The Center for Family Development exists to strengthen the fiber of family life and help families unite for a better society. The Center offers an intensive marriage preparation program, marriage enrichment evenings, mother-daughter and father-son activities, parenting workshops, and a leadership program for young boys and girls. Affiliated with the Center are some of the finest professionals in individual, marriage and family therapy.

History

The old adage holds that a house is not home but even though the places that we spend much of our lives are made of bricks and mortar rather than flesh and bone they often have an indelible effect on the way we perceive the world. Initially homes take on the nature and personality of those who dwell within them, over time however, they can often take on a character all their own and influence for good or bad the lives of their inhabitants.

The stately mansion that currently houses the Center of Family Development at Springhill has been at its present location since the dawn of our nation's Civil War. But even before its construction, the family who built it and those who lived in the locality in and around the dwelling had the distinction of being a part of our nation's history.

Like much of what is Maryland today, the area known today as Crownsville was home to a wide range of Native American tribes. The first European settlers of the area were farmers who, like so many of their Chesapeake Bay compatriots, made their living growing tobacco. Indian Landing was established on the western banks of the Severn River in the mid-1800 as a tobacco inspection port.

In the year of 2006, the area that is home to the Center appears to be far more suburban than rural. When one turns left onto 178 from Veteran's Highway "historic" is not the first word that comes to mind. The first buildings one views are a local Mexican Restaurant followed by a liquor store and the local Wawa. With this in mind it is no wonder that many county residents consider Rt. 178 merely as a "short cut to Annapolis Mall" or "a good alternate route to take if Interstate 97 is backed up with beach traffic." They fail to realize that the path they are traveling is rich in history and has been trod by many of the giants of the republic.

Today the area in and around the suburb of Crownsville almost seems like an afterthought when compared to larger cities such as Annapolis or Baltimore, but in the 1700's the area was a vital crossroads that played a critical role in helping to bring the United States to fruition. Today one barely notices when one crosses the intersection of 178 and Waterbury road. Back in the 1700's however these two roads marked the confluence of the north south road from Baltimore to Annapolis (which we refer to today as General's Highway) and the east-west road (now rt. 175) that traveled from Annapolis to Frederick. Less than two miles from the front porch of the Center, sits the Rising Sun Inn an eighteenth century tavern which stood at the intersection of the two roads.

General's Highway is an appropriate name for the north-south road. In 1780, Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, Count de Rochambeau, a French soldier and aristocrat would find himself and 5000 French troops in America fighting under the command of General George Washington. Rochambeau had originally entered the seminary in hopes of one day becoming a Jesuit priest. The death of his brother however would prompt him to join the French military. By 1780 he had risen to the rank of Lieutenant General and in July of 1781 his forces would join with Washington for the celebrated march south to Yorktown where they would eventually force the surrender of the British Army under General Cornwallis.

In heading south to Yorktown both Rochambeau and Washington would have had to cross the very same road (Waterbury Rd.) that one turns off of to head to Bacon's Ridge Rd. It is also worth noting that Washington also used this route on his way from New York City to Annapolis on December 23, 1783 to resign as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army.

Where does Springhill fit into this rich historical tapestry? That question can only be answered by examining the history of the family whose name is synonymous with the history of area, namely, the Baldwins. It was the Baldwin Family who built Springhill. The home that houses what is now the Center for Family Development however was only one of the many dwellings built in and around the environs of General's Highway by the family.

The Pratt Library in Baltimore Maryland contains a marvelous autobiography by the late Somerville Baldwin. It is a brief tome, but its pages relate a great deal of information regarding the background of the family and its rise to prominence. Somerville was born in 1832 in the ancestral home of the family "Bunker Hill." The house still sits not far from the present location of Baldwin United Methodist Church.

Somerville's grandfather Henry had fought for Smallwood's Brigade (one of the more noted colonial units from Maryland during the Revolution) and that his father William H. attended the United States Naval Academy when it was located at the Washington Navy Yard. William H. served in the war of 1812 aboard the ship the Peacock and started a business after the war at Indian Landing. Somerville's mother Jane Maria Woodward was the daughter of Captain William Woodward, also a native of Anne Arundel County.

It is interesting to note that the common practice for wealthy families of the time was to found their business empires in large cities such as Baltimore and then to eventually establish "summer homes" in places like Anne Arundel County. The Baldwin family however apparently followed the reverse course.

Somerville would make his fortune in Baltimore but like most of his family members he would always consider Anne Arundel country his home. Access to the city was readily available via the Annapolis and Elk Ridge Railroad (which would one day become the WB&A line). In September of 1849 he would leave home to begin his career in the dry goods industry working first at the firm of Kelley, Ball and Criss. In time he would eventually establish his own firm, Norris and Baldwin. In 1873 however, Norris and Baldwin would be dissolved and merged with another prominent family firm to create the well-known and successful dry goods firm of Woodward Baldwin& Norris.

