It was Ladies' Night at the Moose Lodge in Indian Head, and as the air thickened with cigarette smoke, the talk turned to the massive arson that ravaged the nearby Hunters Brooke subdivision Monday.
There was astonishment at the fire's toll: 10 unoccupied houses in the Southern Maryland development destroyed, an additional 16 partially burned -- "more than $10 million in damage!" marveled a man who had the name "Butch" stitched across his blue, collared shirt.
Indian Head residents are trying to come to terms with the arson fire that damaged homes in Hunters Brooke development.
(Tracy A. Woodward -- The Washington Post)
|
_____Photo Gallery_____
•
Md. Arson: Ten homes were destroyed and 16 damaged, resulting in an estimated $10 million in destruction to the new subdivision.
_____Graphic_____
•
Charles County Fires
_____More From The Post_____
•
11 More Houses Were Targeted In Md. Arsons (The Washington Post, Dec 9, 2004)
•
At Site of Mass Md. Arson, Families Wait and Worry (The Washington Post, Dec 8, 2004)
•
No Motive Found in Charles Arsons (The Washington Post, Dec 8, 2004)
•
Arson Brings Battle Over Bog to Surface (The Washington Post, Dec 8, 2004)
•
Developer Plans to Rebuild Houses (The Washington Post, Dec 8, 2004)
•
Arson Turns A Dream Into Dread (The Washington Post, Dec 8, 2004)
|
| |
|
There was speculation as to the culprits. A disgruntled subcontractor? Ecoterrorists angry about the development's location near prized wetlands? Racists who had noticed that most of the people buying the new homes were black?
But from the crowd of 20 or so old-timers sitting around the lodge's bar Tuesday night, there also were observations of a different sort.
"You know," said Christine Ledford, 46, "I was watching when they interviewed [the homeowners] on TV to see if I knew anybody. And I didn't know a one."
Amy Anderson, Ledford's best friend since high school, shook her head at the shame of it. Just another sign of how much things have changed in Charles County since they were teenagers.
Back then, Anderson said, "Everybody knew everybody. It was so peaceful. So nice."
But that was before the bowling alley and the department store in Indian Head shut down. Before the nearby Navy base that had provided so many manufacturing jobs changed its focus from producing ordnance to researching and developing it.
And most of all, before new developments with fancy names and even fancier prices started sprouting like mushrooms.
Rather than the headquarters of the local movers and shakers, the Moose Lodge is more like a last refuge for holdovers of a bygone era.
White, mostly working-class men and women in their forties, fifties and sixties, they are a cheerful, big-hearted bunch -- always on the lookout for a charity to support with their dollars and their sweat.
Inside their haven, the decor is simple: a bar covered in beige laminate, a couple of vinyl-covered stools, a basket of bingo cards for sale. The scene was brightened Tuesday by the warm smiles that greeted each new arrival.
"Hey, you old coot! How are ya?" Anderson, 47, asked with a throaty laugh as a man with a blue baseball cap squeezed her shoulders.
Around her neck, Anderson wore a pendant with the Washington Redskins' logo -- less as a symbol of her beloved football team, she said, than a tribute to the town of Indian Head.
