64. Foot Warmer

This wood and tin foot warmer was used during church services at the Sandy Spring Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, one of the oldest Quaker Meetings in Maryland. The brick meeting house (17715 Meeting House Road) has been in continuous use since 1817 when it was constructed to replace a log building on property that been gifted by James Brooke in 1770. The Friends are known for their opposition to war, and they were the first Christian faith to ban slavery. The Quaker community was strong during the 18^th and 19^th centuries in Sandy Spring, Ashton, and Brookeville in the eastern portion of Montgomery County.

This foot warmer is a fairly standard form, punched tin sides and top held in a wooden frame with turned spindles at the corners. Missing is the small tin or iron bucket that would have held hot coals inside. It was donated around 1953 by Mary Briggs Brooke (1875-1964). Her home was named “Falling Green,” a Georgian house built by Quaker planter Basil Brooke in 1764 in what is now Olney, today preserved by the Olney Boys and Girls Community Sports Association.

Next Artifact

Previous Artifact