Three deer saunter through the snow-covered trees just behind the house where the great environmentalist Rachel Carson wrote Silent Spring, her most influential book. Gazing out the extra large back windows at the natural beauty of the scene, one can see why Carson’s Quaint Acres home provided such a stimulating setting for her writing.
Carson, called one of the “[20th] Century’s Greatest Minds” by Time magazine, loved her Silver Spring neighborhood. It still looks much the same as it did when she wrote her book a half-century ago.
Each of the 156 homes sit on at least 1 acre of property, and a wealth of trees and shrubs make the neighborhood feel far removed from the madness of New Hampshire Avenue, where the one road into the cul-de-sac neighborhood connects.
“This is a quiet, lovely neighborhood, where you can still find homes set back from the street on gorgeous, large, wooded lots,” said Debbie Cook, a real estate agent with Long and Foster. “And there are no McMansions whatsoever.”
Constructed beginning in the 1940s, the neighborhood was home to Carson during the twilight of her life. (She died in 1967.) Her Berwick Road house now is a National Historic Landmark from which the Rachel Carson Council operates. The organization’s president, Diana Post, owns the home.
“She designed the house with the help of a local builder,” Post said. “One of the features she really wanted to include was the large windows, because she loved watching birds.”
Robins, cardinals, woodpeckers, owls, hawks, sparrows, and the elusive Rufous-sided Towhee are regularly spotted in the area.
“It’s like living in the woods,” said Margarette Jennings, a Quaint Acres resident for 16 years. “The birds, the big trees, everyone takes care of their property.”
Turnover in the neighborhood is uncommon. Last year just five homes were sold, ranging from $350,000 to $669,000, according to Cook.
“Most were built between 1948 and 1974 and each lot is a little over an acre,” she said. “The oldest home is the original farmhouse built in 1853 where Quaint Acres Drive and Applegrove Road meet inside the entrance to the subdivision. The homes are great examples of custom mid-century modern houses, and no two are alike.”
New residents quickly discover that their neighborhood has an active civic association that sponsors a picnic the first Saturday after Labor Day each year.
“The people know each other here and are very friendly,” Post said. “People walk with their children, their pets. It’s a very comfortable place to live.”
It’s ideally situated as well. Right across New Hampshire Avenue is the White Oak Library, and less than a mile away is White Oak shopping center, which boasts an impressive array of ethnic restaurants including Vietnamese, Chinese, Indian, Caribbean, and Mexican.
On April 17, the Carson Council will host an open house featuring speakers, music, and refreshments. Visitors will be able to stroll through the home where Carson wrote a groundbreaking work that opened Americans’ eyes to the dangers of chemicals and pesticides. Translated into 22 languages, the book has been credited with leading to the establishment of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the ban on DDT.
Silent Spring sparked an environmental revolution, one that began in idyllic Quaint Acres.
