Friendsville Newsletter
September 2023
📢 Maryland Food Bank's Mobile Market
🌟 Welcome to your one-stop-shop for free healthy foods and resources! 🌟
Enjoy a variety of boxed dry goods and a “pick your own” produce selection—offered while supplies last. 🥦🍎
Mark you Calendar
Maryland Food Bank's Mobile Market will be visiting Friendsville!
- September 10, 2025 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
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2025-2026 School Calendar
Garrett County Public Schools
Building Strong Partnerships: Fostering Education and Collaboration Among Garrett County Schools, Families, and Communities.
Friendsville Elementary School
We invite you to explore the school website, where you can access a wealth of information and resources designed to keep you informed about your child's education and our school community.
Our mission is to encourage and uplift businesses throughout the area.
Next meeting will be held on September 28, 2025 at The Root Cafe starting at 6:00 p.m.
❄️✨ Save the Date – Winter Market Returns to Friendsville! 🎄
Join us Friday, December 5th | 3–7 PM for a magical evening filled with holiday cheer!
The streets of Friendsville will come alive with twinkling lights, festive music, and the spirit of the season.
What to Expect:
• One-of-a-kind handmade gifts
• Delicious local food & drinks
• Cozy holiday atmosphere
• Fun for the whole family
Vendors Wanted!
We’re seeking talented makers, crafters, food vendors, and local businesses to help make this year’s market our best yet.
Questions or vendor sign-up: Email GFBAinfo@gmail.com or scan the QR code to apply!
Let’s celebrate the season together and support our amazing local community.
🎉 Bingo Night! 🎉
Join us for a fun-filled evening of Bingo at the Friendsville Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department on Saturday, September 6!
📍 Location: Friendsville Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department
🕔 Doors Open: 5:00 PM
🐦 Early Bird Games Begin: 6:15 PM
Bring your friends and family and try your luck at winning great prizes while supporting a good cause. We can’t wait to see you there!
John Friend, Sr. Founder of Friendsville, MD by Patrick Smith
John Friend, Sr. and Karrenhappuck Hyatt, his wife, moved their family into Northwestern Maryland in the 1750’s. With the aid of Native Americans, they were able to establish the first permanent homestead on a farm called Friend’s Fortune. John was probably born about 1728 on the Monocacy Hundred, Prince George’s County (now Frederick). John, who was commonly known as “Old” John Friend, was the great grandson of Nils Larsson Friend (Frande), who was a Swedish immigrant that settled in Southeastern PA (Chester, PA) in 1648. Some histories suggest Nils was an English Sea Captain, although the research of Dr. Peter S. Craig strongly implies that Nils was from Sweden. John’s family began in Northern VA near present day Paw Paw, WV in the 1740’s. Some histories hint that John’s wife (Karrenhappuck Hyatt) was a Native American. Recent information has shown her name was not a Native American construct but comes from the Book of Job in the Old Testament of the Bible. Histories list John’s middle name as Lewis or Levis and hint that it may have been his mother’s maiden name. There is no evidence from a land deed, family Bible, tax record, letter (so forth) that shows John had a middle name. A land deed from 1808 that contains his original signature is signed as John Friend in two places.
John and Karrenhappuck had at least nine grown children: Sarah, Rebecca, Nicholas, Gabriel, Susannah, John, Jr., Augustine, Joseph, and Charles. John’s farm (Friend’s Fortune) would occupy more than two hundred acres of the open plain on the Western side of the Youghiogheny River beside present day Friendsville. After the American Revolution, the “farmable” lands of Western MD were divided into fifty acre plots known as the Military Lots (ML). Friend’s Fortune would be listed as ML 3280-3283.
John would acquire another hundred acres, called Friend’s Delight, on the North side of Sang Run Creek, a dozen miles South of his first farm. Karrenhappuck would pass away in 1798, while John would die sometime after 1808 on his farm. Both were buried in the Friend’s Graveyard on Friend’s Fortune.
