Sandy Spring Museum

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Coordinates: 39°08′58″N 77°01′17″W / 39.149577°N 77.021271°W / 39.149577; -77.021271
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Sandy Spring Museum
Map
EstablishedJanuary 5, 1981; 43 years ago (1981-01-05)[2][3]
LocationSandy Spring, Maryland, U.S.
Coordinates39°08′58″N 77°01′17″W / 39.149577°N 77.021271°W / 39.149577; -77.021271
Type501(c)(3) nonprofit history museum[1]
DirectorAllison Weiss[4]
PresidentDavid Hickson[4]
Websitewww.sandyspringmuseum.org

Sandy Spring Museum was founded as a local history museum, preserving the history of the surrounding area of Sandy Spring, MD. Today, by supporting community-driven cultural arts and educational programs, they gather community to build a sense of place and belonging.[5]

History[edit]

An insurance salesman and auctioneer named Delmas Wood started the Sandy Spring Museum in 1981 because he thought Sandy Spring's history was gradually being lost as older residents died.[2][3] Wood wanted a place to preserve antique furniture, farm equipment, photographs, paintings, and documents of the Sandy Spring area.[6] Florence Virginia Barrett Lehman also helped found the museum.[7]

The museum was originally located in the basement of a Sandy Spring National Bank branch in Olney.[8] In October 1986,[9] it moved to Tall Timbers, a brick four-story Colonial house that had been the home of Gladys Brooke Tumbleson, who had died earlier that year.[3] Tumbleson descended from the Brooke family, for which nearby Brookeville was named.[3] Tumbleson sold the building to the museum for less than market value.[3]

Mary Jane Forman Rice founded the Sandy Spring Museum Garden Club, a group of volunteers who tend to the museum's courtyard garden, in 1992.[10]

Helen Bentley, the widow of baseball star Jack Bentley, donated 7.5 acres (30,000 m2) of land on Bentley Road in Sandy Spring to the museum in 1994.[6] The Bentleys' ancestors had lived in Sandy Spring since the late 18th century.[11] Almost the entire cost of the new location was contributed by local donors.[12] The building was designed by local architects Miche Booz and Thomas Bucci.[12][13] They based the design local 18th century barns and houses in order to make sure it would blend in with the area.[12] The arched walkway was originally planned from the road to the entrance, but it was shortened to save costs.[12] The architects gave a distinctive feel to each room of the building, and Booz called the central courtyard the "best room in the museum".[12]

The museum's new building on Bentley Road opened in 1997, providing more room for the museum's exhibits.[8]

Maryland Historical Trust awarded the Educational Excellence Award to Sandy Spring Museum for its interactive exhibit and web site in 2001.[14]

In 2007, a 3,500-square-foot (330 m2) addition opened, providing a research library and a collections storage facility for the museum.[11][15]

Exhibits[edit]

Sandy Spring Museum's exhibits include a replica of a 19th-century classroom, a replica of a blacksmith's shop, a replica of a general store, and a tractor made from a Model T Ford.[8][6] The museum has archived more than 15,000 artifacts and photographs from the area around Sandy Spring.[6] Some of its collection dates back to 1650.[6]

There are temporary exhibitions that rotate quarterly which often focus on art and history or art and current events.[16] The artists featured are frequently but not exclusively local.

A windowed gallery displays art by the faculty of Montgomery College.[6]

Two new exhibits were designed by locals in 2014.[17] One of the exhibits is about veterans transitioning from life in a combat zone to life as a civilian.[17] Another exhibit recreated an existing exhibit about community gathering spaces.[17]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Sandy Spring Museum Inc". Tax Exempt Organization Search. Internal Revenue Service. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Sandy Spring Museum". Maryland Business Express. Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e Meyer, Eugene L. (October 10, 1985). "Museum and Residents Bear Witness To Quaker Tradition of Sandy Spring". The Washington Post. p. MD1.
  4. ^ a b "Staff & Board of Directors". Sandy Spring Museum. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  5. ^ "Our Story and History". Sandy Spring Museum. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Bernstein, Adam (August 24, 2000). "A Window Into Town's Past". The Washington Post. p. M21.
  7. ^ "Florence Lehman, a former Herald reporter, at 84" (obituary). Boston Herald. March 4, 1996.
  8. ^ a b c Ruben, Barbara (September 8, 2001). "Town's Quaker Roots A Calming Influence". The Washington Post. p. J1.
  9. ^ Kessler, Pamela (June 6, 1986). "Maryland Museum Guide". The Washington Post. p. M14.
  10. ^ Rice (July 19, 2006). "Mary Jane Forman" (obituary). The Washington Post. p. B7.
  11. ^ a b "Our Story". Sandy Spring Museum. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
  12. ^ a b c d e Forgey, Benjamin (January 10, 1998). "Sandy Spring Displays Its Past". The Washington Post. p. B1.
  13. ^ Rogers, Patricia Dane (October 31, 2002). "Still Standing After All These Years; An Old Stone House Dresses Up for a New Century". The Washington Post. p. H1.
  14. ^ Jones, Mark (May 3, 2001). "Honors and Awards". The Washington Post. p. T31.
  15. ^ "Note: County planning". The Washington Post. July 28, 2005. p. T9.
  16. ^ "Current Exhibits". Sandy Spring Museum. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  17. ^ a b c Hogan, Terri (March 20, 2014). "Museum's makeover leaves history intact". The Washington Post. p. T20.
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