Showing posts with label Dayhoff writing essays history. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dayhoff writing essays history. Show all posts

Monday, May 4, 2020

The Westminster Fire Department remembers past Westminster Fire Department Chief Robert DuVall


The Westminster Fire Department remembers past Westminster Fire Department Chief Robert DuVall

April 23, 2004 – April 23, 2020 by Kevin Dayhoff

WW II Marine Veteran, Small Business Owner, Welder, and an Avid Motorcyclist

On Friday, April 23, 2004, Carroll County and the greater Westminster community suffered a great loss with the passing of Robert Emerson DuVall, 81, of Westminster.

He was a 1939 graduate of Westminster High School.

During World War II, he served with the 3rd Marines, 4th Air Wing in the Marshall Islands, Guam, and Pelilu.

https://dayhoffwestminster.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-westminster-fire-department.html

Mr. DuVall was born July 12, 1922, in Carroll County, he was the son of the late G. Wilmer and Mercedes Brown DuVall.

Surviving, in addition to his wife of 53 years, Leona Hammett DuVall, are daughter and son-in-law Donna and Robert Shaeffer of Westminster; son and daughter-in-law Robert Emerson DuVall II and Patsi DuVall of Atlanta; sister and brother-in-law Donna DuVall Sellman and Russell A. Sellman of Westminster. Granddaughters Nicole DuVall Pomeroy and husband Tim, and Laci DuVall Shaeffer; grandson Robert Emerson DuVall III; and great-grandson Daniel DuVall Pomeroy.

He was a 1939 graduate of Westminster High School. During World War II, he served with the 3rd Marines, 4th Air Wing in the Marshall Islands, Guam, and Pelilu.

He was the owner of Mobile Welding Service, which he founded in 1948. He was the 11th state certified welder in Maryland. 

An avid motorcyclist and trap shooter, he was the Maryland State Trapshooting Handicap Champion in 1966. He was a member of Westminster United Methodist Church, VFW Post 467 and a life member of North Carroll and Carroll County gun clubs. He was a past chief of Westminster Fire Department.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family as they adjust to life without him. This Memorial Tribute by the Westminster Mayor, Common Council and the Staff of The City of Westminster on behalf of the citizens of the City of Westminster, was signed in Westminster City Hall, this April Twenty-fifth in the year Two Thousand and Four. Westminster Mayor Kevin Dayhoff






++++++
Kevin Dayhoff for Westminster Common Council
Westminster Municipal election May 14, 2019
Authority Caroline Babylon, Treasurer.

Carroll County Times: www.tinyurl.com/KED-CCT
Baltimore Sun Carroll Eagle: http://tinyurl.com/KED-Sun

Facebook Dayhoff for Westminster: https://www.facebook.com/DayhoffforWestminster/
Facebook: Kevin Earl Dayhoff: https://www.facebook.com/kevindayhoff

Dayhoff for Westminster: www.kevindayhoff.info
Dayhoff Soundtrack: www.kevindayhoff.net
Dayhoff Carroll: www.kevindayhoff.org
Kevin Dayhoff Time Flies: https://kevindayhoff.wordpress.com/  

Sunday, March 10, 2019

John H. Cunningham was a charter member of the Md. State Fireman’s Assoc.

John H. Cunningham was a charter member of the Md. State Fireman’s Assoc.

 

At the time of his death, Cunningham “was believed to be McDaniel - Western Maryland College's oldest living alumnae… and the State's only living charter member of the Maryland State Fireman's Association

 

When John Cunningham died, he was America's Oldest Banker in Years of Continuous Service. He was a lifelong member of the Westminster Fire Engine and Hose co. No. 1.

 

February 24, 2019 by Westminster Fire Engine and Hose Co. No 1 Chaplain Kevin Dayhoff

 

It is only fitting and appropriate that from time to time we take a moment to remember some of the many great Carroll Countians that have gone before us.

 

On December 31, 1965, John Cunningham passed away within a few hours of 99th birthday. Local historian Jay Graybeal wrote of “his rich life, including his interests in bicycling, walking and poker,” in a March 16, 1997 column in the Carroll County Times.

An earlier shorter version of this story appeared in the Carroll County Times on January 13th, 2019. Please find the article here: https://www.carrollcountytimes.com/columnists/features/cc-lt-dayhoff-011319-story.html. This version of a story about Mr. Cunningham is the long version with all the edits restored.

