Finding clues from the past that give us a glimpse into the places and lives of Marylanders who came before us
Sightings of a snallygaster — a mysterious creature with a curious name — brought fright and concern to the Middletown valley (Frederick County) and beyond in the first few decades of the 20th century. “For those not in the know,” according to a 1965 article in The News, “a snallygaster is said to be a... Continue Reading →
On East All Saints Street, further evidence of downtown Frederick’s industrial roots can be found with the fading signs for confections and bottling operations. The Kehne Brothers confectioners had operated in other areas of downtown Frederick for years and moved to the warehouse on East All Saints Street in September 1916, “...where we will be... Continue Reading →
A quarrel over a “bee tree” in Harmony (Frederick County) between two farmers in August 1889 ended with one dead and another on trial for manslaughter. T.W. Show shot and killed John William Hooper after a confrontation regarding a tree on a neighbor’s property. “...Show found a bee tree in the woods on the land... Continue Reading →
Reported sightings of a mysterious veiled lady roaming around the small town of Williamsport (Washington County) at night frightened residents for years in the 40s and 50s.
Jousting has been Maryland’s official state sport since 1962 (and was the first state ever to adopt an official sport), but Marylanders were passionate for the sport for hundreds of years before that designation. According to the Maryland Manual On-Line, jousting has taken place in our great state since the colonial times, but interest in... Continue Reading →
The Merriam Webster online dictionary defines palmistry as “the art or practice of reading a person’s character or future from the lines on the palms.” Several palmists passed through Frederick in the early 1900s. For example, “Zingarra and her Troupe of Expert Palmists and Life Readers” came to town in 1903. Their newspaper advertisement in The... Continue Reading →
It may be hard to believe now, but Ocean City used to be a small fishing village before it was transformed into a place for summer frolicking in the late 19th century. Ocean City started to gain in popularity in the late 1870s, in part due to the availability of the resort by rail and... Continue Reading →
What better way to promote your wares than painting a huge advertisement on the side of a mountain? The manufacturers of Mennen’s Borated Talcum Powder did just that in the early 1900s outside Harper's Ferry. In 1906, the advertisement, created by a milk and whitewash mixture, was painted on the side of the mountain to... Continue Reading →
Driving through the blink-and-you'll-miss-it community of Ceresville, one can’t help but notice the beautiful limestone shell of a mill that has the distinction of being the first mill in Frederick County. Known as the Ceresville Flour Mill, or Kelly’s Mill after its last owners, the building sits near the intersection of Route 26 and Route 194... Continue Reading →
In the spring and summer of 1883, happenings from around the state included two accidents and a “devilish” act of animal cruelty: ‘Not a Suicidal Leap’ The June 2, 1883 Denton Journal reported that Miss Bertha Gebhardt did not commit suicide “by leaping from her bed room window” in Baltimore; instead, she fell out the... Continue Reading →
Bygone Maryland 