As Women’s History Month closes, we would like to remember Mary Ann Kephart, a local preservationist whose vision and foresight are responsible for a good deal of the history we see preserved around us in Poolesville.
Mary Ann was a descendant of Steven Newton Chiswell and his son, Joseph Newton Chiswell, who built Chiswell’s Inheritance, a 135-acre Poolesville property completed in 1796 after 40 years.
As a girl growing up in Silver Spring, Mrs. Kephart acted in dramatic presentations at the historic house, which depicted its history and legends. In 1956, Mary Ann and her husband, George, a Foreign Service officer, bought and restored Grayhaven Manor. They returned the property to its original 1756 patent identification: Chiswell Inheritance.
In 1972, after living in Japan and Belgium for years the Kepharts returned to Montgomery County. Mary Ann was dismayed to learn that many of the old farmsteads she had known since childhood had been demolished to make way for housing developments. Inspired by the respect for history she had experienced in Europe, she helped establish two groups to preserve the county’s historic character, the Historic Medley District and Montgomery Preservation. She worked on behalf of the Maryland Historical Trust for eight years.
On behalf of Historic Medley District, Mary Ann approached Maryland’s then-governor, Blair Lee, to request grant money to restore the old Seneca Schoolhouse which has become a living history museum that has allowed thousands of area students to experience the atmosphere of one-room school education. Other restoration projects included the John Poole General Store (John Poole House) and the restoration of the old town hall into the Old Town Hall Bank Museum. All these HMD projects stand as a testament to the vision of Mary Ann Kephart and the mission of HMD to preserve the face of the Poolesville area.