Carroll Yesteryears 25 December 2016 A Shriver Holiday Tradition: Christmas Eve Poetry By Mary Ann Ashcraft During the 19th century, people often presented original poetry to friends and family. This charming poem written by Louis Edwin Shriver of the Union Mills Homestead was a gift to his nieces who also lived there. On Christmas [...]
Carroll Yesteryears 11 December 2016 Baile Hall has Served the Community for More Than 170 Years By Jeff A. Duvall On Marston Road near New Windsor, a former one-room brick school house now known as Baile Hall sits on the property of the Sam’s Creek Church of the Brethren. People who drive by daily may [...]
Carroll Yesteryears 27 November 2016 Western Maryland Railroad Ushered in the Heyday of American Railroading By Mary Ann Ashcraft By 1863, the Western Maryland Railroad stretched across central Carroll County as a single-track line from just north of Finksburg to Union Bridge. It played a significant role during and after the battle of Gettysburg and [...]
Carroll Yesteryears 13 November 2016 Carroll Resident Mullinix Played Role in Civil War By Mary Ann Ashcraft What is it about the Civil War and its participants which fascinates Americans, especially those of us living close to Gettysburg? We never tire of reading articles that capture aspects of that turbulent period. My curiosity was [...]
Carroll Yesteryears 23 October 2016 Former Slave Instilled More Than a Good Work Ethic In His Son By Mary Ann Ashcraft Families with the surname Dorsey have lived in this area for centuries – since before Carroll County even existed. Some of the early Dorseys purchased large land tracts and owned slaves who toiled on [...]
Carroll Yesteryears 9 October 2016 Sykesville Families Provided Respite for British Sailors During World War II By Mary Ann Ashcraft For ten days during July 1943, Mr. & Mrs. Ernest Ridgely, their daughter Helen, and several other Sykesville area families offered rest and relaxation to sailors from a British naval vessel docked in Norfolk, Virginia. [...]
Carroll Yesteryears 25 September 2016 Exhibit Offers Glimpse Into Life As An Early Immigrant From Greece In Carroll By Mary Ann Ashcraft Weekends are busy at this time of year, but if you have an extra hour, stop in at the Historical Society of Carroll County’s Emerald Hill in Westminster to see an exciting new [...]
Carroll Yesteryears 11 September 2016 Dating to 1869, Carroll County Fairs Have Been Big Draws in Various Locales By Mary Ann Ashcraft Since 1869, Carroll County residents have enjoyed local agricultural fairs although the names and locations have changed over the years. Why shouldn’t an area which sent flour ground from homegrown wheat to feed [...]
Carroll Yesteryears 28 August 2016 Analyzing Carroll’s Stance on Women’s Suffrage By Mary Ann Ashcraft If you didn’t see the image attached to this column, would you know what event occurred August 26, 1920? Ellen Goodman, the well-known columnist, wrote about it for many years. Today’s article appears two days after America celebrated the 96th [...]
Carroll Yesteryears 14 August 2016 By Train or Bus, Carroll Countians Got On Their Way By Mary Ann Ashcraft Centuries ago, Native Americans living in this area traveled on their own two feet. Early settlers used horses for long journeys, but as the Indian trails turned into roads and turnpikes, carriages or stagecoaches carried passengers [...]