Alcohol, prohibition, mysterious women and the roaring '20s
http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?pnpID=978&NewsID=902857&CategoryID=19662&show=localnews&om=1
05/16/08 EAGLE ARCHIVE by Kevin Dayhoff
Prohibition became the law of the land after the 18th Amendment went into effect on Jan. 16, 1920, but Carroll Countians had already voted to outlaw the sale of alcohol six years earlier in 1914.
Throughout the roaring '20s, until prohibition was repealed on Dec. 5, 1933, by the 21st Amendment, many legendary accounts of stills, moonshiners, speakeasies and enforcement raids became a part of a folklore and story-telling tradition in the county.
If only half of the stories are true, Carroll County must have been an interesting place back then.
A May 18, 1923, newspaper account stirred the kettle about one such event -- a May 5 raid on the North Branch Hotel by prohibition agents.
Read the entire column here: Alcohol, prohibition, mysterious women and the roaring '20s
Roads, reservoirs, property rights and four-letter words
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05/09/08 EAGLE ARCHIVE by Kevin Dayhoff
The state of the roads has always been a hot topic in Carroll County and, recently, funding street maintenance is a cause of great concern for Westminster officials in the budget process.
History frequently mentions street projects. In the Westminster municipal election of 1890, the issue bitterly dividing the community was the condition of the streets. Some 550 citizens voted to decide whether or not the city should take out a bond for $25,000 for street upgrades.
Nearly 40 years later, on April 27, 1927, an emergency bill was passed in the General Assembly that authorized Westminster to borrow "Seventy-five Thousand Dollars, to be secured by a bond issue É (to) be used and applied exclusively to the paving and improving of the streets, curbs and gutters of the town."
Alas, then-Gov. Albert C. Ritchie vetoed it.
(The year of 1927 was not a good one for Westminster in the Maryland legislature. Another bill passed by the legislature provided "for the extension of the (city) limits of Westminster." It was also vetoed. What did we ever do to Gov. Ritchie?)
Speaking of roads, a reader's question asked why there are so many sharp curves on old county roads?
The answer is: In days gone-by, roads went in between and around property lines. Agricultural fields and property lines were more important than straightening out roads and using eminent domain -- the means by which government takes land for public projects -- was out of the question.
And that leads to another question posed in the past several months, asking if Carroll County government has ever used eminent domain to acquire property? The short answer is no, never.
Eminent domain is a four-letter word in Carroll. Property rights have always been a sacred cow in Carroll County.
Panic, depression, recession ... and Dick Cheney in a rabbit suit
http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?pnpID=978&NewsID=899248&CategoryID=19662&show=localnews&om=1
05/02/08 EAGLE ARCHIVE by Kevin Dayhoff
This is the time of the year when a young man's fancy turns to the budget process of Carroll County government and the eight municipalities.
In reading through historical economic accounts (which beats reading the most recent fiscal accounts, by the way) budget processes have never been easy.
The economy dominates the news these days; especially the number of people losing their homes to foreclosure.
Read the entire column here: Panic, depression, recession ... and Dick Cheney in a rabbit suit
Westminster came of age by following railroad tracks
http://news.mywebpal.com/news_tool_v2.cfm?pnpID=978&NewsID=895826&CategoryID=19662&show=localnews&om=1
04/21/08 EAGLE ARCHIVE by Kevin Dayhoff
One of my fondest memories of growing up in Westminster is the railroad. More than 50 years later I still live within easy earshot of the train whistle as the train chugs its way through town.
The railroad is interwoven throughout much of the fabric of Westminster history.
Joseph... [Read full story]
Fire in Westminster and a hunk-a hunk-a burning love in Hampstead
04/13/2008 by Kevin Dayhoff
King’s sad anniversary reminds us of Carroll’s own history
04/06/2008 by Kevin Dayhoff
Parades, impact fees, mail service ... and Dwight Dingle in a bathtub?
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04/02/08 by Kevin Dayhoff
EAGLE ARCHIVE
Time for a little spring-cleaning, in which we'll catch up with answering some readers' questions.
Recently I was asked about Easter parades in Westminster. I have no recollection of any such parades, but local historian Joe Getty noted in an article he wrote a number of years ago for the Historical Society of Carroll County that, "Easter Monday parades were held in Westminster in 1884, 1885, and 1887. After a short lapse, a large parade was held in 1892"
Rolling out a few good eggs, and our Easter Sunday best
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03/26/08 by Kevin Dayhoff
EAGLE ARCHIVE
Happy Easter. Yes it's not quite warm outside, although warmer weather should be around the corner. And yes, it seems like Christmas was just yesterday.
We all have favorite Easter memories. For those of us who grew up in a church, Easter marked the opportunity to wear our "Easter Sunday best," i.e. new clothes.
Palm Sunday 1942 was a time of high snow and higher anxiety
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03/14/08 EAGLE ARCHIVE by Kevin Dayhoff
Many people have been commenting about how early Easter is this year. In fact, the last time Easter was as early as March 23 was 1913.
But a later Easter doesn't ensure good weather for Holy Week. I wonder how many readers remember the Palm Sunday blizzard of 1942. It was the fifth worse snowstorm in Carroll County history, as folks were greeted by 22 inches of snow on March 29, 1942.