Like most successful entrepreneurs Somerville would not limit his activities to one particular line of business. In 1881, along with number of other investors Baldwin would introduce electric lighting to Baltimore and eventually be named president of the company. He would eventually sell the fledgling firm to none other than George Westinghouse.

But if Baltimore was the center of the Baldwin family's work lives, Crownsville and Millersville were home. It is virtually impossible to relate the history of the area without talking about the contributions of the family, particularly the religious contributions. A Christian house of worship has occupied the site of the present day Baldwin Methodist Church since 1817. In 1861, the Methodist congregation replaced the first church with a Georgian colonial style frame building called the Cross Roads Church. In 1861 the family of William Henry and Jane Maria Woodward Baldwin received permission to replace the 1861 colonial church with a stone church in memory of their parents. Today a brief tour of the church graveyard reads like a virtual who's who of the Baldwin family.

In short the history of the area is the in many ways the history of the Baldwins, and the homes and institutions they established are a testament to their influence. As noted, one of these establishments of course is the home currently occupied by the Center. There is evidence that the land on which the house sits came from the maternal side of the family. Somerville's autobiography notes that the

'The will of William Woodward dated the fifteenth of January and proved the twentieth of April 1807 devised to his wife Jane; to son William, part of "my land" called Woodward's Enclosure" being part of " Howards and Porter's range;" to son Henry Woodward, as by deed dated second of January, 1790, also 1973/4 aces of said tract to daughter Alice Watkins, " Bacon's Ridge" 50 acres for life and then to her four children Stephen, Anne, William, and Jane Watkins: a negro girl to grandson William Woodward.'

County records indicate that the house was constructed in 1861 and "Bacon's Ridge" likely refers to the area in and around the Center. For most of its existence members of the Baldwin family occupied the dwelling but with the passage of time the house was occupied by other families such as the Howes and Pettys and Hatfields.

Mr. Norman Hatfield, a previous owner and current resident of the area noted that most of what he knows about the house came from Marshal Petty of the aforementioned Petty family. Hatfield noted that Petty had grown up in home. It was Marshall that told him that for many years dozens of the nieces and nephews of the Baldwin clan would come to Springhill for the summer. The matron of the home (Hatfield could not recall her name) along with her Chauffeur and Butler would serve as refined and sophisticated camp counselors to the children.

Like so many of the Baldwins the children were able to make their way to Springhill via the railroad. They likely used Arundel Station, one of the stops on the old Baltimore and Annapolis Railroad that wound its way down the western side of the Severn River. Hatfield noted that if one knows where to look one can still see the track bed and the area leading to what was once a railroad bridge for the old WB&A) and that it was also common for family members to travel by boat down from Baltimore to Indian Landing to reach the house.

One of the obvious questions is "what about ghosts?"  When one considers the historic nature of the area and the long and distinguished lineage of the family it would seem that there would have to be some semblance of the super-natural in and around Springhill. Hatfield admitted that he was the source of one legend regarding the ghost of Archibald, a Confederate soldier who was allegedly hidden in the home to avoid capture by Yankee patrols. But Hatfield admits that there really is no basis for the story other than the fact that "the house needed a good ghost and Archibald's plight (even if fictional) sounded like a good fit for a home that was constructed during the War Between the States."

Even though no evidence of spooks exists, Hatfield was of the opinion that the home was an intriguing place with hidden panels and other interesting and quirky features. (On an architectural note Hatfield advised that according to Marshall Petty who grew up in the home the mansion was originally a clapboard structure with brick being added on years later).

But perhaps the most impressive point is that despite having many different owners and being in close proximity to many important events in our nation's history the home known as Springhill appears to have over time consistently served as a place of warmth and happiness. The current day mission statement for the Center for Family Development notes that it exists to "strengthen the fiber of family life and help families unite for a better society." While it is impossible to prove it is likely that if one asked the Baldwin family they day they took ownership of the residence they would have likely have told you (in so many words) the exact same thing.

Maura Kohlhafer, the former Administrator of the Center would tell you that while her job is demanding, both the mansion and the area surrounding it are " peaceful and dignified " and that she "loves the location and the place." It is worth noting that Maura has never seen a ghost at Springhill. Her reasoning is that Archibald "either never took the time to bother me or decided to leave for good after I took over."

This story has been mostly about the history of a noble and historic dwelling. But the comforting fact is that due to the work of so many dedicated people the last chapter of Springhill is not likely to be written for quite some time. Most of those who have worked and prayed within its walls probably feel about the place the way Somerville Baldwin felt about his wife.

We lived together all these years without a cross word. Our life was a very simple and happy one. I realize that my children, each and every one of them, are largely indebted to her for their present characters and attainments. I can truly say that none knew her but to love her.

In the same fashion those who have become part of the Center's activities have grown to love it, not just for its history, but also for its potential to inspire and mold future generations to work for the Greater Glory of God in ways they never thought possible