HAILS ART GALLERY - Olney, Maryland

The 14th Annual Design in the Olney Series shows Olney Theatre Actors´ Residence, a graceful, historic building dating from 1900. Her elegance is captured on the 2007 Annual Olney Holiday Ornament.

Originally the Davis home, in 1941, the house was "surrounded by commodious porches" and became a restaurant serving Theatre patrons. Then in 1946, it was converted to the Actors' Residence where it housed celebrities too numerous to list, including Helen Hayes, Basil Rathbone, Jose Ferrer, and Burl Ives. Today, the building still serves the community as part of the renovated Olney Theatre complex, the Official State Summer Theater of Maryland.

The 13th Annual Design in the Olney Series shows Santa Claus waving from a fire truck in front of Company 40 of Sandy Spring Volunteer Fire Department, located on 16911 Georgia Avenue. Every holiday season, Santa cruises through Olney neighborhoods ho-ho-ho-ing and ringing the fire bell. The bright, cheerful image on the 2006 Olney Ornament immortalizes this memory for generations of youngsters who have enjoyed his visits.

The 12th Annual Design in the Olney Series features Murphy´s Tin Shop, formerly located at the southwest corner of the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Sandy Spring-Laytonsville Road. Mr. Murphy, the Smith, performed an important service to the community, making the tin roofs that graced local buildings. You may see many in the area that remain in service today. The 2005 Olney Ornament captures the Tin Shop made lovely in snow.

The Morris House
Also known as The Berry-Mackall House

The Morris House is likely the loveliest existing historic landmark remaining in Olney. Originally called the Berry-Mackall House, sources say it dates from 1853.

The Morris family is said to be the fourth owner of the picturesque house, located at 17017 Georgia Avenue near the fire station. It is particularly breathtaking in winter after a snowfall, when sparkling with lights and decked out in greens for the holiday season. It has been known as the Morris House since 1943.

Early owner Mr. Robert McGill Mackall, a Confederate, was a member of Beauregard's Rifles and Mosby's Raiders during the Civil War. On June 28, 1863, Gen. J.E.B. Stuart passed in front of the house through Olney (known then as Mechanicsville) on his way to Gettysburg after "liberating" horses and 125 provisioned wagons in Rockville. Tradition has it that Confederate soldiers under General Jubal Early stayed in the home, possibly during a retreat from an attack on Washington in July 1864.

The following is directly quoted from a HISTORY OF THE BERRY/MACKALL HOUSE, a distributed typewritten flyer (authorship unknown, not dated, no copyright notice)

This four bay by four bay, two and a half story house faces northwest on Georgia Avenue in Olney, Maryland. The original log house faced northeast and was one and a half stories high; it was built about 1846. The northwest section was built about 1893 and faces northwest. The house has white clapboarding. There is a porch on the northwest elevation that wraps around to the southwest and northeast elevations. It has a shed roof supported by seven wooden columns. The house has six-over-six double-hung windows flanked by gray, wooden louvered shutters. The gable roof has red raised seam metal covering.

This charming mid-19th century farm house stands on land owned by the Berry family from the late 1700's until 1868. Richard Berry left 989 acres to his children in 1807. Deborah D. Berry (Burgess) and Elisha. Elisha's son and namesake is believed to have built the house between and 1857. He increased his holdings until 1869 when he sold the house and 115 acres to Robert M.(McGill) Mackall and Robert T. McGill. Mackall, a farmer and merchant remained in the Berry House for 30 years. After several intermediary owners the Berry-Mackall house was purchased by Mr. David G. and Katherine Morris in 1943.

This house stands on land which came into the Berry family in the late 1700's which consisted of only 67 acres known as "Pig Park", and an additional 282 acres known as "Shepherd's Hard Fortune'' which was purchased from Thomas Owen. Over the years Berry added more land to his holdings until he had a total of 989 acres in 1807. At his death in 1819 he left "Pig Park", to his daughter Deborah D. Berry (Burgess). His son Elisha, was to get "Shepherd's Hard Fortune" and part of "Charles and Benjamin." Because of an equity suit charging Elisha Berry with misadministration of the will, Elisha's property came into the hands of the Farmers and Mechanics Bank of Georgetown. Eventually Deborah purchased 250 acres of the property from the bank. When she died in 1852, her property, totaling 364 acres, was divided between her four nephews, children of Elisha Berry.

The house Mrs. Burgess had lived in went to one nephew, William R. Berry, and the 91 acres of land on which the present house stands went to another nephew, Elisha Berry. Elisha is believed to have built the house between 1853 and 1857. He increased his holdings with additional plots purchased from his brothers until 1868 when he sold the house and 114 3/4 acres to Robert M.(McGill) Mackall and Robert T. McGill for $11,253.

Mr. Mackall, who had been a member of Mosby's Confederate Raiders during the Civil War, was a farmer and merchant. He remained in the Berry House nearly 30 years, selling to trustees for George F. Cook in 1896. After several intermediary owners, the Berry-Mackall house was purchased by Mr. David G. and Katherine Morris in 1943. (Katherine Morris died in 1992 at the age of 96.) Mrs. Mary Morris still lives in the unusual, two story, clapboard house.

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