“Tay” In The Park
Mary Sincell McEwen stands at an alter piece painted by her great grandmother “Tay” for Aurora Lutheran Church in West Virginia. Completed March, 1939
Sunday, July 11
3:30PM-4:30PM
Presented by Mary Sincell McEwen
Fondly called Tay, Lillian Byrne (Morris) Sincell was an ardent Mountain Lake Park Chautauqua fan and participant, having spent so many summertime days at her grandmother’s cottage on H Street. Tay’s great-granddaughter Mary shares the story of this remarkable woman who left an indelible mark on her beloved town.
Born in Kingwood, West Virginia, in 1871, Lillian "Tay" Byrne (Morris) Sincell lived most of her life in Oakland as a prominent civic activist, known for her hospitality as well as her artistic talent. After an extended courtship of five years, she agreed to marry Benjamin Hinkle Sincell, the editor of The Republican newspaper in Oakland, on a Wednesday evening, Oct. 16, 1895. The two had five children together. Even as a busy parent, Tay was very involved in the suffrage movement, heading up the local chapter of the Just Government League, and celebrating the eventual victory by being just the third woman in Oakland to cast a vote in that first election.
Stop The Presses
“We womenfolk in this free America believe ourselves to be the backbone of our civilization,” Tay wrote. “Along with the natural career of motherhood -- which is a life work in itself -- more and more women have supplemented their domestic duties with the welfare of the community and nation.”
An artist, Tay painted depictions of Christ in 12 area churches, some of which remain today. She was active in St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, as well as with the Temperance League. She was known as a wonderful host, holding large parties in her Oakland home and inviting local guests as well as visiting Chautauqua speakers and performers, state suffrage leaders, and more. After her husband’s death in 1947, she took over as publisher and held that title until her own death in 1961. She was a hard-working, dedicated community activist, and an accomplished artist.
A Lasting Legacy
Tay decorated many walls with her paintings including this alterpiece of The Ascension. She was formally trained in Morgantown, W.Va., where she studied drawing and painting. Her descendents treasure many works she painted in her lifetime that include portraits, landscapes, and still life subjects.
Mary Sincell McEwen will be sharing her remembrance of Tay, compiled from personal stories, family lore, treasured personal letters, and newspaper articles. Her presentation came to her while clearing out the family’s office in Oakland where over a century of news was reported and published in The Republican. Stacks of archived newspapers and personal correspondence painted a picture of her family with such clarity that Mary saw a story worth telling.
A Family Of The Arts
Mary is a gifted writer, proofreader, and editor. She is currently the coordinator for the Arts & Entertainment Districts of Grantsville and Oakland, Maryland, and heads up the advisory committees of those two organizations. During her 27-year career as a co-owner, reporter, and journalist with The Republican, her family-owned newspaper in Garrett County, Maryland she covered the arts in Garrett County extensively, writing a wide range of reports and feature stories for nearly three decades.
Mary now maintains a blog, at marysmcewenwrites.com. In her tenure at the newspaper, she was the recipient of a Maryland-Delaware-D.C. Press Association Editorial Award for Excellence in Column Writing. The Garrett County Arts Council hired her as a presenter for a creative writing multi-week workshop in 2012. She is a graduate of West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre, where she studied chiefly with playwright Frank Gagliano. She continued her education with several English and writing courses at the University of North Carolina and studied for one summer with novelist Lewis Ord.
Civically, Mary served on the board of directors of the Garrett Lakes Arts Festival for many years, and more recently on the board of the Garrett County Arts Council. She was a member of the arts council for four years and served as president for the second two of the four. She has performed in several plays at Our Town Theatre.
She will be teaching And That’s What Happened a writers’ workshop for teens, for this year’s Victorian Chautauqua. The five-day workshop will be July 12-16, 2021.
