2023 Black History Month Transcribe-a-Thon

2023 Black History Month Transcribe-a-Thon

In honor of Black History Month 2023, we are celebrating the lives of eight Black men who worked as farm laborers on land near Sandy Spring, Maryland. These pages bear witness to the integral role Black labor played in ensuring the success the farming enterprises of local white landowners. These...

Start Transcribing
    Dr. Caleb Edward Iddings Diaries

    Dr. Caleb Edward Iddings Diaries

    Caleb Edward Iddings, (1829-1904) was a physician in Sandy Spring, Maryland. In 1849, prior to medical school, he joined the wave of young hopefuls traveling to California, seeking fortune during in the Gold Rush. Upon his return from the West, he obtained his medical training at Maryland...

    Start Transcribing
      Enterprise Farmers' Club Minutes

      Enterprise Farmers' Club Minutes

      The Enterprise Farmers’ Club is an agricultural association in Sandy Spring, Maryland that has met continuously since its formation in 1865. The group meets to discuss and exchange thoughts and information related to agricultural practices and the business of farming. The meeting agendas have...

      Start Transcribing
        Home Interest Society Minutes

        Home Interest Society Minutes

        Home Interest, which refers to itself as a “Society,” was founded in Sandy Spring, Maryland, on August 27th, 1870 and has met monthly (more or less) to the present day. Early in its existence, meetings were not held in June and July to free up members to attend to agricultural and...

        Start Transcribing
          Horticultural Society

          Horticultural Society

          The Horticultural Society is an organization in Sandy Spring, Maryland that has met continuously since February 28, 1863! Read about the decisions, members, and happenings of the Society. This collection includes both typewritten and handwritten documents. When formed, the society was seen as...

          Start Transcribing
            Ledgers

            Ledgers

            A collection of ledgers and account books of all type, with a table-based format for transcription.

            Start Transcribing
              Mutual Improvement Association Minutes

              Mutual Improvement Association Minutes

              The Mutual Improvement Association is a women's organization founded in Sandy Spring, Maryland in 1857 and is among the oldest, continually meeting groups of its kind in the United States. The original group was comprised of Quakers and thus meetings are modeled, in part, on a Quaker Meeting...

                Reminiscences

                Reminiscences

                A collection of diaries and reminiscences from Sandy Spring community members. As you explore you'll find travel logs and ledgers, childhood memories and daily activities, some dating as early as 1823.

                Start Transcribing
                  Summer Camp Shenanigans

                  Summer Camp Shenanigans

                  A collection of writing about three local camps from the late 19th and early 20th centuries: Folly Quarter Camp, Camp Dismal, and Camp Wey-up-Hyah. Inside you will find drawings, poetry, songs, and more!

                    The Stabler Family

                    The Stabler Family

                    Letters, diaries, scrapbooks and more associated with the Stabler family of Sandy Spring.

                    Start Transcribing
                      The Wednesday Club Minutes

                      The Wednesday Club Minutes

                      The Wednesday Club, a woman-only social club/literary society, originated in Sandy Spring, Maryland, on January 1904. The Wednesday Club is a member of the Greater Federation of Women's Clubs and has met continuously since January 1904.

                        United Nations Day Transcribe-a-thon

                        United Nations Day Transcribe-a-thon

                        For the October transcribe-a-thon, we are honoring United Nations Day by featuring essays and works by local historical figure Allan Farquhar (1853-1944), a prolific writer and an advocate for global peace.

                          [Complete!] American Friends Service Committee Letters

                          [Complete!] American Friends Service Committee Letters

                          This is a collection of 32, mostly typewritten letters, in making arrangements for sponsorship of a German refugee family to relocate to Sandy Spring in 1938. This collection was highlighted in our Sept. 21, 2021 newsletter.

                            [Complete!] Crossed Letters

                            [Complete!] Crossed Letters

                            Crossed Letters are letters written with two separate sets of writings that cross over one another. This was often used to save on postal fees and to conserve paper as well. These letters can be aesthetically beautiful, and rather tricky to decipher, but solving them is extremely rewarding!

                              [Complete!] Misc. Club Minutes

                              [Complete!] Misc. Club Minutes

                              IMAGE: Young boys at Harewood, undated (SSM1993.0067.0002)

                                [Complete!] The Neighbors Minutes

                                [Complete!] The Neighbors Minutes

                                The Neighbors is a social club in Sandy Spring, Maryland that was established on May 20, 1897, and has met continuously since then. The Neighbors was organized as a protest against the extravagance seen in some of the other community social clubs. Initially, sandwiches and coffee were the...

                                  01b- Sandy Spring Community Council

                                  Founded on May1, 1928, the group was formed to co-ordinate community welfare activities among the various clubs in Sandy Spring, Maryland.

                                  Edward Stabler Letters

                                  Edward Stabler (1794-1883) was a true polymath; he was a farmer, postmaster, seal maker, and inventor. In fact, he designed the very first United States presidential seal! These letters are generally from people and organizations seeking his services.

                                  Kummer Family Letters

                                  Part of a collection of correspondence among 4 siblings spanning nearly 7 decades! The Kummer family was from the Moravian community in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. All siblings were teachers. Sister Sophia married Edward Peirce from Brookeville, Maryland and sister Carrie eventually followed her to...

                                  Frank T. Lea Letters

                                  Frank Lea was a missionary in Angola writing to his parents at home in Sandy Spring.