| Sandy Spring Museum | |
| Coordinates: | 39.1496°N -77.0213°W |
| Established: | [1] [2] |
| Type: | 501(c)(3) nonprofit history museum[3] |
| Director: | Allison Weiss[4] |
| President: | David Hickson |
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]
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.[1] [2] 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. In October 1986,[8] 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.[2] Tumbleson descended from the Brooke family, for which nearby Brookeville was named.[2] Tumbleson sold the building to the museum for less than market value.[2]
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.[9]
Helen Bentley, the widow of baseball star Jack Bentley, donated 7.5acres 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.[10] Almost the entire cost of the new location was contributed by local donors.[11] The building was designed by local architects Miche Booz and Thomas Bucci.[11] [12] They based the design local 18th century barns and houses in order to make sure it would blend in with the area.[11] The arched walkway was originally planned from the road to the entrance, but it was shortened to save costs.[11] The architects gave a distinctive feel to each room of the building, and Booz called the central courtyard the "best room in the museum".[11]
The museum's new building on Bentley Road opened in 1997, providing more room for the museum's exhibits.[13]
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 3500square feet addition opened, providing a research library and a collections storage facility for the museum.[10] [15]
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.[13] [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]