Between Fences and Good Neighbors
On display from March 11 – April 30, 2011
Opening Reception: Sunday, March 13, 2011 from 2:00 to 4:00 pm
Between Fences
We live between fences. We may hardly notice them, but they are dominant features in our lives and in our history. Thousands of types have been invented, millions of miles have been produced, and countless rivals have seized post, rail, panel, and wire to stake their claims. In 1871, the Department of Agriculture estimated the total value of fences in the United States at 1.7 billion, a sum almost equal to the national debt. Our past is defined by the cutting point of barbed steel and the staccato rhythm of the white picket. Built of hedge, concrete, wood and metal, the fence skirts our properties and is central to the American landscape.
The United States as we know it could not have been settled and built without fences; they continue to be an integral part of the nation. Fences stand for security: we use them to enclose our houses and neighborhoods. They are decorative structures that are as much part of the landscape as trees and flowers. Industry and agriculture without fences would be difficult to imagine. Private ownership of land would be an abstract concept. But fences are more than functional objects. They are powerful symbols. The way we define ourselves as individuals and as a nation becomes concrete in how we build fences.
The picket fence plays a legendary role in the United States: it is the very symbol of home. Battles between farmers and ranchers, fought with barbed wire fence, were flash points in the nationwide debate over enclosure and access to land and resources. The chain link fence has come to surround playgrounds, factories, and houses. The industrialization of the fence and with it, land and house - is essential for understanding contemporary life.
Between Fences will enlighten audiences who live surrounded by these familiar objects whose history and meaning they hardly suspect. The exhibition will engage children and adults while providing a setting for family communications and interaction between unacquainted visitors. In addition to objects and images relating to the exhibition stories, fence materials will include tools, photographs, and publications including product literature, journals, postcards, and posters.
Between Fences has been made possible in Montgomery County by the Maryland Humanities Council in collaboration with the Montgomery County Historical Society and the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County. Between Fences is part of Museum on Main Street, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and the Federation of State Humanities Councils. Support for Museum on Main Street has been provided by the United States Congress, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, and The Hearst Foundation.
Good Neighbors: Fences in Montgomery County
Good Neighbors: Fences in Montgomery County, is a companion exhibit to Between Fences developed by the Montgomery County Historical Society. 
Good Neighbors takes the same themes discussed in Between Fences and examines Montgomery County's s
tory of gradual transition from a rural to suburban community. This exhibit explores the ways in which the county-- from the government down to the individual homeowner or renter--divides and uses the land and discusses the changes and constants in the economy, demographics, politics, and culture related to the "fences" in our community.
Programs
Opening Reception
Sunday, March 13, 2-4 p.m.
The Betty Mae Kramer Gallery and Music Room, Silver Spring Civic Building
Join us for an afternoon reception at the Betty Mae Kramer Gallery and Music Room, and be among the first to see the exhibits Between Fences and Good Neighbors (on display through April 30th). Light refreshments. Free admission.
Lunch Time Tours
Wednesdays, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
The Betty Mae Kramer Gallery and Music Room, Silver Spring Civic Building
Join us Wednesdays for Lunch Time tours of the Between Fences and Good Neighbors exhibits. Staff will be on hand to answer questions and provide visitors with a brief orientation to the exhibit.
March 16, 23, 30 and April 6, 13, 20, 27. Free admission. Learn more.
Genealogy Club Workshop: Researching Your Home
Saturday, March 12, 11 a.m.-12 p.m., Montgomery County Historical Society Library
Learn about the many ways to research the history of your home and property. Members of the MCHS Genealogy Club will host this workshop for those interested in learning the history of their home. After a short presentation describing available records, participants will be able to use the resources of the MCHS Library to research their homes and land.
Admission $5 (free for MCHS members). Learn more.
Lecture: “The Crab Grass Frontier: Lawns, Sensibilities, and Sustainability” by John Wennersten
Wednesday, March 16, 7:00 p.m.
The Betty Mae Kramer Gallery and Music Room, Silver Spring Civic Building
Author John Wennersten, former Professor of History at the University of Maryland - Eastern Shore, will talk about the history of the concept of a “lawn,” the cultural meanings Americans place on their yards and lawns, and the problems of sustainability and environmental concerns that the modern lawn creates. Sponsored by the Maryland Humanities Council.
In the Ellsworth Room, Silver Spring Civic Building. Free admission. Learn more.
Walking Tour: Cabin John
Sunday, March 20, 2 -3:30 p.m., Clara Barton Community Center
Join Judith Welles, author of Cabin John: Legends and Life of an Uncommon Place, for a history walk in Cabin John to sites from the mid-1800s. The walk will cross the Cabin John Bridge with stories about the Civil War era bridge, trolley turnaround, and Victorian resort hotel. Meet at Clara Barton Community Center, 7425 MacArthur Blvd, Cabin John. Free - reservations required. Learn more.
Walking Tour: Silver Spring
Saturday, April 2, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m., Silver Spring Civic Building
Jerry A. McCoy, founder/president of the Silver Spring Historical Society and author of Historic Silver Spring and Downtown Silver Spring, will conduct this two hour, half-mile walking tour of Silver Spring. Learn about the hidden history of Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring’s “Main Street.” Meet at the Silver Spring Civic Building (corner of Ellsworth and Fenton), downtown Silver Spring; street and garage parking available. Tour ends at the B&O Railroad Station, 8100 Georgia Avenue. Free - reservations required. Learn more
Cemetery Walking Tour
Saturday, April 9, 10 a.m., Rockville Union Cemetery
Eileen McGuckian, author of several books on Rockville, including Rockville: Portrait of a City, and vice president of Rockville Cemetery Association, will lead a walking tour of Rockville’s oldest burial ground, dating back to the 1840s. Tour lasts about an hour and forty-five minutes. Meet at Rockville Cemetery, at the caretaker’s cottage in the upper cemetery, on Avery Road just off Baltimore Road. Parking is available on interior roads of the cemetery or in a small lot on Avery Road above the lawn at Rockville Civic Center Park. Free - reservations required. Learn more.
Genealogy Club Workshop: Researching Your Home
Tuesday, April 26, 7:00-9:00 p.m., Montgomery County Historical Society Library
Learn about the many ways to research the history of your home and property. Members of the MCHS Genealogy Club will host this workshop for those interested in learning the history of their home. After a short presentation describing available records, participants will be able to use the resources of the MCHS Library to research their homes and land.
Admission $5 (free for MCHS members). Learn more.
801 Ellsworth Drive
Silver Spring, MD 20910
T: 301-565-3805 | F: 301-565-3809
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