Finding a picture of Mr. Cunningham has been nearly impossible – except, I did finally find a picture of him at the Westminster Fire Engine and Hose Co. No. 1 - although the picture was damaged by the April 6, 1906 H. H. Harbaugh's Palace Livery Stable fire. The livery stable and residence was located next to the Fire House on East Main St in Westminster. The fire, which destroyed the huge building, also burned a portion of the Westminster fire station and the Westminster city offices that were located on the second floor of the station.

To put 1965 and the mid-1960s into some perspective, our country was just beginning a new phase of the Vietnam War; with the introduction of the first combat troops on February 9, 1965. Before we had, “advisors” engaged in the conflict. Later in the year, on November 14, the Battle of the Ia Drang began in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. It was the first major engagement of the war between regular American and North Vietnamese forces. Shortly afterwards, the pentagon told President Lyndon Johnson that the number of troops needed to be increased from 120,000 to 400,000.

At home, the Civil Rights movement was on the forefront of many as around 1965 was the last year that restaurants and such were segregated in Westminster. Malcolm X was assassinated in New York at the Audubon Ballroom on February 21.

Bloody Sunday had occurred on March 7 as 600 civil rights marchers were attacked by state and local police with billy clubs and tear gas. Led by Martin Luther King, Jr. civil rights marchers were finally successful, after three attempts, to walk from Selma to Montgomery in Alabama. On August 6, President Johnson signed into law the Voting Rights Act of 1965. 

It was 1964 that Carroll County administrator George Grier went to New York to begin negotiations with Random House to build a book distribution center in Westminster. At that time in the negotiations, adequate supplies of water was a sticking point, among many issues that were subsequently ironed out before the facility opened on July 14, 1967, according to “From Our Front Porch,” a history of Carroll County from 1900-1999, by Jim Lee.

And oh in 1964 ice cream cost 89 cents per half gallon

Graybeal shared with us Cunningham’s obituary, which appeared on January 1, 1966, in an unidentified newspaper. The obituary began: "John H. Cunningham, believed to have been the oldest banker in the United States, died yesterday at his home… His wife, the former Mary Irwin, died in 1949… He was a past master of the Masonic order and was a member of the Westminster Church of Christ.”

Cunningham was born on New Year’s Day in 1867. According to his obit, “On January 1, 1885, while a senior at Western Maryland College, Mr. Cunningham began his banking career as a clerk with the Farmers and Mechanics National Bank, [at 105 E. Main St. in Westminster] following the footsteps of his father William, who was a clerk there.”

He worked in the same office, with the same employer for his entire life – from 1885 until when he passed away in 1965. “Many days he walked the mile to work from his home at 95 West Green Street.” 

Graybeal reported; “His long career in banking was recognized by a telegram from President Kennedy in 1963.” 

The telegram said: "Congratulations on being named by your friends and associates in Westminster and Carroll County as "America's Oldest Banker in Years of Continuous Service." Your 77 years record as a banker is certainly an impressive one and you deserve all the honors, which have been given you…”

He was well-known for his punctuality and folklore attests that “fellow employees reportedly set their watches by him,” as he would arrive at his desk “every working day promptly at 9 a.m. and would not leave until 3 in the afternoon…” It was also noted “that Mr. Cunningham had not missed a town meeting in Westminster since 1883, the year he became old enough to vote.

Cunningham played poker every Tuesday night between 7 and 11 p.m. sharp, at “Thelma Hoffman's restaurant at 216 E. Main Street [later known as Cockey’s Tavern] in Westminster.” Among his partners were Ben Thomas, Paul Whitmore, Miller Richardson, Ralph Bonsack, Frank Leidy, Theodore Brown and Norman Boyle.”

Cunningham was also well known for his New Year’s Day tradition of an all day poker game, “that began promptly at 11 a.m., broke for dinner at 5 p.m., then resumed until 11 p.m.”

At the time of his death, Cunningham “was believed to be Western Maryland College's oldest living alumnae… and the State's only living charter member of the Maryland State Fireman's Association.”

The January 1, 1966 obituary reported that: “Cunningham's interest in politics was rewarded during the Coolidge Administration with his appointment in 1923 as Surveyor of Customs at Baltimore, a post he held for nine years. In 1911, Mr. Cunningham ran unsuccessfully for State Comptroller.”

“Beside politics and poker, Mr. Cunningham loved walking. On weekends as late as 1964, he hiked along country roads, a white handkerchief tied to his cane, for safety.”

