[RP TownTalk] History Passes

[johnferg27 at aol.com]

As the day approaches when the present day church building is demolished on  
Route One, consider its history.  If you stand at the curb on Route One and  
look to the upper reaches of the building, you will see the keystone with a 
date  of 1928 and the name Sonnenberg.
 
This structure was built by the Sonnenberg family -- a German family who  
established a bakery on the site, operated by family members for years.  A  
daughter, Elsie, lived in the town on Madison Street (behind Chambers Funeral  
Home) until the 1990s.  MISS (she carefully corrected you if you used any  other 
prefix) Sonnenberg was a very independent, interesting and feisty  lady.  She 
was in her 90s when she moved to an assisted living  residence.  The last time 
I was in touch with her, she was  planning her 100th birthday and arranging 
for the champagne to be available and  plentiful.  MISS Sonnenberg was born in 
1901 and moved into the town in  1928.  The Riverdale Story provides a number 
of references to her  memories of the convenience of using the streetcar that 
ran into the District  and north towards Laurel.  She also remembered the dirt 
streets in the town  that continued into the 1930s and beyond.
 
Elsie Sonnenberg did not reach her 100th birthday, but died in her 99th  year 
-- the memories she left tell of a little town on the outskirts of the  
Capital, content to stay little as long as it can.  It would be worth  a trip up to 
Route One to see the building she occupied over time while it still  stands 
-- so sad that all of that history has been and is being lost.
 
I understand that the business association, under the direction of Audrey  
Bragg, has requested that the keystone be preserved and she will see that it is  
carefully archived.  Thanks for following up on this Audrey.
 
                                                                            
Ann  Ferguson





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