Dedication of Utica Farm Park

April 23, 2007

Dear Park Visitor:

Best wishes from the family who owned and farmed this land for six generations.

This land was first owned by my ancestor, Simon Snook who purchased it in 1777, following his service in the Revolutionary War. Apparently he followed the traditions of other German settlers in Frederick County by farming and raising thoroughbred livestock on his farm. He passed the property down to his son and eventually his grandson, Daniel J. Snook.

My grandmother Bessie Edith Snook Pitzer was born in 1876, and came to live in the farm house with her grandparents, Mary Ann and Daniel Snook. She arrived on horse back in her father's arms in 1880, insisting that she wanted to live on the farm with her beloved grandparents. This she did - growing up on the farm, marrying Allen Pitzer and raising one daughter, my mother, Mary Pitzer Seibert, in this place. My mother was born in the farm house in 1909 and married there in March, 1946. The house was the site for important family gatherings over the years and the surrounding land holds many memories for our family members.

Although I never lived on the farm, I spent many summers visiting my grandmother, playing in the woods, eating home made noodle soup, and falling in the little creek more than once. This place was a refuge from the busy world - a place to find peace and to recreate in the true sense of the word. This farm in the shadow of the Catoctin Mountains was 'home' for generations, beginning with the Snook family and ending with my own children William and Anne Partlett.

It was my mother's fondest wish that the farm be preserved in some way, if her own descendants were not able to live in this place. Although she did not live to see the dedication in 2007, I believe that she would be gratified that the farm, sometimes lovingly referred to as 'Pitzerville', has been established as the Utica District Park. It is my hope that the farm will continue to offer those who come here a place to step back from their busy lives and recreate.

On behalf of William and Anne Partlett and myself, I extend our best wishes for the future success of the Utica District Park. As many come here to participate in recreational activities, we hope they will have a sense of the history and the many generations that first called this land their home.

Warmest regards,

Nannette Seibert Partlett