Hands-on with history

Showalter remains involved in preserving the past

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by DARWIN WEIGEL Joseph Showalter, 93, of Scientists Cliffs has been involved in preserving Calvert County’s history for decades, including being the driving force behind preserving Linden, the current home of the Calvert County Historical Society. E-Mail This Article | Print This Story

Born and raised in Shenandoah Valley, Va., Showalter was born in a time without cars, cell phones or computers (he still doesn’t use a computer to this day). He went to school for a master’s degree in plant pathology and worked at Scientists Cliffs and got into building homes. He had a nursery at the time that eventually turned into a business.

‘‘I have a small nursery [called ‘Bending Bow’] and I still operate and people still ask me questions.”

He took an interest in preserving the Linden house for Calvert County. Showalter was one of the founding members of the Calvert County Historical Society.

‘‘Our job is to take care of the house and use it as we see fit,” Denise Cherry of Lusby said. Cherry is the director of the Calvert County Historical Society.

In 1954, Showalter became a charter member of the historical society. It was formed by Dr. Reginald Truitt of the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory in Solomons. Showalter got a couple people together to form a society that could document the history, facts and people of significance in Calvert.

‘‘While I was on that commission, I wrote to the board to save Linden, that it doesn’t become absorbed into a housing district.”

At that time the historical society was looking for space since it was housed in the basement of the library. The county government owned the Phillips house and told the historical society that if it was needed, the historical society could lease it from them. The historical society looked at it and decided it was too small. The Linden house belonged to the Gray sisters who were county icons. When they died, the house went under the stewardship of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and was also used as a homeless shelter. The historical society built an addition to Linden and got grants to restore the house.

Showalter convinced the county commissioners to get the house up to par.

‘‘Linden was a gift to county government and they didn’t have to do anything but fix it up. It was a question of a house they already had, or spending $300,000 to the church.”

Linden is currently the home of the Calvert County Historical Society.

‘‘Old structures are interesting and part of our history,” Showalter said. ‘‘They have a distinctive architecture that is not typical of what is being built here now.”

Showalter is generous with his time and support of the historical society.

‘‘When Joe decides to do something, he does it,” said Henry S. Trentman of St Leonard. ‘‘He cares passionately about things and is not someone who does things halfway.”

Trentman is the current president of the Calvert County Historical Society.

Even in his advanced age, Showalter can be seen doing repairs on the old barns on the society’s property. He is very dedicated to preservation.

‘‘He has a love of barns,” Cherry said. ‘‘The first two weeks I was here, I was outside and I saw this guy pull up. He pulls out a ladder and leans it against the out building and starts hammering. He was putting a piece of wood in a hole. He physically gets up on the building and fixes things.”

Showalter thinks that the Farmland Preservation program is outstanding, along with the Barn Preservation trust.

‘‘He believes in the need to preserve history,” Cherry said. ‘‘He told me that you learn from your history and I’m sure he has learned a lot in 93 years.”

Showalter is not one to dwell on his own past, though.

‘‘I have been part of a study on aging in a program for the last 40 years,” Showalter said. ‘‘I go every year for two days for physical and mental examinations.”

His sister lived to be 103.

He has been active in six different organizations. He was on the board of Calvert Memorial Hospital for 25 years and chairman for two terms. He was active in his children’s PTAs because his wife Ruth told him that since he had a child in school, he had to be in it.

‘‘Then I was president, then vice-president, then state president of the Maryland PTA,” Showalter said. ‘‘I have always stuck with the viewpoint that if I am going to take a job, I’m going to stay with it and learn it.”

Since he was involved with PTA, he became a part of the Heart Association of Maryland. He was then asked to be chapter president and then he was on the state board from 1972 to 1974.

‘‘If a person is involved with one organization,” Showalter said, ‘‘they are often approached to be part of another organization.”

He was also involved for 27 years with the Calvert County Nursing Center in Prince Frederick. He was later elected to the Calvert County Commission on Aging. He is currently on the Calvert County Historic District Commission board.

‘‘Joe is the kind of guy that is the backbone of any organization,” Trentman said. ‘‘He is always 100 percent behind [the organization].”

Showalter and his wife Ruth recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. Together, they have two children, seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. His wife taught all three of Louis Goldstein’s children in the first grade. She is not as involved in as many organizations as her husband, but does volunteer often. Together they participated in Project ECHO, the United Way of Calvert County’s homeless organization that was held at Linden house for four years.

‘‘We enjoy going out in the community,” Showalter said.

In his spare time, Showalter and his wife love to travel. Together they have visited 90 countries and seven continents.

‘‘We like to rent a car and travel abroad,” Showalter said.

‘‘We had a friend in Peru who was a missionary that we stayed with. We have cruised along the Caribbean and traveled to Antarctica. I’m glad we got to Singapore. I would like to go back to Hawaii.”