Hugh A. C. Sylvester | Indivdual Collections |

Hugh A. C. Sylvester moved to Thurmont from Baltimore city in 1920 with his sister Nita. He had a large house built at the top of Summit Avenue by Jospeh Weddle on property he purchased from L. R. Waesche. The house still stands across Woodland Avenue from the top of Summit Avenue. Once he moved to Thurmont he quickly became invloved in many local activities and and social events. Sylvester was one of the original members of the Thurmont Lions Club and he was involved in the annual Chautauqua Fesivals for several years. I purchased his personal papers several years ago and they are a treasure trove of local interest begining with his record of the purchase of his property and the construction of his home. He kept several letters written between himself and L. R Waesche when considering the purchase of the property and letters between him and Stamford Shaffer a local real estate agent. More interesting is the collection of diaries he left behind, they span the years between 1915 and 1940 and are full of daily entries describing the weather, local news, social events and general comments on other residents. Hugh was also a prolific news paper article clipper, his diaries are full of paper clippings about local events and individuals. The first items I have added to the album are the papers from the purchase of the property and reciepts and other documentation from builder Joseph Weddle.