20080316 The Carroll Sunday Eagle: Palm Sunday 1942 was a time of high snow and higher anxiety by Kevin Dayhoff
http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2008/03/20080316-carroll-sunday-eagle-palm.html
20080309 The Sunday Carroll Eagle: “History will know us by our trash”
http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2008/03/20080309-sunday-carroll-eagle-history.html
Sunday Carroll Eagle: “History will know us by our trash”
Sunday Carroll Eagle March 9, 2008 by Kevin Dayhoff
I cannot find my March 9th, 2008 Sunday Carroll Eagle column on the Westminster Eagle web site.
Pasted below, please find the column as it was written. It is my understanding that the column was altered for publication…
Ever since the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, many of us has felt that the best management approach to solid waste was source reduction and recycling. It would take 18 long years to get the Maryland Recycling Act passed in 1988. That legislation required a recycling rate of 20 percent.
Twenty years later, getting the recycling rate increased is still illusive. In 1998, on the 10-year anniversary of the law, the Baltimore Sun ran a lengthy analysis in which the Maryland General Assembly member who spearheaded the recycling initiative, Montgomery County Sen. Brian Frosh, admitted “that recycling has been costlier than expected. His 1988 bill predicted significant cost savings…”
Later in the article, the $250 million cost of recycling 2.5 million tons was compared to the $83 million it would’ve cost to landfill it instead. The rest of the article went downhill from there.
Those of us who are opposed to landfilling were less than pleased. Four decades after the first Earth Day, the recycling rate in Carroll County is only around 30 percent.
20080309 The Sunday Carroll Eagle: “History will know us by our trash”
http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2008/03/20080309-sunday-carroll-eagle-history.html
Traffic always made us see red
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Traffic always made us see red
02/29/08 EAGLE ARCHIVE By Kevin Dayhoff
The concern over traffic congestion, safety and speeding tend to surface with every discussion of growth and quality of life in Carroll County. I was recently approached by folks and asked how I felt about red light and speeding cameras, and it got me thinking about Carroll County's past attempts to marry growth and speed control.
Perhaps the first mention of an effort to address the problem of speeding in our county came on or about June 20, 1839. According to a history of the Westminster Police Department, it was then that a speeding ordinance was passed stating:
"No person shall run or drive through the town of Westminster at an improper gait except in case of necessity."
The life, and the lasting local influence, of Robert Moton
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02/01/08 EAGLE ARCHIVE by Kevin Dayhoff
Construction continues these days at the site of the 28,000-square-foot former Robert Moton School on S. Center Street in Westminster -- it's across from the Carroll County Health Department.
After approximately $2.3 million in renovations, the Carroll County Board of Elections, Carroll Department of Recreation and Parks and Change Inc., a nonprofit that works with the developmentally disabled, are slated to move their offices there.
Questions about the old school building are posed to me from time to time, but the question I'm asked most frequently, especially from younger folks who are new to Carroll County, is "Who was Robert Moton, anyway?"
For 115 years, Westminster's band of brothers ... and sisters
January 13, 2008 EAGLE ARCHIVE by Kevin Dayhoff
20080113 Westminster Municipal Band: For 115 years, Westminster's band of brothers ... and sisters
http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2008/01/20080113-westminster-municipal-band-for.html
For 115 years, Westminster's band of brothers ... and sisters
Sunday Carroll Eagle
01/11/08 by Kevin E. Dayhoff
EAGLE ARCHIVE
Below please find the long – unedited version of the column…
Just before the holidays got into full swing, I had the pleasure of attending the Westminster Municipal Band’s end of the year Christmas party and annual meeting.
It is certainly not a very well kept secret that this former Westminster Mayor and his family are madly in love with the Westminster Municipal Band. And it's not just because I'm a washed-up trumpet player.
Usually when one thinks of the Westminster Municipal Band, visions of “Mom, Country, and Apple Pie” come to mind.
The purpose of leadership today is to build community. Certainly one of the chief builders of our community has been the Westminster Municipal Band.
However, the rich history of the band includes being part of rapid deployment force to hotspots around the globe, a machine gun section, and a rumored reputation of being a heavy metal grudge-garage band. Who knew?
If a Greek mythologist were to write the history of the Westminster Municipal Band, they would write the Band's Mother is the history and tradition of the Westminster Community and the Father is the 29th Division National Guard Regimental Band. That Greek mythologist would also want to write that the band's ancestral home is Belle Grove Square and that it's midwife was Mayor Joseph L. Mathias.
The roots of the present Westminster Municipal Band are found in 1920, but “there are records of a Westminster Band dating back as far as 1860,” according to the band’s director, Sandy Miller, in a July 2004 interview.
However, to the best of our knowledge, it was 1893 when it was first incorporated as the Westminster City Band of Carroll County.
It was around this time that Company H First Infantry Maryland National Guard was organized in Frizzleburg in 1898. This unit later evolved into the famous 29th Division of the Maryland National Guard. Part of the Westminster Municipal Band's lineage can be traced back to the First Maryland Infantry Band consisting of the Westminster Units of the Maryland National Guard.
