David and Jane Dinsmore, Ft. Washington, MD, stand in front of Hurley Shultz's former home near Central. Note the curved front porch and the windows with the rounded tops.

His life story is quite interesting, particularly showing how a man with only a grade school education applied his skills, intelligence, and energy in adapting to the rapidly changing times of the last century.

Quitting school in the early 1890s, he quickly found work cutting timber in the mountains around the then-bustling Jamison City. By the time he married in 1901, the lumbering business was rapidly declining in the area, so it was common for people to move to find better work. Hurley and his family moved to the mountains of central Maryland, but drawn by close family ties, they returned to Central a few years later.Facing limited opportunity for laboring jobs, Hurley became a merchant, buying a general store in Central that he operated from 1906 to 1912. Although operating the store very successfully, he preferred mechanical and craft work.

In 1912 he purchased at a Sheriff's sale his family homestead just south of Central where his father, Peter Shultz, had farmed and operated a blacksmith shop during the 1890s. Soon after reopening the blacksmith shop, Hurley noted the increasing popularity of cars so he read books on mechanics and expanded the shop into a full-service automobile-repair garage. Working daylight to dark seven days a week, he not only operated the garage but also ran a small dairy farm.

With the onset of the depression in the early 1930s, he closed the garage as few people could pay for repair work. Again he was able to take advantage of the available economic opportunities.

He continued to operate the small farm using a homemade tractor that was a 1925 Dodge car with a Ford truck rear end while also becoming a supervisor at the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) camp north of Elk Grove.World War II had a very significant effect on the lives of so many people, even in the more remote region of northern Columbia County.

Hurley became a tank inspector at the American Car & Foundry (AC&F) plant in Berwick. It was an opportunity not only to make money in those post-depression years, but also to do more skilled technical work to which he always aspired but lacked the formal training.After the war he was approaching age 70, but still he craved challenging work. He performed a few small home repairs and quickly gained a reputation as a skilled stone mason and carpenter.

In the late 1940s, people from the city started coming to the area wanting buildings repaired or stone fireplaces built in summer homes. Hurley, assisted by Warren Kocher and Joe Daya, did extensive repairs to the White House north of Jamison City and built a large stone house along a mountain stream near the White House.

In addition to his self employment, at times he operated the carpentry shop at the Benton Foundry and served as Sugarloaf Township Road Supervisor.Hurley was married to the former Amanda Wood for forty-five years.

In addition to having one son, he raised Amanda's sister, Beatrice. Years later after Amanda died, Beatrice moved back to Central and Hurley helped raise her son, David Dinsmore. David and his family now own the Shultz homestead and spend much time there summers.
--contributed by David Dinsmore, Oxon Hill, Maryland

For related links, vist the section on the Heg Family: Biddle, Charlotte & Philip and
next-door neighbor, the Rev. Philip Varker, the subject of the article The Lord Will Provide. Back to Personalities Section