A second power source is falling water, captured on the community's many creeks. On every strong stream, mills harness falling water to grind grain, saw lumber, process woolens and cotton, press oil from flax seed, thresh clover seed, and grind bone for fertilizer. Next to agriculture mlling is the community's biggest industry. Mills would give names to four of today's roads: Bowie Mill, Muncaster Mill, Chandlee Mill, and Haviland Mill.

At least seven schools, mostly one-roomers, teach in the late 1800s. Three, including the Sherwood of that time, are run by Quakers, reflecting the Friends' steadfast emphasis on education. The Sharp Street Methodist Church School and the Grifton School at Mt. Zion strive to educate black children, in environments woefully inferior to whites'.

Your tour of old Sandy Spring completed, you return to the village heart. You pass the toll gate, pass the insurance company clock by which villagers set their timepieces. In front of the Sandy Spring Store and Post Office you squeeze in beside other passengers in the daily mail stage, bracing for the jolting half-day trip to Laurel and the old B&O train—your time machine for the long trip back to today's world.