As the city emerges from an unusually hard winter,
Westminster officials have begun turning their attention toward celebrating the
city's sestercentennial (250 years) birthday this year.
[…]
But with warmer weather on the horizon, it is time to celebrate not only Westminster's 250 years of history but also the anniversary of two important institutions in town, the Chamber of Commerce and the Historical Society of Carroll County.
[…]
In the coming months, this space in the Carroll Eagle will
revisit several of the articles published in the past 10 years on the history
of Westminster, the Chamber of Commerce and its historical society.
Those interested in the area's rich past should not overlook
the historical society's monthly box lunch lecture series on Tuesdays at Grace
Lutheran Church, 21 Carroll St. in Westminster.
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The Westminster Sestercentennial Babylon Oak tree rings of
history
On Monday, April 28 at 6:30 p.m. Westminster will continue
the year-long commemoration of the community’s 250th anniversary and celebrate
Arbor Day on the historic grounds of Westminster City Hall at Emerald Hill on
Longwell Avenue.
Several weeks ago, just as spring was beginning to finally
appear, several city workers joined city arborist Eric Schlitzer to dig-up a
six-foot oak sapling growing under the huge historic white oak tree in front of
the Babylon-Shriver House at the corner of North and Willis Street in the front
yard of Evelyn Babylon, (my wife’s mother.)
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On April 12, 1946, Maryland Gov. Herbert O'Conor
"announced his decision to provide permanent automobile registration tags
for motor vehicles in the State," according to a local newspaper.
The Westminster newspaper, the Democratic Advocate, reported
O'Conor to have "declared," that using two license plates on each
motor vehicle in the state will "save $60,000 annually."
More research is needed to understand how two license plates
would save the state money.
"This is the plan we intended to inaugurate a few years
ago, but due to the war, and the shortage of metals, our plan had to be
delayed," O'Conor said.
One thing is for sure. A quick search of the Maryland
General Assembly website indicates that license plates are a perennial hot
topic.
During the 2013 regular session, for example, there were 11
bills proposed, ranging from providing special tags for "United States
Armed Forces," to changing the law so that only one "registration
plate" would be required per vehicle.
For a number of years, the single plate legislation has been
introduced by Del. Donald Elliot, a Republican who represents District 4B that
includes parts of Carroll and Frederick counties.
In the session that concluded last week, legislators
submitted eight bills for consideration, including Elliott's.
The 2014 legislative initiative failed, after receiving an
unfavorable report from the Environmental Matters Committee.
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Oriole baseball history includes loss to Westminster in 1885
[Column]
Eagle Archives
#Baseball, #Westminster, #Orioles, #History, #Carroll
County, #Maryland,
Roses are red, violets are blue. I hate snow ... and you
should too.
For those with a bad case of chionophobia — a fear of snow —
no worries, spring is near. We know this because last Monday was Opening Day
for the Baltimore Orioles.
After yet another unexpected Maryland snowstorm, the weather
gave way to warmer temperatures and blue skies on March 31.
According to The Baltimore Sun, "a sellout crowd of
46,685 filled the ballpark" to see the Orioles defeat the defending world
champion Boston Red Sox, 2-1.
Baseball has a long history in Baltimore. The current
Baltimore Orioles franchise began playing baseball in 1954 in the old Memorial
Stadium on 33rd Street, after it was announced on Sept. 28, 1953, that the St.
Louis Browns were moving to Baltimore.
Historian Jay Graybeal researched the event for the
Historical Society of Carroll County several years ago and wrote, "One of
the great stories from the County's sports history is the June 1885 baseball
game between the Westminster Base Ball Club and the Baltimore Orioles. …"
Graybeal quoted an old newspaper article which noted,
"The Westminster Base Ball Club on Monday last, the 22d, won the most
remarkable victory in their history, defeating (the) Baltimore team by a score
of 9 to 7."
On that same date in 1962, Boog Powell became the first
player to hit a ball over the hedge in center field at Memorial Stadium,
according to a book of Orioles history by Ted Patterson.
Go Orioles.
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March 30, 1923: A gang of 25 Baltimore men attempted to rob
Carroll County distillery.
The robbers received some buckshot in the hide, but no
liquor.
By Kevin Dayhoff, March 30, 2014
On March 30, 1923, in the depths of prohibition, a local newspaper rang the
alarm that “About 25 men, all from Baltimore, it is reported, attempted to raid
McGinnis Distillery in Carroll County, just east of Westminster.”
It needs to be noted that although prohibition, known as the
“Volstead Act,” did not go into effect throughout the nation until January 20,
1920; Carroll countians voted to outlaw the sale of alcohol in the county
six-years earlier - in 1914, according to research by historian Jay Graybeal
for the Historical Society of Carroll County.
Prohibition remained the law of the land until President
Franklin Roosevelt signed into law the Cullen-Harrison Act on March 23, 1933.
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Westminster Methodist minister Lowell Ensor helped raise
awareness of civil rights in 1940s
[...]
By Kevin Dayhoff, March 25, 2014
In 1945, institutional racism in Maryland was a hot topic.
In part, the discussion was driven by pragmatism in that, according to research
by historian Kenneth D. Durr, more than 20 percent of the population in
Baltimore was said to be black. But because of housing segregation laws, the
city's black population was squeezed into 2 percent of the city's land mass.
Lowell Ensor would later assume the office of president of
the college, now McDaniel, on July 1, 1947, according to Lightner's history of
the college, "Fearless and Bold." He served until June 30, 1972, and
died in 1975.