20080113 Westminster Municipal Band: For 115 years, Westminster's band of brothers ... and sisters
http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2008/01/20080113-westminster-municipal-band-for.html
Shedding a little light on early Christmas tree decorations
December 23, 2007 EAGLE ARCHIVE by Kevin Dayhoff
Christmas reminds us of worry, and glory, of downtown business
December 16, 2007 EAGLE ARCHIVE by Kevin Dayhoff
20071104 The Sunday Carroll Eagle column of October 28 2007
http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2007/11/20071104-sunday-carroll-eagle-column-of.html
Gist worried about being forgotten but not quite gone
The Sunday Carroll Eagle column of October 28 2007
Below please find my October 28th, 2007 column and it was submitted.
Sunday Eagle
Ghost Stories in Carroll County
October 28th, 2007 by Kevin Dayhoff
Of the horror stories of Carroll’s yesteryear, none was greater than the very real fear of being buried alive. In today’s world, society’s collective faith in the modern advances of the medical arts has gone a long way in alleviating the fear of being buried alive; a fear which was rampant in the 1800s.
A few years ago, local historian Jay Graybeal retold an account by Ruth Gist Pickens about the fear of being buried alive held by one of Carroll County’s most prominent citizens in the 1700s, Colonel Joshua Gist.
It seems that Colonel Gist maintained a coffin in a portion of his bedroom for the last years of his life; “into which he would have his personal servant lay him out and then call the family to comment on his appearance. Each time he would ask them to promise not to bury him until the third day after his death.”
20071104 The Sunday Carroll Eagle column of October 28 2007
http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2007/11/20071104-sunday-carroll-eagle-column-of.html
When it comes to beets, timing is everything
IN THE GARDEN WITH MR. BEE
I haven't grown beets for a while. So when I mentioned to Judy, my wife, that I'd learned of a variety -- "Lutz Green Leaf" -- that remains tender as it grows larger, she suggested that I sow some seeds right away.
Timing is important, you see, especially when it comes... [Read full story]
Two for the Show
They come from opposite ends of the county and their sports are as different as night and day, but Tyler Mullen of South Carroll High School and Cammeron Woodyard of Winters Mill have one thing in common -- they each ended their high school careers as state champs.
And without their leadership and... [Read full story]
Stream is proving ground for healthy water
On a chilly late March morning, Ted Hogan, an environmental scientist with Hunt Valley-based URS Corp., threads his way through briar patches, bogs, locust groves and back yards as he follows a meandering stream that runs through several Eldersburg subdivisions.
Now and then, Hogan, a cont... [Read full story]
Spring is a great time to get kids reacquainted with outdoor Carroll
MOM ON A MISSION
It's taken some time, but spring appears to finally be arriving. The days are getting warmer, my weeping cherry is turning into a beautiful fountain of pink and the birds are flocking to our feeders.
Hearing the kids' faint voices outside on the swing set while I'm making dinner...
[Read full story]
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Movies
Honorable Mentions
Greenmount Station on a fast track after expansion
Education Notes
Greenmount Station's Crab and Cheddar Quiche
Stage Presents
Parades, impact fees, mail service ... and Dwight Dingle in a bathtub?
New Windsor agency helps distribute life-saving device
News Briefs
Movies
I wanted to teach about 911, but instead I dialed a wrong number
'Hotel' Reservations
For pages, Annapolis is an open book
Education Briefs
Your Top 10 ...
Rolling out a few good eggs, and our Easter Sunday best
Rejoice, Christ is Risen
Oh deer, spring is here
News Briefs
Movies
Local acts soar to Top 10 in Carroll's 'Idol' competition
Fighting the urge for an Easter bonnet and all the thrills upon it
Education Briefs
Captain Dan rides on the seafood wave
'Sitting' pretty means having faith in who's watching the kids
Reaching Out
Palm Sunday 1942 was a time of high snow and higher anxiety
News Briefs
Movies
Helping people kick butts
Fighting the 'Fix'
Eye of the Beholder
Bevy of basket cases
Asking 'why' should come before offering 'what I think'
Traffic always made us see red
Toy show, auction connects with childhood memories
Our 'cherry-ice' trees offer a delicious winter scene
News Briefs
Museum unveils Taylor's 'wild' vision
Movies
Display of Pride
Birthday gifts? Tread lightly ... in high heels and boxing gloves
A turtle's pace, but a day of reckoning for Solomon
Working on the Railroad
To raise healthier kids, should we get more physical in school?
Researching a few 'first class' experiences in Carroll County
News Briefs
Movies
Maggie's continues to grow on Westminster
Chicken Champagne
All Aboard!
What the wiki?!
Web series helps teens connect to the world
The life, and the lasting local influence, of Robert Moton
Sportsman's Hall ... and airplane hangar
Skating history, from party 'crashing' to fitness
Reaching Out
News Briefs
Movies
Mason bees buzz in as honeybees buzz out
Education Notes
Coming clean to ease pain of cancer
All Skate!
We can't understand the kids, but in this case it's a good thing
20080518 Sunday Carroll Eagle running chron as of May 18 2008
