Voices of Laurel | Winter 2021
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PUBLISHED BY THE LAUREL HISTORY BOYS OF WINTER 2021 LAURELHISTORY.COM VOICES LAUREL VOL. 1, NO. 1 A JOURNALISTIC COLLECTIVE FOR LAUREL, MARYLAND LEAD STORY A New Kind of Newspaper b y RICHARD FRIEND a n d KEVIN LEONARD elcome to the inaugural issue to enhance our mission of bringing local doing for the past 10 years in the Laurel We’re looking for folks who have unique of Voices of Laurel, a new kind history to you. We are careful to present Leader, with his new column, “The stories and perspectives—whether that Wof newspaper produced by these contributions as they are told by Laurel Chronicles.” Richard Friend has a be through experience, age, or maybe The Laurel History Boys. our contributors. It’s important to be in variety of features planned—ranging from something else entirely. By sharing such The Laurel History Boys is a 501(c)(3) their voices, not ours. nostalgic to notorious. And Pete Lewnes, stories we get to know our community charitable non-profit organization. Our We are surprised and thrilled when the preeminent collector of Laurel better and perhaps learn something about mission is to bring local history to you. We stories or photos surface that we’ve memorabilia, will showcase his collection our town—and ourselves. do that with community presentations, never heard of or seen before. It happens with a curated new display in each issue. We hope to increase our roster of books, videos, our website, social media, so frequently that we are certain these The paper, which is free, will be contributors to reflect the diversity of the and other history-based projects to pages will be filled for some time to come. electronically distributed quarterly as a area. If you or anyone you know would educate the public about local history. And giving people an opportunity to tell PDF file. A link to the paper will be on our like to become a contributor, please Voices of Laurel is our latest project to do their own stories will present a unique Facebook page and web site. contact us. just that. perspective. Voices of Laurel represents a true You might become a regular What makes this a new kind of Each of The Laurel History Boys will collective, and includes writers and contributor, or perhaps you’d just like newspaper is that it is an outlet for contribute to the paper. Kevin Leonard artists from a diverse background. What to try your hand at writing a piece for a contributions from the community— will continue his reporting of historical they all have in common, of course, is a single issue. Either way, we want to hear people with stories, photos, and artifacts events and people, just as he has been connection to Laurel. your voice! THE LAUREL CHRONICLES PROFILES The History of Laurel’s Post Office Chief Chronicler b y KEVIN LEONARD b y MELANIE DZWONCHYK ny institution that’s been around uring my 22 years on the staff of the Laurel for 184 years is bound to have Leader, not a day went by that I wasn’t A its share of interesting stories. D reminded of the legacy of Gertrude Poe. Laurel’s Post Office is no exception. The From callers who spoke of the “News Leader,” as Laurel Post Office had four different the paper was titled under her tenure, to digging locations before settling into its current around in the clip files and finding tear sheets from building at 324 Main Street. Both times, newspapers produced under her leadership and when the current post office building measuring myself against her high standards, the was originally built in 1937 and, again, influence of this pioneering woman impacted every when it was expanded in 1967, the decision I made while at the helm of the Leader. Federal Government took possession A self-taught journalist, Gertrude was handed the It’s unclear exactly when it moved, but the 1894 of the lot under eminent domain from the same editor’s job in 1938, and stayed at it for a staggering Laurel Illustrated Residence and Business Directory family. And both times, after losing their house to the four decades. contains a photo of the “New Postoffice” at 397 Main government, the family physically moved the house As I wrote in a Laurel Leader editorial after her death Street, across from the Citizen’s National Bank. structure to a different location. on July 13, 2017 at the age of 101, Gertrude “guided her The building was owned by J. Spaulding Flannery, weekly broadsheet as four decades of American life was editor of the long-defunct Laurel Journal and the First Hundred Years (1837-1937) filtered through the little mill town on the Patuxent and postmaster in 1894. The post