History of the Rohrersville Ruritan Club - The First 60 Years
Old Rohrersville School
The Rohrersville Ruritan Club was organized on July 6, 1952, and chartered on July 30, 1952, as the third club in Maryland, with 21 members signing the charter. It was organized by the Keedysville Club, which was the Maryland pioneer club. The aim of our club, as with all Ruritan clubs, is to participate in projects to promote Community Service, Fellowship, and Goodwill.
In order to finance the many community improvement projects, the club embarked on various fund-raising activities. The first fund-raising activity of the new club was a shooting match. Several years later we had Donkey Baseball Games. We held our first Chicken Barbecue on August 20, 1954, this being the first in the area. These were continued for a number of ears with a permanent Barbecue pit being built in the part in 1962. In 1958, we held the first Strawberry Festival with homemade ice cream. With the exception of several years, these have continued through the present time.
The year 1963 was the first year of the Rohrersville Carnival, which was sponsored for several years with the Washington County Amvets Association. The Club continued the carnival through 1987, a total of 25 years. This was always held Saturday through Saturday, the week including July 4. The Rohrersville Carnival was one of the major carnivals in the county.
The Rohrersville Elementary School closed in June 1978, and was acquired by the Ruritan Club in September 1978. At that time, the ladies of the Ruritan began the Ruritan Auxiliary. They provide meals for 6 of the year's monthly meetings, with area churches providing the remainder. In November 1978, the club sponsored the first Turkey, Ham, and Oyster Supper in the schoolhouse. These have continued until the present, almost 25 years, average about 6 per year, or almost 150 suppers, averaging about 350 meals each supper. (52,500 meals)
The Ruritan Club has provided the food stands for several estate sales. For several years, we operated a food stand during Boonsboro Days at Auction Square. We demonstrated how homemade ice cream was made.
The Turkey, Ham, and Oyster Supper and the Strawberry Festival remain our major source of funds.
In recent years, the Ruritan Club and the Rohrersville Fire Sub-Station #8 have joined forces to sponsor about 4 basket bingo parties per year in the schoolhouse. The hope this will become a continuing event, and be a major support to the fire station and the Ruritan Club.
The Rohrersville Ruritan club sponsored the organization of the Brownsville-Gapland Ruritan Club (now Pleasant Valley) in 1954.
The Ruritan Club has done many things to be of service to the community in an effort to make this a better place to live. One of the first of these was to revive the Mountain Top Vester Services at Crampton's Gap, now Gathland State Park. During the month of July 1953, services were held each Sunday evening, with cooperation of the churches in Burkittsville, Brownsville, and Rohrersville cooperating. They were continued for a number of years.
Blood drives through the Red Cross were supported and charity drives were conducted. The hospital bed and wheel chair loaning program was started in 1954, and has grown into a very active continuing service to the community.
Little League Baseball was started and we were a part of the Ruritan Little League for at least 15 years. For several years in the early 1970's the club sponsored the summer playground program in the park, in cooperation with the United Way.
The first Easter Egg hunt was held in 1956, and continues each year to the present, to the delight of 50 to 100 children, and many parents.
In 1957, the club began Christmas caroling at Reeder's Memorial Home and Fahrney-Keedy Home. Carolers walk the halls caroling, and visit with 200-300 residents, while Santa Claus and his helpers, give a treat and visits with each resident. They look forward to Santa's and our return each year.
In 1958, the club voted to buy an 8 1/2 acre field for $3,000 which has been developed into the Rohrersville Community Park. The park was dedicated on September 13, 1959. Over the years, three pavilions have been built, a well drilled, bathrooms installed, bandstand built, playground equipment purchased, ball fields graded, and a soccer field added. Plans are being completed for additional grading to add a second soccer field and parking areas. These fields are used as the practice and homefields for several teams of the Boonsboro Soccer League, which have been using the park field since 1990.
The park is open to the public for reunions, concerts, family outings, and relaxation on a daily basis.
