When Mary Humphreys passed away, not only did she leave her home, the Humphreys House, she left funding for a foundation that she created. As it turns out, the foundation is what held the note for the house when we purchased it. Mary was a smart woman who lived simply and saved her money. She never married or had any siblings so you would think it would be easy to say that the Humphreys legacy died with her.
Living nearly all her life in Berlin and banking at the long standing Taylor Bank, over time she acquired some stock in the small local bank. These shares would be the base that the Humphreys Foundation was built upon. That foundation has done some wonderful things for the town of Berlin, MD helping to make it a community. One of the most pleasant things that the Humphreys Foundation has helped with is the Taylor House Museum.
Situated right across from our home, the Taylor House Museum is a gem. In the accurately restored main section of the house you can look into the past and imagine what it would have been like to live in Berlin at the turn of the century. A portion of the house also houses a collection of local memorabilia.
One of my favorite things that they do for the community is to host a summer “Concert On the Lawn” series. There is nothing better than coming back from the beach on a Sunday afternoon, grabbing a shower and fixing a cold drink on a sunny afternoon. But even better when you live in a great community like Berlin and head over, (in my case out my front door), and watch some local bluegrass music, or a brass band. Whether it is your preferred style of music or not, there is something great about sitting in the grass and enjoying some live music in Berlin. It really is Maryland's coolest small town.
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