Some of John and Karrenhappuck’s children would remain in the area, while others would move into the new lands of the United States. Rebecca and Susannah would marry and settle in the Ohio Territory, while Charles and Augustine would move to Missouri. John, Sr. and his sons (Gabriel and Nicholas) would both serve in the American Continental Militia during the Revolutionary War. According to family legend, Nicholas would die in 1776 at the hands of Native Americans during the war. Joseph would take over part of Friend’s Fortune and expand his holdings on the West side on the Youghiogheny River. Gabriel Friend would inherit another part of his father’s farm as well as purchase the forty-eight acre plot known as Look Sharp on the East side on the river. Look Sharp would eventually become the town of Friendsville, MD.
John Friend, Jr. would inherit his father land (Friend’s Delight) on Sang Run Creek. This farm would remain in the Friend family until 2005, then be transferred to the State of MD and become Sang Run State Park.
John and Karrenhappuck’s descendants can be found throughout Garrett County, MD as well as all over the world. Lester Friend established the Friend Family Association of America (FFAA) over fifty years ago. The FFAA Museum and Genealogical Library is headquartered in Friendsville, MD. The headquarters’ building was first known as the 1st National Bank of Friendsville, which was constructed by a descendant of John and Karrenhappuck. The genealogical library highlights the Friend family heritage, yet has information on dozens of families from Western, MD.
There is a new and continuing effort to chronicle the descendants of John and Karrenhappuck. Nearly ninety books have been published on the Friend Family over the last two decades. These books can be found at the FFAA Museum and Genealogical Library, the Friendsville Public Library, the Ruth Enlow Public Library in Oakland and the Library of Congress, Washington, DC. The FFAA offers yearly and life memberships, which support the efforts to preserve the regional history of Western, MD. Information on the FFAA (a non-profit organization) can be found at https://friendfamilyassociation.com/
Original signature of John Friend, Sr. (1808)
Hand drawn map of Friend’s Fortune by William Henry Harrison Friend Great grandson of John Friend Sr. (~1900)
Friend’s Fortune (Map by Pat Smith)
GC Dept. of Social Services Assistance Program ~ 08/13/2025 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Occurring on the 2nd Wednesday of the month at the Friendsville branch, representatives from the Garrett County Department of Social Services will be in the library to serve the community through their assistance outreach program.
Customers can come see a DSS staff person at any of these locations to pick up paperwork, drop off paperwork, apply for services like SNAP, CASH Assistance and Medical Assistance, or just to ask questions about the programs and services offered by our agency. Staff can also provide referral to other community agencies if we do not have a program to address the person’s needs. ANYONE can access ANY of these locations. This schedule provides flexibility to our customers who may be working in communities away from their home, or who may be facing transportation challenges.
These locations also provide support to our customers by making DSS forms available to customers during the location’s open hours of business. Customers can look for the file box labeled “DSS FORMS” to pick up forms, information or a pre-paid envelope in which to return completed forms to our office for processing.
Please note: Please note: If Garrett County schools are canceled due to inclement weather, outreach activity is canceled for that day. For more information on the outreach program, please contact Garrett County DSS at 301-533-3000.
Gardening Classes: Pollinator Gardens & Native Plants 8/14/2025 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Calling all gardening enthusiasts! Join us as we learn about growing perennial food crops and easy small fruits for your garden.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Please contact the Friendsville Library to register or email Melissa Custer at melissa@relib.net for more information.
Unlock the Secrets of Mah Jongg: Beginner's Workshop 08/19/2025 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Join us for a fun day to learn the basics of the tile game Mah Jongg! It's a great way to meet new friends and exercise your brain!
Bring a sack lunch. Bottled water, coffee and tea will be provided.
To register or for more information, please contact Melissa at melissa@relib.net or contact the Friendsville Library at 301-746-5663.
Culinary Connections Cookbook Club ~ 09/03/2025 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
If you enjoy cooking, trying new recipes, and eating with friends...then this is the bookclub for you! It's Friendsville Library's Culinary Connections Cookbook Club!
Join us on the 1st Wednesday of each month at 6pm. Each participant will choose a recipe from a selection of cookbooks to prepare at home and bring to share at the next meeting. We'll have fun trying new foods, discussing our culinary successes (or disasters), and sharing cooking techniques and tips. We'll have a different theme each month and a prize will be awarded at each meeting for the tastiest dish!
Only non-alcoholic beverages, please.
Garrett County Board of County Commissioners