office occupied the first The first post office was established in 1837 for reported on the pages of the Leader.” floor, and the newspaper was produced upstairs. Laurel Factory, as the town was known then. Before In the last years of her life, I often visited Gertrude In 1905, after Postmaster Charles F. Shaffer, Jr. that, the closest post office was in Vansville, near at her lovely home in Ashton, where we would sit in (owner of Shaffer Lumber Company) resigned, Beltsville. Although there’s no official record of the glass-enclosed sunroom and watch the birds and Congressman Sydney E. Mudd appointed Mayor it, that first post office was likely in a small shed other wildlife that filled her backyard. Gustavus B. Timanus as postmaster at Laurel. In off Main Street on a street that became known as Sometimes we would talk, mostly we just sat with addition to serving as mayor, Timanus had been the “Postoffice Ave.” (Much later it was changed to one another. But her great niece Vicci Rodgers told superintendent for years at the Laurel Cotton Mill. Post Office Ave.) He resigned as mayor to take the new position, and a special election was held to replace him. CONTINUED ON PAGE 17 The Leader was not sorry to see him go, and subtly criticized Timanus’ tenure as mayor by declaring “the interests of the public may be and generally INSIDE: are opposed by a select few, who imagine that everything should be done for their interest.” However, as postmaster, Timanus earned praise JIM CLASH from the Leader when he “placed in the office a desk for the use of the public, which is a convenience to Two Laurel Friends 3 be appreciated. It is understood that the postmaster Reconnect—at 165 mph contemplates a number of changes for the efficiency of the service and convenience of the patrons.” One JEFF KRULIK of those changes was to move the post office into a larger building next door on Main Street in 1907, Led Zeppelin Played Here 11 which afforded much more room for its growing operations. “Laurel is now quite a center for mail PETE LEWNES distribution, having two rural carriers and two star routes which serve portions of Howard and Matchbooks From the Past 12 Montgomery counties.” 5 In an interesting backstory, when the post office moved next door, the building was sold to the Laurel Plus much more! Melanie Dzwonchyk with legendary Laurel Leader editor, CONTINUED ON PAGE 15 Gertrude Poe. (Photo courtesy of Melanie Dzwonchyk) 2 VOICES OF LAUREL | WINTER 2021 EDITORIAL Watch Your Step, Steward Manor Apartments City Councilmember helps right a wrong after property manager ignores accessibility request b y RICHARD FRIEND ust before I started first her doctor. “Who do you grade way back in 1978, think you are?” he asked her, Jmy family moved to condescendingly. Steward Manor apartments. After hearing this, I The first building we lived in wrote to Steward Manor’s was 2 Woodland Court. It was parent company, Southern there that I met my oldest and Management, via their website best friends, twin brothers in September. I explained Rodney and Ronald Pressley. that the manager’s actions The Pressley family, including were unacceptable, and mom Tina and daughter, that the missing hand rail Audrey, had already been living is also an accessibility code there for nearly three years by violation. Ironically, multiple the time I arrived. other buildings on the very Some 45 years later, Tina same street do have hand Pressley, now in her mid-70s, rails in place—despite their still lives there—in that very steps being shorter and less same apartment. treacherous than those in front She recently had knee of 2 Woodland. replacement surgery, and a Not receiving a reply, I lengthy recovery has severely wrote again a few weeks hindered her mobility. later. And yet again, Southern Ironically, while she’s been Management failed to respond. able to get around her second- On October 15th, I notified floor apartment fairly well, it’s City Councilmember Carl the two steps in front of the DeWalt, asking if he might building that have become a intervene. problem for her. He paid a visit to the Why? There’s no hand rail. Steward Manor rental office, Two simple concrete and after leaving his business steps—an obstacle that most card, received a call from the of us without mobility issues manager later that same day. wouldn’t think twice about The manager denied having skipping over in our haste to brushed off the request, and The lack of a hand rail at the 2 Woodland Court entrance became both an inconvenience and a health risk for one long- get to or from the building—are falsely claimed that he had time resident after major knee surgery.