Photo by Skip Lawrence Washington County residents Pam and Mark Henry talk about the assistance they received from the U.S. Department of Agriculture during an event Monday in Thurmont that marked the 60-year anniversary of the USDA Rural Development Program.

At a ceremony honoring the 60th anniversary of the department's rural development housing programs, Bartlett said Maryland lags behind Delaware in support of the program.

"Delaware is one-eighth the size of Maryland, but Maryland has less than three times the support for rural housing that Delaware does," Bartlett said. "So we need to get the word out."

Since 1950, 28,760 homeowners in Maryland have been assisted by home ownership programs, a total of $1.8 billion compared to 10,280 homeowners in Delaware for $434 million.

Jack Tarburton, director of rural development in Maryland and Delaware, took note of Bartlett's comments.

"I take that as a personal challenge to boost activity in Maryland," he said.

Tarburton chose to hold the ceremony at the Guardian Hose Co. Activities Building in Thurmont because he wanted to focus on accomplishments in Maryland.

"We want to remind people that's your money, not the U.S. government's, and it's our job to make sure we're good stewards of that money, to make sure those dollars are invested wisely in rural communities that we're called to serve," Tarburton said.

The program began in 1949 under President Harry S. Truman. It was started primarily to allow farm families to build houses on the land they farmed.

It has since evolved to include home ownership loan and grant programs for people of low to moderate incomes in rural parts of the country.

Bartlett often jokes that everyone laughs when he says, "I'm from the government, I'm here to help."

He thinks highly of the USDA program.

"I'll tell you, that's one part of the government when they can come knock on your door and you don't laugh when they say I'm from the government, I'm here to help you," Bartlett said.

At the ceremony, a couple from Hagerstown spoke about a loan that helped them build a single-family house after their trailer burned down.

Mark and Pam Henry, both florists, went away for three days to the Philadelphia Flower Show in 2004. They came back to find their house destroyed after an electrical short in the wall.

"We weren't sure which way to turn. We weren't sure which way to go," Mark Henry said. "We had no place to stay for the evening, so some friends took us in."

The insurance didn't cover the cost of a new building, so they rented, returning to the property to spend time on the weekends and evenings with their pets, who weren't allowed in the rental.

Mark and Pam Henry were determined to rebuild, and contacted a local community action agency to find out if any programs could help them. That's how they found USDA. The staff helped them through the process to get a loan.

"It was quite the blessing," Mark Henry said.

"We have a beautiful home now, one that we are happy to show off."