Carroll Yesteryears 2 August 2009 Help Keep History Groups Going by Mary Ann Ashcraft Readers of this column surely know what the current economy is doing to cultural organizations nationwide. We’ve heard about cutbacks, layoffs and even closings of so many. Locally, the Historical Society of Carroll County survives with a reduced staff which operates fewer [...]
Carroll Yesteryears 19 July 2009 Trevanion Rich With History by Mary Ann Ashcraft Lots of fascinating Carroll County history is associated with Trevanion, the Italianate/Gothic house on Trevanion Road between Taneytown and Uniontown. Look closely at the accompanying photo and you can see the traditional brick farmhouse hidden behind mid-nineteenth century additions. Originally known as “Brick [...]
Carroll Yesteryears 5 July 2009 Baseball Has Deep Roots In Carroll County by Richard Hershberger Baseball came to Westminster the year after the end of the Civil War. Bat-and-ball games had been played since time immemorial, but modern baseball is descended from the game as played in New York City in the 1840s. In the late [...]
Carroll Yesteryears 21 June 2009 Odd Fellows Hall Was Magnet for Events by Mary Ann Ashcraft Some buildings just happen to sit in the midst of history. While you can say that many places on Westminster’s Main Street fall into that category, few have witnessed so many interesting events inside their walls as Odd Fellows Hall, [...]
Carroll Yesteryears 7 June 2009 Cooperation Typical of Residents by Mary Ann Ashcraft John Heywood, a sixteenth century English playwright, coined the phrase, “Many hands make light work.” It’s a wonderful saying which speaks to cooperation and making hard tasks more palatable. Our ancestors, lacking the technology now at our fingertips, knew the benefits of working [...]
Carroll Yesteryears 24 May 2009 Book Focuses on Vietnam Vets by Mary Ann Ashcraft Memorial Day conjures up so many powerful images - images we should not forget amidst the pleasures of family picnics and other outings. When Mary Shellman first urged the people of Carroll County to observe Decoration Day in 1868, it was to [...]
Carroll Yesteryears 10 May 2009 Carroll Countians Lured Out West in 19th Century by Mary Ann Ashcraft “Go West, young man, and grow up with the country.” This famous piece of advice attributed to Horace Greeley was followed by many born in Carroll County during the nineteenth century. In fact, for some families, our area was [...]
Carroll Yesteryears 26 April 2009 Fairgrounds Hosted Agricultural Events by Mary Ann Ashcraft Nothing except the name “Fairground Village Shopping Center” at the east end of Main Street in Westminster suggests that this was the site of the early Carroll County Agricultural Society fairs. Thirty prime acres and a number of buildings just off the Baltimore [...]
Carroll Yesteryears 12 April 2009 Sykesville Site of 1831 Labor Riot by Mary Ann Ashcraft Sykesville’s attractive, newly-printed brochure with a walking tour of the town also mentions several important incidents that occurred in the area during the 1800s. The Sykes Mill Railroad Riot of 1831 piqued my curiosity. In July 1828, the cornerstone of the [...]
Carroll Yesteryears 29 March 2009 Warfield Once Well-known by Mary Ann Ashcraft Mention the name Warfield in Carroll County today and the only thing which comes to mind for most people is the Warfield Complex on the grounds of Springfield Hospital Center in Sykesville. A few people will recognize the Warfields as a family active in [...]