organized. These were probably the earliest societies of their kind to 

 be organized in the United States. The next twenty years witnessed 

 the organization of four other societies. In 1858 the Lyceum Stock 

 Company was formed and the Lyceum Hall was built. Here began one 

 of the most interesting of local institutions. It was found difficult 

 to muster a quorum for the annual business meeting of the Stock Com- 

 pany. The brilliant idea was conceived of a])pointing an Annalist, a 

 neighborhood historian, who should keep the record of all happenings 

 and read that record at each annual meeting. The first historian was 

 appointed in 1863. It was the wisdom of experience that knew that 

 people always like to hear, themselves talked about. The annual meet- 

 ing ne^'e^ thereafter lacked a quorum. After a number of years the 

 annals were published in book form; three volumes have been issued to 

 date, giving the history of Sandy Spring from its earliest records. And 

 now, after 50 years, though the Lyceum Hall is little used, the Lyceum 

 Stock Company is a flourishing institution, and interest in the annals 

 is as keen as ever. 



The Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Montgomery County began 

 operations in 1848. The Savings Institution was established in 1868. 

 The first turnpike in this section was built in 1860. A railroad has been 

 "about to be built at once" for more than fifty years. In 1872, the 

 first annual convention of Farmers' Clubs of Montgomery County was 

 held. The Olney Grange was organized at about this time. The 

 Maryland Woman's Suffrage Association was originated here in 1889. 

 Something of the significance of these various institutions, all of which 

 are still in existence, will be discussed at a later point. The interesting 

 thing to be noted here is that this community should so early have 

 de\-eloped many of those social institutions which most rural districts, 

 by a long and painful process of education are just now being brought 

 to see the vital importance of and that it should have maintained them 

 and enlarged them as it has. 



There is much that is interesting also in the economic development 

 of the community. Beginning with soil naturally rather poor, it sub- 

 jected it to the same exhaustive tobacco cultivation that prevailed 

 through the remainder of the county. Here, as elsewhere, the price of 

 land dro])ped to a very low figure, reaching its lowest point about 1835. 

 On account of this deterioration of the soil some slight tendency to 

 emigration westward appeared. The first fertilizer experiments were 

 made about this time with lime. In 1838 there were 19 lime kilns 

 within a short radius, the stone being brought 5 to 10 miles. Subse- 

 quent experiments demonstrated the value of bone-dust. In 1844, 

 Peruvian Guano was introduced. The new methods of agriculture 

 which followed these experiments ushered in a period of rapidly in- 



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