Fort George G. Meade: The First 100 Years

BETWEEN THE WARS
A Stove to Remember
85
By Bernie Cullen
I had the privilege of serving as Director, of the
Directorate of Human Resources at Fort Meade. DHR
offices were in the building that formerly housed the
School for Bakers and Cooks. In 2008 a fellow DHR staff
member, Steve Ashley, and I thought we’d like to add a
historical touch to the building’s interior.
After coming up with and rejecting a number of ideas,
including consulting with the Fort Meade Museum staff,
Steve and I came across a very old stove from the school
that had been literally dumped at the museum’s back door.
The museum had no choice but to store the heavy, old
thing in a basement. When Steve and I saw it we knew
it had to be returned to the building from which it had
come. With the backing of the Garrison Commander,
Col. Ken McCreedy, and help from Fort Meade and
Aberdeen Proving Ground museum staffs, we moved out
on this mission.
On June 12, 2008, a delegation from the Quartermaster
School at Fort Lee, Virginia joined in the dedication of
the stove in the building where it was housed nearly a
hundred years earlier. The dedication was a grand event
and was well received by all who attended.
***
A stove, similiar to this 1919 woodburning stove (left), can
be found in the Directorate of Human Resources building,
2234 Huber Road, the location of the former Cooks and
Bakers School (below).