Remembering Carroll's statuesque and statue sculptor By Kevin
E. Dayhoff – Eagle Archives June 19, 2015
Remembering Carroll's statuesque and statue sculptor
June 19, 2015
Statues and statuesque in Carroll County
Many would be surprised to learn that Blaze Starr, who
passed away on June 15, is not the only creative statuesque figure with a
Carroll County connection.
Another famous Carroll County artist, William Henry
Rinehart, now has his works of sculpture on display at the Walters Art Museum
in Baltimore.
Starr was a famous stripper and burlesque performer, another
exhibitor of sorts. According to an article in the Sun, "In her day [she]
was perhaps Baltimore's best-known figure." She was "a successful
businesswoman as owner of the 2 O'Clock Club on East Baltimore Street, [who]
was so nonthreatening to local morals that she appeared in an advertising
campaign for Baltimore Gas and Electric Co."
A national celebrity, many locales throughout the country
claim her, including New Orleans, where she had a torrid affair with the
then-governor of Louisiana, Earl Long.
While she began a lifelong relationship with Baltimore in
1950, many may not be aware that for many years she called Eldersburg, in
southern Carroll County, her home.
An artist of many talents, she was a striking redhead who
was friendly and talkative. She also owned a store at the then-Carrolltowne
Center, where she sold her handmade jewelry. That was where this writer
interviewed her on several occasions in the 1980s.
The work of Rinehart, meantime, can be "seen … in the
collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian American Art
Museum, the National Gallery of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the
Baltimore Museum of Art," according to the Walters Art Museum website.
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Westminster band in third century together
KEVIN E. DAYHOFF
The March 10 event was not held in a dance hall, but there were quite a few musical numbers played. There were also movies, slides, a history talk and refreshments to the delight of approximately 125 attendees inside the large hall at Grace Lutheran Church in Westminster.
Carroll County pays last respects to emergency responder [Eagle Archives]
KEVIN E. DAYHOFF
Friends, family, colleagues and law enforcement officers from throughout the central-Maryland region filled Legacy Hall at the Sykesville Freedom District Volunteer Fire Department recently to pay their last respects to fellow firefighter and EMS provider Robin Flater Chenoweth.
Carroll County's connection to Greece [Eagle Archives]
KEVIN. E. DAYHOFF
Several weeks ago, Westminster was the focal point of a distinguished assembly of Greek families as folks from all over the country came to town to celebrate the life of Zoe Amprazis Sirinakis, 85, who died on Dec. 29.
A love story that began on New Year's Eve, 1945 [Eagle Archives]
KEVIN E. DAYHOFF
Much of the time, history can be the dry stuff of names and facts or memorized dates found in textbooks. Nothing can bring history alive more than our own memories or growing up listening to the recollections of our parents or grandparents.
Many historians would agree with state Sen. Joe Getty, a local historian, who wrote, "Researching local business histories is difficult and challenging. Sources for such information are generally scarce and incomplete?"
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Also see related: Love Reconciled with Death
July 7, 2007 by Kevin Dayhoff
Updated August 16, 2009
While we were in Union
Bridge for dinner on July 5, 2007, we
had the opportunity to study and admire the sculpture at the corner of North Main Street
and East Broadway, which is a reproduction of “Love Reconciled with Death” by Union Bridge
native William Henry Rinehart (1825-1874.)
For a larger image click here:
20070705 sdosm Love Reconciled with Death
Reproduction of “Love Reconciled with Death” by Union Bridge
native William Henry Rinehart. Corner of North Main Street and East Broadway Kevin
E. Dayhoff July 5, 2007
“Love Reconciled with Death” by William Henry Rinehart in Union Bridge
Reproduction of “Love Reconciled with Death” by Union Bridge
native William Henry Rinehart Corner of North Main Street and East Broadway
Kevin Dayhoff July 5, 2007
According to an undated brochure, “Union Bridge Walking
Tour,” which I retrieved in June 2009:
“‘Love Reconciled with Death’ was sculpted by Union Bridge
native William Henry Rinehart (1825-1874) as a memorial to the wife of Baltimore art connoisseur
and philanthropist, William T. Walters.
“The original sculpture is located in Greenmount
Cemetery in Baltimore. The memorial was selected by the
Town of Union Bridge to be reproduced and installed in 2007 as a tribute to the
sculptor.
“Rinehart was born into a farming family near
Union Bridge
and became known as one of
America's
most-skilled nineteenth-century sculptors. One of his best-known works is the relief
known as The History of Justice on the bronze doors of the United States Senate
Chamber in
Washington.”
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William Rinehart's artwork can be seen at the Historical
Society of Carroll Co.
June 22, 2015
An earlier form of Rinehart's sensitive bust of his mother
was the first evidence of the young artist's talent. After his mother's death
in 1868, he sent home for the work and for one of her caps. The artist prepared
several plaster-casts of the new bust for presentation to his brothers and a
marble one for himself. This example was probably given to his older brother
Evan Thomas who gave it to his daughter, the donor.
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