Our Indoor Amenities
Woman’s Club Clubhouse
The Woman’s Club of Washington Grove was created to promote greater sociability and a betterment of civic and cultural conditions in Washington Grove. The lovely Woman’s Club clubhouse is available for rental to residents of the Town from mid-March through late November.
To reserve the Clubhouse,
- review the rules and regulations for rentals, then
- complete the application for the rental (PDF) and return the application to Joan Mahaffey, President, 240-631-8067 / [email protected], or Cynthia Werts, Membership Chairman, 301-926-1668 / [email protected].
On the main Woman’s Club page, you can learn about:
- Joining the Woman’s Club,
- Annual Woman’s Club activities, and
- Local organizations and projects supported by the Woman’s Club and its members.
Acorn Library
The Acorn Library is a free, self-service children’s library in Washington Grove. It contains over 3,000 volumes as well as kids’ magazines, toys, games, puzzles, a slate blackboard, and child sized furniture. Books are categorized as toddler books, picture books, easy readers, fiction, poetry, humor, anthologies, science, history, biography, sports, religion, holiday books, and more.
Where’s the library?
The library is housed, courtesy of the Klinger family, in two rooms of a free-standing garage on Maple Road. It’s the last driveway on the right before you reach Center Street.
When is it open?
Acorn Library welcomes visitors at any hour and on any day of the year. The door is never locked. If you find it dark, please come in and turn on the lights/heat yourself. Then leave it warm and bright when you go unless you leave after 6 pm.
How do I check books out?
You can check out a many books as you like and keep them as long as you need to. It’s a good idea to keep track of what books you bring home. You can use an index card from the box on the desk, put your name at the top, and list the books you are taking home, then file it with the other index cards in alphabetic order. Cross out each title as you return them. Families who visit often may use their own ways to keep track.
How did the library begin?
The library was founded in August 1996 by a group of town children who were 6–9 years old at the time: Grace Ambrose, Jane Klinger, Naima Ritter, Yihana Ritter, Danielle Helme, Emily McCathran, Alexander Lembesis, Merida Anderson, and Joel Shapiro, with Betsy Klinger as facilitator. The group painted shelves, sanded bookcases, made labels, and brought in rugs, curtains and chairs to prepare the space. They then pooled their books and wrote the rules. They staged a grand opening in September 1996. They baked treats, set up a puppet stage, and created games and stories for the event. Since then, many families have donated books for the library. The first 45 households to donate books are listed on the yellow cards encircling the front room near the ceiling.
For the first year and a half, the children held weekly story hours, with the older children and adult guests reading to younger children. Acorn Library still welcomes children or parents who wish to use the space for individual visits, their own special events, or organized story times.
Special thanks to the Woman’s Club
Since 1998, The Woman’s Club of Washington Grove has generously donated funds to help pay for electricity. Thanks to them, the library is lighted daily, and during cold days, it is heated with two space heaters. In the heat of the summer, we run fans to bring in the cool night air, and run a de-humidifier on rare occasions.
For questions or donations, call Betsy Klinger at 301-325-1956 or email her at [email protected].
