By Jean Kaplan Teichroew

Most people zip past the intersection of Glen Ross Rd. and 2nd Ave., but there’s good reason to slow down and take notice of some interesting objects at the house on the northwest corner. Nancy Hope, who lives here with her husband, Ben, and their three daughters, grew up in that house.

On the lawn you’ll see farm implements, including a traditional plow, a horse-drawn corn planter, a fertilizer plow, a seeder, and a well pump, as well as wagon wheels and a windmill. (More about the latter below.) Nancy’s grandfather used them on the family farm in Pound, Virginia. Her dad, Grover Helton, brought them from the farm in the late 1970s after his father passed away.

During World War II, Grover served as an army medic. After moving to Silver Spring, he worked at Carriage Hill Nursing Home (now Regency Care of Silver Spring) on 2nd Ave. His wife, Charlotte, was also a nurse there, and they bought the house on Glen Ross to live close to their work.

Sadly, as is often the experience of immigrants and people considered “others,” Nancy’s family encountered hostility from neighbors who did not like the farm implements. They made unkind comments and left notes that “hillbillies should go back to the hills.” Had those neighbors gotten to know the Heltons, they would have discovered that Grover was a jazz-loving decorated WWII veteran. Although deeply hurt, the Helton family grew emboldened.

Nancy’s mother kept the notes as a reminder of the family’s “no-BS attitude:” Stand up for yourself, and remember that no one can tell you who you are—or what you can do. In defiance, her father added the windmill and wagon wheels as borders for flower beds.

Over the years, Ben has restored the farm implements, which he carefully and continually maintains. More than unique lawn décor, they represent a piece of family history that Nancy, Ben, and their children appreciate to this day.