Snowden Farmes Elementary School

The Snowden Family

Written by Ann Myers, President, Clarksburg Chamber of Commerce

Joann (Snowden) Woodson, who turns 90 yrs this May, is the great granddaughter of the original Snowden farm founded in 1845 and the last remaining Snowden. She is a pillar of our community and through her efforts she has been working to preserve her family’s long legacy here in Clarksburg.

The Snowden family has been here since 1845 when Joann’s great grandfather, Thomas Snowden, purchased land in Clarksburg to start a dairy farm. He lived in Clarksburg when Clarksburg was the first stage coach stop outside of Georgetown, 35 miles away. Clarksburg was the farthest place you could get to in a day from Georgetown before needing to refresh your horses, grab a bite to eat, and rest for the night. There were farriers, the ordinary (what they called hotels back then), and a trading post. The school is currently being built on Thomas Snowden’s actual land. Thomas gave years of service to the county.

Over the years, the Snowden farm has been passed down to her grandfather, Marshall Snowden, then to her father, Milton Snowden. The Snowden’s were first cousins of the Wimm’s on Joann’s mother’s side. Wilson Wimm’s was Joann’s favorite cousin.

The Snowden legacy shines bright in our community and it would be a true honor to preserve this long-established, outstanding, community-oriented family in our history by naming the elementary school Snowden Farm Elementary School as it resides on Thomas Snowden’s land and what is currently known as Snowden Farm Parkway.

While we wish to honor the Snowden family’s outstanding legacy with this naming, and not specifically after Joann, we’d be remiss to not mention Joann’s strong commitment to improving our community. She has worked for the county’s Recreation Department for 33 years as a volunteer Program Director for Clarksburg Senior Citizens. She was awarded the Neil Potter Award in recognition of community service for seniors in 2008, and she was a founding member of the Clarksburg/Boyds/Germantown Historical Society.