Remembering George M. Shriver, III

(Photo above: George M. Shriver, III volunteering at the 1981 Flower & Plant Market at the Union Mills Homestead.)

The Union Mills Homestead community was saddened to hear of the passing of George M. Shriver, III, who died July 24, 2021 at his home in Reisterstown, Maryland at age 88. A long-time member of the Union Mills Homestead’s Board of Governors, Shriver left a legacy of lifetime support for the historic site.

Long Record of Service at the Union Mills Homestead

George M. Shriver, III was involved with the Union Mills Homestead, in one way or another, for his entire life. Having deep ties to the family at Union Mills, Shriver was a charter member of the Union Mills Homestead Foundation when it was founded in 1964. The Klein brothers, the last generation of the family to own the property, were cousins of George M. Shriver, III and from the beginning he was a strong supporter of the organization the Kleins established.

Shriver joined the organization’s Board of Governors in the 1970s and served as President of the Board from 1980 to 1983. For many years he served as Chair of the organization’s Curator’s Committee. Notably, he served as a committee member for the organization’s Museum Assessment Project in 2017 and committee member and key supporter for the 2013 publication of the book, Pastime: Life & Love on the Homefront During the Civil War, 1861-1865. An avid gardener, Shriver worked to reestablish the orchard at Union Mills where soldiers from both North and South slept the night before the Battle of Gettysburg.

Shriver was a regular volunteer at Union Mills Homestead events. He could be found each and every year helping out at the Flower & Plant Market, carrying platters of corn at the Corn Roast, or directing traffic at events like the Microbrewery Festival. His efforts will be missed, but an even greater loss will be his sense of humor, genial manner, sterling integrity, discreet judgment, and friendship to all he met.

Deep Family Ties

Shriver had ties to Union Mills dating back to its founders. Shriver was the great-grandson of Samuel Smith Shriver, who upon the untimely death of his father in Indiana while surveying western canals, was raised at Union Mills by Andrew Shriver and wife Elizabeth Shultz Shriver. Samuel Smith Shriver’s experience being raised at Union Mills as an orphan left him with a deep sense of gratitude and love for the Shriver Homestead. Samuel Smith Shriver passed this deep sense of belonging at Union Mills down to his descendants in a variety of ways, including through his seminal book on the Shriver family, History of the Shriver Family and Their Connections, 1684-1888.

Shriver’s grandfather, George M. Shriver, maintained close ties to his cousins at Union Mills. George M. Shriver’s son, George M. Shriver, Jr., (Shriver’s father), served on the Union Mills Homestead Foundation’s board at the time the organization was founded and later served as Board President. Shriver’s family continues to volunteer at the site. Through these multi-generational ties, George M. Shriver, III maintained a close connection to this unique historic site. He will be sorely missed and the entire community extends heartfelt condolences to the family.