Finding clues from the past that give us a glimpse into the places and lives of Marylanders who came before us
Straw Hat Day was an unofficial holiday across the nation each May signaling the start of spring. This was the day when men would switch from wearing their felt hats to straw hats in anticipation of the warmer weather. Though basically unheard of today, Straw Hat Day advertisements and articles could be found in newspapers... Continue Reading →
On Mother's Day, we honor our mothers for all they have done for us. But this is nothing new. More than 100 years ago, an article in a Cumberland newspaper shared poignant thoughts about mothers, reminding readers to remember their mothers, living or deceased: “To recall the memories of the mothers that are gone and... Continue Reading →
One day in February 1891, a box with a human ear showed up on a street in the village of Unionville (Frederick County). According to a newspaper report, thoughts and fears instantly turned to murder, like a Jack the Ripper-type killer on the loose in the little settlement, located halfway between Westminster and Frederick. Luckily,... Continue Reading →
From quirky ads to strange hobbies to thoughts on the importance of beauty, vignettes from Easton:
Warning: If you aren’t fond of beaks, barbed legs or beady eyes, you may not want to continue reading. It seems the summer of 1938 was the summer of pests in Frederick city and county. That August, thousands of blackbirds flew over the city night after night. Since the bird was protected by state law, they... Continue Reading →
Dr. Theo. Kharas, the general manager of Keystone Mobile Car-Sign Company, knew exactly what he wanted in an assistant general manager. Kharas placed a sizeable ad in The News (Frederick) with a very particular set of attributes for the vacant position at the business, a streetcar sign advertising company with an office in Hagerstown. For... Continue Reading →
Although the front page news of a newspaper is deemed the most important, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the most interesting. Case in point: the February 3, 1899 issue of The Mail (Hagerstown), in which stories featuring a battle with an eagle, a rib-crushing hug and a frozen tongue were reported: I Triple-Dog-Dare You: For... Continue Reading →
In the past, just like today, if you had an ailment, someone had a remedy for it. Faced with a “derangement of the liver and bowels”? Never fear, Simmons’ Liver Regulator had you covered. Advertised on the front page of The Easton Star in 1874, the medicine’s ad reassured that the product contained no mercury, only the... Continue Reading →
Today’s the day the groundhog rules. Will he peek his head out, see his shadow, and doom us to six more weeks of winter? Or will he emerge shadowless from his lair and grant us an early spring? He and his ancestors have kept us guessing for years. A February 1898 Denton Journal article describes the... Continue Reading →
What was supposed to be a lighthearted farce on the stage turned into a real-life tragedy in the Eastern Shore town of Marydel in January 1909. The play “Chaps” was being presented on New Year’s night to benefit the Methodist Episcopal Church, and Charles Pippin’s character was to drink sherry. He did — and it... Continue Reading →
Bygone Maryland 