Scenic River Land Trust

INTERVIEWS WITH OWNERS

Tobin/Thomas - Gambrills
14.4 Acres - West Branch Jabez
Interview with Mabel Tobin (MT) and Virginia Thomas (VT)

SRLT:: So how far back does the Jabez Branch property go in your family?
MT:: Six generations. Our great-grandfather was the Rev. Henry Joyce. His grandparents had immigrated in the 1700's from Ireland to establish a homestead in Anne Arundel County, which they called Locust Thicket, on the south shore of the Patapsco.
VT:: The story goes that in 1812 when he was only 10 years old, he and others lit haystacks on the shore to alert the people that the British were moving up the river toward Ft. McHenry.
SRLT:: Did Henry Joyce bear any relationship to the Joyces on the north shore of the Severn River?
MT:: Yes, Henry had several children. For his two oldest sons, Cyrus and John, he purchased 500 acres on the north shore of the Severn, still named after him at Joyce Lane.
VT:: He also bought 229 acres from the Gambrills family in 1867 for himself to farm, which he called Fountaindale because of all the artesian wells present there.
MT:: Henry's youngest son, our grandfather, Charles, was a Methodist Circuit Rider in West Virginia, and there met our grandmother, Mary Frances Hank, whose father and grandfather were also a Methodist ministers. Henry said that Mary, 'being from the mountains, would not do too well on the water,' so when he died, he left the Gambrills land to Charles and Mary.
SRLT:: Did the property stay in the family since that time?
MT:: Well, Grandfather Charles Joyce had nine children, and after him, the land was divided up. In 1912, our Aunt Blanch Joyce Cecil bought most of the shares from her siblings, subdivided it, and sold it off.


VT:: Our mother Virginia Clyde Joyce married Carroll Rossiter Thomas, and moved into the old Hammond House located on three acres in nearby Holiday Park, one of two country homes of the Hammond family of Annapolis.
SRLT:: What are your earliest memories of the land?
VT:: We used to walk down into the woods and wander along the banks of the stream. We just loved all the plants and animals.
MT:: When I was 10 years old, I remember Dr. Francis Nicholas, the former head of the National Academy of Sciences, who lived in the old canning house across the stream, used to give nature talks to ladies from the Gambrills Garden Club. He also used to bring in youth from Baltimore to camp in the woods. In the summer of 1933, they dammed up the Jabez, and spent much time swimming and even boating on it!
VT:: Our brother, Carroll Rossiter, Jr., was very interested in Indian lore, and from neighboring surroundings found and mounted for display many Indian artifacts, some of which are now in the Smithsonian.
SRLT:: When did your family move back to the old homestead?
MT:: Fifty years ago this year, mother got her dream. She bought back 35 acres at the end of Maple Avenue from John and Mary Adams. They built a new home. Father died two years later.
SRLT:: What are your first memories about trout on the Jabez?
MT:: Well, we used to fish as kids. It was not unusual for us to pull out several large fish.
SRLT:: Are the trout a native species?


VT:: don't know, but Eugene Collins said he and Mary Adam's father used to stock the Jabez with Brown Trout in the early 1900's.
SRLT:: What kind of plants do you have on your property?
MT:: The land is mostly a mature hardwood forest of oak, tulip poplar, and beech, with undergrowth of holly, dogwood, maple, sycamore, and pine. We still have chestnut trees that never seem to mature beyond about 15 feet. We used to go out gathering for tea berries, blueberries, huckleberries, and chinquapins.
VT:: We also have hepatica, anemone, solomon's seal, pipsissewa, lady slipper, partridgeberry, trailing arbutus, cardinal flower, wild azalea, and running cedar.
SRLT:: What bird species have you seen over the years?
MT:: Several owls, including screech, barred, and even a great horned owl. We have lots of purple martins, mockingbirds, cardinals, and catbirds, but also warblers, redstarts, and even several nesting Baltimore Orioles!
VT:: Also, blue birds, goldfinches, phoebes, indigo buntings, and several species of hawks, including red-shouldered, broad-winged, and red-tailed. Right now we have a particularly noisy Pileated Woodpecker (we call him 'stump-thumper') and a scarlet tanager, which, I'm told, requires at least ten acres of undisturbed territory.
SRLT:: Have you noticed any change in species over the years?
MT:: Well, we don't hear the whippoorwill, cuckoos, partridges, or meadowlarks anymore.
SRLT:: What about larger animals?
MT:: We've got chipmunks, possums, raccoons, skunks, red and gray fox, weasels, and deer.
VT:: As recently as last year one of our neighbors had a bobcat in their front yard.
SRLT:: How did you first hear about the Severn River Land Trust?

: The Severn River Association had their monthly nature hike up Jabez Branch two years ago, and former-President Steve Carr told us about the Severn River Land Trust.
SRLT:: Why did you decide to set up a conservation easement?
MT:: Well, it's really what our great-grandfather Henry Joyce, and mother Virginia Clyde Joyce were all about having a respect for the land and all that is natural about it, and conserving it for future generations.
VT:: Yes, we want to preserve the land in its current form, and keep it out of the hands of developers.
SRLT:: What about future generations?
MT:: Well, our children and grandchildren just love to come out on the land, experience the forest, see all the wildlife, and check out the fish in the Jabez.
SRLT:: Did you discuss your decision with your children?
MT:
SRLT:: How important were the tax advantages of the deal to your decision?
MT:: We made our decision primarily on the basis of our firm desire to conserve the natural features of our land left to us by our ancestors, and to pass it on unchanged for future generations. The tax breaks are an added benefit but, for us, were clearly secondary.