58. Temperance Silk

This hand-painted silk banner was created by the Spencerville Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, probably in the early 20th century. One of two banners donated in 1978 by the Spencerville WCTU, this one reads “MONTGOMERY COUNTY, WE SHALL WIN” around an elaborate WCTU logo at the center. It was probably created for a parade or protest, locally or in Washington, but it would also have been an inspirational decoration for meeting places such as the Spencerville WCTU hall (demolished probably in the 1930s) or churches thereafter.

The still active National Woman’s Christian Temperance Union was founded in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1874. Although temperance (abstinence from alcohol and drugs) was the WCTU’s main concern, it also agitated for women’s suffrage, labor reform, and many other issues related to the rights of women and children. The efforts of the WCTU, the Anti-Saloon League, the Prohibition Party and others led to the 1919 ratification of the 18^th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, effectively prohibiting alcoholic beverages.

Local “unions” were formed throughout the country. The WCTU branch in Spencerville, a small community along what is now Route 198 between Sandy Spring and Burtonsville, was most likely formed in the late 1870s and remained active into the 1970s.

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