The former Rohrersville Elementary School Building and grounds are used as the main headquarters of the Ruritan Club. Club meetings, suppers, and other activities are held there. The building is also used by other groups for social activities and has been the Rohrersville Election Precinct. One of the classrooms is used for storage of hospital beds, wheelchairs, walkers, etc.
In 1981, an agreement was reached between the Ruritan Club and the Washington County Commissioners for the county to install a fenced tennis court on the school ground property at a cost to the club of $1,500. The court is open for public use.
The Ruritan has sponsored a Boy Scout troop from December 1967 until it became inactive in 2001, due to lack of interest of the boys. One of the classrooms of the school was their headquarters, and the park was used nearly every year for camping. The scouts were very active in the State Adopt-A-Highway program, which the Ruritan Club began to sponsor in 1991 and continues today. They won many awards at summer camp. Several scouts from the troop achieved Eagle Scout.
The Rohrersville Ruritan Club has had a team in various duck-pin bowling leagues for most of the 60 years of service.
A scholarship fund was established in 1987. Each year a $300 scholarship was given to a deserving high school senior. Beginning in 1998, the scholarship has been $600 each year as part of the Ruritan National Foundation Double-Your-Dollar Program.
Over the years the club as donated money to needy families, fire victims, the local fire and ambulance companies, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, geography bees, and other individual and organizations as the needs become known.
One of the most notable fellowship events sponsored by the club was Rohrersville Day, held in May each year for 7 years, 1976 through 1982. Family nights, picnics, bowling league, and fund-raising activities all promote fellowship and goodwill among the citizens of the community.
In January 1996, Ruritan National voted to have women join the Ruritan Clubs as members. The Rohrersville Ruritan Club has never been a very large organization. Membership has varied from a high of 32 members to a low of 15, usually having from 20-25 members, which is the present size. The club has had very few "social" members. Nearly 100% of the membership gives freely of their time and special talents at fund-raising and the many special services which the club provides.
One of the disadvantages of owning the park and the school property is the cost of occupancy and maintenance. Much of fund-raising goes to these projects. However, in 1998 the roof of the schoolhouse was replaced with a grant of $21,500 from the Washington County Gaming Commission.
Goodwill within the club and into the community certainly has been achieved. We have a good foundation to build on. Let's look into our community to see how we can continue to improve our community life.
In order to finance the many community improvement projects, the club embarked on various fund-raising activities. The first fund-raising activity of the new club was a shooting match. Several years later we had Donkey Baseball Games. We held our first Chicken Barbecue on August 20, 1954, this being the first in the area. These were continued for a number of ears with a permanent Barbecue pit being built in the part in 1962. In 1958, we held the first Strawberry Festival with homemade ice cream. With the exception of several years, these have continued through the present time.
The year 1963 was the first year of the Rohrersville Carnival, which was sponsored for several years with the Washington County Amvets Association. The Club continued the carnival through 1987, a total of 25 years. This was always held Saturday through Saturday, the week including July 4. The Rohrersville Carnival was one of the major carnivals in the county.
The Rohrersville Elementary School closed in June 1978, and was acquired by the Ruritan Club in September 1978. At that time, the ladies of the Ruritan began the Ruritan Auxiliary. They provide meals for 6 of the year's monthly meetings, with area churches providing the remainder. In November 1978, the club sponsored the first Turkey, Ham, and Oyster Supper in the schoolhouse. These have continued until the present, almost 25 years, average about 6 per year, or almost 150 suppers, averaging about 350 meals each supper. (52,500 meals)
The Ruritan Club has provided the food stands for several estate sales. For several years, we operated a food stand during Boonsboro Days at Auction Square. We demonstrated how homemade ice cream was made.
The Turkey, Ham, and Oyster Supper and the Strawberry Festival remain our major source of funds.
In recent years, the Ruritan Club and the Rohrersville Fire Sub-Station #8 have joined forces to sponsor about 4 basket bingo parties per year in the schoolhouse. The hope this will become a continuing event, and be a major support to the fire station and the Ruritan Club.
The Rohrersville Ruritan club sponsored the organization of the Brownsville-Gapland Ruritan Club (now Pleasant Valley) in 1954.
