happen.

Wow for the beautiful settings, the fabulous furniture, and the impressive architecture.

A special Wow for the lunch provided by the Fellowship Committee at St. Thomas' Parish -- I over-ate just to make sure I sampled everything...even had macaroni and cheese for dessert. And those carrots!

But the biggest Wow -- WOW! -- goes to the homeowners who were so gracious and welcoming. In all the conversations I heard afterwards, everyone mentioned how special it was for the homeowners to open their homes and allow the public to traipse through. How they encouraged us to feel at home. No rushing us through. Happy to answer our questions and point out details.

I want to go back this weekend and do it all over again.

Historic Sites in Prince George's County

There is a terrific book put out by Park and Planning called the Illustrated Inventory of Historic Sites, Prince George's County, Maryland. It was updated in 2006 and -- here's the exciting part -- is now available online.

You'll lose yourself for a couple of hours, just browsing the pages and discovering -- or maybe even re-discovering -- our rich and beautiful history.

New Life for an Old School

There will be a new Fairmont Heights High School sooner rather than later, according to the Gazette.

That it is needed is not in doubt. The question is what to do with the original building. Rumors that the building would be torn down upset many of the students and teachers who passed through its halls over the years.

The good news, according to the article:

"Under the superintendent’s plan, the current Fairmont Heights building – one of the first high schools for African Americans in Prince George’s – would be preserved for community use and possibly be converted into a small, specialized school, according to the plans. The facility, built in 1950 near the District border, could also be used as a museum documenting African American achievements in Prince George’s County."

---Susan Pruden