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Current tensions in Ukraine bring back memories of Cold War
Eagle Archives
By Kevin Dayhoff, March 19, 2014
Who can remember the school air raid drill in which you were
to hide underneath your desk – or in the hallway? Remember, drop to the floor,
duck and cover your head, to protect yourself from flying debris and getting
burned by the nuclear blast. Some schools distributed dog tags so that the
bodies of the dead students could easily be identified.
On March 16, 1972, an article in The Carroll Record
explained one of the basic building blocks of the Cold War era, the fallout
shelter.
"Today's Paper Has Community Fallout Shelter Plan — The
new community fallout shelter plan for Carroll County is included in this
newspaper. …"
The article reported, "According to the County
commissioners, 'The information developed in the plan could save the lives of
thousands of persons in the event of attack. …' "
The recent tensions between Russia and the West over the
civil unrest in the Ukraine and Crimean Peninsula have renewed an interest in
Cold War nostalgia.
[…]
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Streets and history of Westminster intersect at odd angles
[Eagle Archives]
Many residents today may not recall the crazy-quilt
"dog leg" intersection of John, Bond and Main streets, or the equally
mismatched collision of Main and Liberty streets, Railroad Avenue, and the
train tracks in Westminster.
Years ago, these intersections did not look anything like
they do now. Today, they form a perfect "cross."
But years ago, a motorist traveling south on John Street or
Railroad Avenue had to make a 90-degree right turn onto Main Street, then hang
a quick left to get on either Liberty or Bond Street and get through the
intersection.
It may have worked well enough in the horse and buggy days.
But by the 1970s, it was nuts.
Finally, sanity ruled and the two intersections and the
bridge over the railroad tracks on East Green Street were rebuilt in the
mid-1970s.
Many years ago, the area that we now know as John and
Carroll streets in Westminster was known as the "space between."
Related
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####
Westminster Patch:
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Westminster Methodist minister Lowell Ensor helped raise
awareness of civil rights in 1940s
[...]
By Kevin Dayhoff, March 25, 2014
In 1945, institutional racism in Maryland was a hot topic.
In part, the discussion was driven by pragmatism in that, according to research
by historian Kenneth D. Durr, more than 20 percent of the population in
Baltimore was said to be black. But because of housing segregation laws, the
city's black population was squeezed into 2 percent of the city's land mass.
Lowell Ensor would later assume the office of president of
the college, now McDaniel, on July 1, 1947, according to Lightner's history of
the college, "Fearless and Bold." He served until June 30, 1972, and
died in 1975.
_____________________________
By Kevin E. Dayhoff, kevindayhoff@gmail.com
Story | April 21, 2014 | 12:04
PM
... just endured are hard on a city — and expensive. In a
recent edition of the city's newsletter, Westminster Mayor Kevin Utz
wrote, "The City has spent all $100,000 of our snow budget plus an
additional $50,000 in contingency funds purchasing ...
By Kevin E. Dayhoff,
Story | April 15, 2014 | 5:52
AM
On April 12, 1946, Maryland Gov. Herbert O'Conor
"announced his decision to provide permanent automobile registration tags
for motor vehicles in the State," according to a local newspaper.
By Kevin E. Dayhoff,
Story | April 8, 2014 | 5:38
AM
There were actually at least two sports stadiums in
Northeast Baltimore at 33rd Street and Ellerslie Avenue in what was once a city
park by the name of Venable Park. The first, Baltimore Municipal Stadium, began
operations Dec. 2, 1922.
By Kevin Dayhoff, kevindayhoff@gmail.com
Story | March 25, 2014 | 12:16
PM
In 1945, institutional racism in Maryland was a hot topic.
In part, the discussion was driven by pragmatism in that, according to research
by historian Kenneth D. Durr, more than 20 percent of the population in
Baltimore was said to be black.
By Kevin Dayhoff,
Story | March 19, 2014 | 8:06
AM
"Today's Paper Has Community Fallout Shelter Plan ? The
new community fallout shelter plan for Carroll County is included in this
newspaper. ?"
By Kevin Dayhoff,
Story | February 5, 2014 | 4:37
AM
... received an imported breech-loading shotgun. Throughout
his career he gave away 5,000 guns representing sales of 5,000,000
cigars!" When he is not admiring the artwork on the old cigar labels,Kevin Dayhoff may
be reached at .
By Kevin E. Dayhoff,
Story | February 17, 2014 | 1:57
PM
... City, a vast collection of skyscrapers and a thriving
economic center that may be best described as the Hong Kong of Latin and South
America. If he is not showing pictures of his trip to Panama to friends, Kevin Dayhoff may
be reached at
By Kevin Dayhoff Story | February 12,
2014 | 3:15 AM
... College: 621 employees • Carroll County Commissioners:
587 employees • Carroll Community College: 509 employees • Evapco: 440
employees When he is not counting the days until spring, KevinDayhoff may
be reached at .
By Kevin Dayhoff, Story | March 4, 2014 | 8:42
AM Many residents today may not recall the crazy-quilt "dog leg"
intersection of John, Bond and Main streets, or the equally mismatched
collision of Main and Liberty streets, Railroad Avenue, and the train tracks in
Westminster. Years ago, these intersections did not look anything like they do
now.
Long-standing
history of ground-rent on property in Westminster [Column] By Kevin E. Dayhoff,
Story |
March
11, 2014 |
1:12 PM In the last several weeks, articles in
the Baltimore Sun report that a ruling by the Maryland Court of Appeals
"tossed-out” an ambitious legislative effort" to address what some
lawmakers perceived as abusive practices on the part of some ground-rent owners
in Maryland.
E-mail: kevindayhoff(at)gmail.com
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