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The Shenks were driving to their home in Frederick during the tornado of 1929. They both died in an
accident that resulted from this storm. Their bQdies rest in Burkittsville Union Cemetery marked by stones that read "Shenk, John Jacob 1860 - 1929 W. Shenk, Julia Pearl 1865 - 1929" A picture of the original building is quite different from the updated dwelling at 112 East "G" Street a century later. It is a weatherboard house with hip roof that contains an A-gabled dormer in each of its four sides. A roof cresting with low balustrades topped the standing-seam metal roof. The balustrades have been removed; that portion of the roof remains flat with a chimney at each corner. However, the chimneys are about half the height of the original ones. Once set in a spacious half-acre lawn, Shenk's Seminary is now surrounded by new development. White siding covered the green shingles that protected the building for years. Now a duplex, the house seems quite at peace in its present setting.
sons, holidays, poems, songs, and health habits. The Kindergarten/Leam-N-Play always had a Christmas program, a graduation, and a diploma for every child. The little kindergarten was a success in Brunswick, and the success was due to the efforts and devotion of the teachers who worked with the children. June Utterback recalls that it was gratifying to see the children grow and learn as they grew. She also introduced visual aids to her classes by the creation of their own scrapbooks. The final tabulation of some of the teachers and assistants: Eva Albert - 3 years; June Utterback - 18 years; Dorothy Decker - 16 years; Joyce Webber Utterback - 15 years. The self-supporting Brunswick Kindergarten/ Learn-N-Play closed its doors in 1983. S - Eva Albert - June Utterback W -BLC
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LEARNING TREE METHODIST CHURCH NURSERY I can look back 20 years and see about 15 black women gathered in a small room in a small trailer in Burkittsville along with Carla Brahe, the VISTA worker sent to our area. She was meeting with us to see what we needed in our area. The mothers wanted to work to help supplement their income, but there were no babysitters available. This is where the Learning Tree got its beginnings. After deciding that day care was needed, the ladies got busy with fund raising projects. Carla remained with us one year, then Neil and Ellen MacNeale were sent to our area. In 1970, the name was chosen and we became incorporated as a nonprofit organization. The name Learning Tree was taken from a book and movie written by Gordon Parks. After a two-year search for a suitable building, we found many owners not very receptive to our idea. For months we met with various groups and organizations about their available or unused building. We were not going to let racial obstacles stand in our way. So, we decided to purchase some land for$2,000, located at 6th and "D" Street, Brunswick, which the MacNeales had purchased for a self-help housing project; and we decided to build. With only ten members and no federal money available, we still had hope. The women became busier than ever before.
Brunswick's first kindergarten was started in 1962 when Lee Smith, the Brunswick Elementary School Principal, realized there was a need for preschool training and preparation. Mr. Smith asked Eva Albert to start a kindergarten; after some thought, she decided to do it. Mrs. Albert and Mr. Smith visited other areas that had organized kindergartens and observed their techniques and routines. In October of 1962 the Brunswick Kindergarten was started in the First Methodist Church with an enrollment of 10 pupils. The hours were 9 to 12 three days a week; the tuition was $100 a month. Marlene Gordon and Gertrude Phillips were Eva Albert's assistants. Eva continued until 1965; after her retirement June Utterback took over Eva's duties. By 1966 the enrollment had increased to 30 students and there were also classes for three and four-year olds. Marie Huffer, Dorothy Decker, Ella Mae Dawson, and Joyce Webber Utterback had been added to the list of assistants. When public Kindergarten was introduced into the school system, the Brunswick Kindergarten changed its name to "Learn-N-Play." The program taught by Brunswick Kindergarten/Leam-N-Play included numbers, letters, sea-
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