Diamond in the rough

Kevin Spradlin
Cumberland Times-News

October 05, 2008 11:35 pm

— Click here for the draft plan for the feasibility study

SLABTOWN — A diamond in the rough, carved in the west side of Piney Mountain and cut by the Great Allegheny Passage, could turn into an outdoor learning center for area students of all ages if the results of a feasibility study shows it as a viable product.
Janice Keene, executive director of the Evergreen Heritage Center on Trimble Road, is counting on it as a way to continue telling the story of the Trimble family since the 1700s and, thus, the story of “every man” and families’ successes and failures over the last 200 years.
Sudhir Singh, a member of the marketing and finance faculty at Frostburg State University, is the pro-ject director for the study, which Keene said could be done by the time school starts in 2009. The study is to be paid through a $50,000 to FSU awarded last month by the Appalachian Regional Commission.
Keene said FSU wants to build a “green” conference center or convert the current center, a former garage building, into a center. Another option is to convert the 225-year-old barn into a “rustic” center and meeting place.
The six-bedroom Evergreen Homestead, 225 years old, is the centerpiece of the 130-acre property and has been recognized as a Maryland Historical Home since 1976. The family moved from the home in 1990 and three years later opened the home as a private museum, accessible to the public by appointment.
The property features one of the last remaining stone foundation “bank” barns — structures built into the side of a hill to allow entrances on multiple levels — along with 13 varieties of evergreen trees and 130 acres of wildlife habitat. The barn still holds more than 200 years’ worth of farming implements.
Only recently, however, have family members been motivated to move the project forward. Keene is one of the last surviving descendants of the original Trimble family. Her parents, Donald and Marianna Trimble Keene, live in a house next door to the original plantation.
Janice and Marianna Keene said Friday they hope to see as many of the projects through to completion as possible. In order to do so, they know they’ll need some help. The family has entered partnerships with FSU, the Allegany County Chamber of Commerce and the Allegany Arts Council. Officials from Allegany College of Maryland and the Allegany County Board of Education also have expressed interest in joining the partnership.
The study will determine such a consortium can be established and if the property could qualify as a heritage showcase by offering cultural and educational programs to area students and residents. Janice Keene said there’s plenty of opportunity for everyone in the areas of environmental conservation, historic preservation and education.
“We want to teach students of all ages how to take care of the environment,” Keene said.
And they can learn these lessons by doing quite a bit of the work themselves — all the while furthering the Trimble descendants’ efforts to preserve their family history.
“Hands-on learning experiences are 10 times more valuable than just reading something,” Keene said. “What we want it to be able to accomplish (will) give students a leg up. They’ll have work product to show.”
The home still holds countless family artifacts and resources. The items are from a family that rarely got rid of anything.
“Too many people took care of this for too many generations to let it be destroyed,” said Marianna Keene.
A celebration of the fall season and a tour of the Evergreen Heritage Center is scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday. Tours are by admission.
A 14-page draft feasibility study planning document can be viewed online at www.times-news.com. For more information visit the Mount Savage Historical Society online at www.mountsavagehistoricalsociety.org or call Janice Keene at (301) 687-0664 or e-mail Keene at janicekeene2003@yahoo.com.
Contact Kevin Spradlin at kspradlin@times-news.com.

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