Bernard Howard Trail

Bernard Howard Trail. . , This trail is dedicated to the memory of Bernard Howard and all whose hands made agriculture in Frederick County a success. As you walk this trail, we invite you to explore a little of the history of Bernard Howard and his family as well as the early agriculture of the Brunswick Region., Bernard Howard was born into slavery in 1789. As an enslaved person, he lived on the nearby Needwood Forest property and was involved in the daily operations of the farm., Needwood Farm was the property of Mary Digges Lee Gouverneur and a successful farming operation in the region, which in 1850, produced 800 bushels of wheat, 1000 bushels of Indian corn, 100 bushels of oats, 100 pounds of wool, 50 pounds of honey, 200 pounds of butter, as well as potatoes, beans, hay, and orchard products., Bernard Howard labored on the Needwood property until he gained his freedom in 1864. Unlike enslaved people in the South whose freedom was granted in 1862 with the Emancipation Proclamation, enslaved people in Maryland were not freed until November 1, 1864., After having spent their lives being forced to labor for others, Bernard Howard, his wife, and children gained their freedom as part of the passing of the new Maryland Constitution. Howard's oldest child, Daniel, was about twenty, and the youngest, Judson, was six years old when the family gained their freedom., Following his emancipation, Bernard remained in the area and began farming. In 1869, he purchased 5 acres of land from his former enslaver, Mary Gouverneur, on which he built a small stone house just 3 miles from where you currently stand. The home was later passed down to his daughter, Julia Ann Smothers., Bernard Howard and his wife, Sarah, remained in the home they built nearby, often sharing their home with their children and grandchildren. Two of their oldest children, Daniel and Julia, remained working on farms throughout the area., Daniel's daughter, Mary, later became the housekeeper and cook for the Charles Flook family, here on this property. Mary worked for the Flook family for many years and her niece, Regina Thomas, recalls coming to the farm house to help her aunt., Julia, pictured to the left, worked on the nearby Lee farm as a housekeeper and assisted in the care of the children of the family to whom she became known as "Aunt Julie". She married John Smothers and raised her family nearby. One of her sons, Charles Smothers, would have enjoyed the athletic fields now built in the park. Charles loved baseball and was a member of the Black Baseball League for the Yales of Brunswick., Bernard continued to work in local agricultural production until about 1880 when his health prevented him from continuing labor. He passed away on July 17, 188 having spent nearly 80 years helping to grow and harvest the agricultural goods of the region., Other farms in this region, including the Gouverneur and Hilleary farms, benefited from the knowledge of agriculture that members of the Howard family passed on for generations., [Captions:] , Needwood Forest , Property of Mary Digges Lee Gouverneur, Bernard Howard's House , Bernard Howard built this stone house for his family in 1869. (pictured above and to the right), Julia Ann Smothers , on the Needwood Forest Property. Photo courtesy of South Mountain Heritage., Yales Baseball Team, ca. 1920 , Names of team members by row - left to right, (front row) Raymond Jones, Harris Scott, Peepy Larry, Bob Johnson, Kenneth Lipscom (back row) Garfield Campbell, William Hardy, Maxwell Smallwood, Ambrose Morris, Charles Smothers. Photo courtesy of Brunswick Heritage Museum.