The Ruritan Club has done many things to be of service to the community in an effort to make this a better place to live. One of the first of these was to revive the Mountain Top Vester Services at Crampton's Gap, now Gathland State Park. During the month of July 1953, services were held each Sunday evening, with cooperation of the churches in Burkittsville, Brownsville, and Rohrersville cooperating. They were continued for a number of years.
Blood drives through the Red Cross were supported and charity drives were conducted. The hospital bed and wheel chair loaning program was started in 1954, and has grown into a very active continuing service to the community.
Little League Baseball was started and we were a part of the Ruritan Little League for at least 15 years. For several years in the early 1970's the club sponsored the summer playground program in the park, in cooperation with the United Way.
The first Easter Egg hunt was held in 1956, and continues each year to the present, to the delight of 50 to 100 children, and many parents.
In 1957, the club began Christmas caroling at Reeder's Memorial Home and Fahrney-Keedy Home. Carolers walk the halls caroling, and visit with 200-300 residents, while Santa Claus and his helpers, give a treat and visits with each resident. They look forward to Santa's and our return each year.
In 1958, the club voted to buy an 8 1/2 acre field for $3,000 which has been developed into the Rohrersville Community Park. The park was dedicated on September 13, 1959. Over the years, three pavilions have been built, a well drilled, bathrooms installed, bandstand built, playground equipment purchased, ball fields graded, and a soccer field added. Plans are being completed for additional grading to add a second soccer field and parking areas. These fields are used as the practice and homefields for several teams of the Boonsboro Soccer League, which have been using the park field since 1990.
The park is open to the public for reunions, concerts, family outings, and relaxation on a daily basis.
The former Rohrersville Elementary School Building and grounds are used as the main headquarters of the Ruritan Club. Club meetings, suppers, and other activities are held there. The building is also used by other groups for social activities and has been the Rohrersville Election Precinct. One of the classrooms is used for storage of hospital beds, wheelchairs, walkers, etc.
In 1981, an agreement was reached between the Ruritan Club and the Washington County Commissioners for the county to install a fenced tennis court on the school ground property at a cost to the club of $1,500. The court is open for public use.
The Ruritan has sponsored a Boy Scout troop from December 1967 until it became inactive in 2001, due to lack of interest of the boys. One of the classrooms of the school was their headquarters, and the park was used nearly every year for camping. The scouts were very active in the State Adopt-A-Highway program, which the Ruritan Club began to sponsor in 1991 and continues today. They won many awards at summer camp. Several scouts from the troop achieved Eagle Scout.
The Rohrersville Ruritan Club has had a team in various duck-pin bowling leagues for most of the 60 years of service.
A scholarship fund was established in 1987. Each year a $300 scholarship was given to a deserving high school senior. Beginning in 1998, the scholarship has been $600 each year as part of the Ruritan National Foundation Double-Your-Dollar Program.
Over the years the club as donated money to needy families, fire victims, the local fire and ambulance companies, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, geography bees, and other individual and organizations as the needs become known.
One of the most notable fellowship events sponsored by the club was Rohrersville Day, held in May each year for 7 years, 1976 through 1982. Family nights, picnics, bowling league, and fund-raising activities all promote fellowship and goodwill among the citizens of the community.
In January 1996, Ruritan National voted to have women join the Ruritan Clubs as members. The Rohrersville Ruritan Club has never been a very large organization. Membership has varied from a high of 32 members to a low of 15, usually having from 20-25 members, which is the present size. The club has had very few "social" members. Nearly 100% of the membership gives freely of their time and special talents at fund-raising and the many special services which the club provides.
One of the disadvantages of owning the park and the school property is the cost of occupancy and maintenance. Much of fund-raising goes to these projects. However, in 1998 the roof of the schoolhouse was replaced with a grant of $21,500 from the Washington County Gaming Commission.
Goodwill within the club and into the community certainly has been achieved. We have a good foundation to build on. Let's look into our community to see how we can continue to improve our community life.