When he was 97 years old, he explained in a November 1964 interview: "I only walk half as far and about half as fast as I used to… It's a strain to walk more than 4 or 5 miles…"

“In his earlier days… [he] was a bicyclist of renown… According to a banker's association bulletin, in 1898 he bicycled 200 miles from Westminster to Atlantic City, N.J…” He waited to give up driving until he was approximately 92 years old.

In full disclosure, I met Cunningham in the early 1960s upon the occasion of one of his visits to City Hall to talk with City of Westminster Mayor Joseph L. Mathias who served on the Westminster Common Council May 1927 to May 1937 and Mayor from May 18, 1942 to December 3, 1963. To the best of my knowledge, I have only written about Cunningham a couple of times. Most notably, a portion of this column was previously published in 2006.

Carroll County is fortunate to have many great community leaders still with us. We should all take time to pause and thank them for their service to our community – whether we agree with them or disagree. 

Every one of them is working hard to meet today’s and tomorrow’s challenges. In 2019, may we all work hard to rekindle a renewed sense of civility and have as full and vigorous a life as Mr. John Cunningham – playing poker, bicycling and walking many four or five miles is optional. God Bless and Happy New Year. 




+++++++++++++++

Westminster, Maryland, Cunningham, history, MSFA, 

++++++
Kevin Dayhoff for Westminster Common Council
Westminster Municipal election May 14, 2019
Authority Caroline Babylon, Treasurer.

Carroll County Times: www.tinyurl.com/KED-CCT
Baltimore Sun Carroll Eagle: http://tinyurl.com/KED-Sun

Facebook Dayhoff for Westminster: https://www.facebook.com/DayhoffforWestminster/
Facebook: Kevin Earl Dayhoff: https://www.facebook.com/kevindayhoff

Dayhoff for Westminster: www.kevindayhoff.info
Dayhoff Soundtrack: www.kevindayhoff.net
Dayhoff Carroll: www.kevindayhoff.org
Kevin Dayhoff Time Flies: https://kevindayhoff.wordpress.com/  

Saturday, August 12, 2017

“Murder and Mayhem in Carroll County” - Historical Society of Carroll County Box Lunch Talk for August 15, 2017 by Kevin Dayhoff


“Murder and Mayhem in Carroll County” - Historical Society of Carroll County Box Lunch Talk for August 15, 2017 by Kevin Dayhoff

The next Historical Society of Carroll County Box Lunch Talk is next Tuesday on August 15, 2017 at 1 p.m. in Grace Hall at Grace Lutheran Church at 21 Carroll Street. The talk is on “Murder and Mayhem in Carroll County.”

Admission to the Box Lunch Talk is $3 for members and $7 for non-members. The price of admission includes a small selection of beverages and dessert.

Grace Lutheran Church is located at 21 Carroll Street, Westminster. Free parking is available in the nearby Carroll Street parking lot.

For more information check the historical society’s web site at http://hsccmd.org, or call them at 410-848-6494.

On August 1, 2017, Carroll County Times writer Lois Szymanski provided a preview of the talk in an article, “Central Carroll: Murder & Mayhem during box lunch talk,” in the Carroll County Times: Find it here: http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/news/neighborhoods/cc-nh-central-carroll-20170726-story.html

Ever since Biblical times when Cain committed the first murder when he killed his brother Able, crime, murder, and mayhem has been the focus of an unexplained fascination of any society and Carroll County is no different. Kevin Dayhoff reports upon many of the high crimes and misdemeanors that have stained the history of the county over the years.

From 1859 to 1916 three people were hanged in Westminster for heinous murders. Rebecca McCormack killed a 13-year-old boy by stabbing him with a pitchfork. She was convicted of murder and hanged in June 1859 outside the jail. She was the first person hanged in Carroll County, and the only woman ever to have been executed here. Joseph Davis was hanged in 1874, and Solomon Sudler, a 16-year-old, was hanged in 1916.

Over the years, not everyone liked the entertainment provided at the Odd Fellow’s Hall in Westminster. Around the time of the American Civil War a show at the hall featured unflattering impressions of Lincoln, Grant and other national leaders. The next day morning, the decapitated body of the entertainer was found in a rear stable.

Statewide, many folks are not aware that Maryland had a brief spell of dealing with witches long before the famous Salem witchcraft trials in 1692. The earliest cases in Maryland “involved the hanging of women assumed to be witches while aboard ships traveling from England to the colonies in 1654 and 1658.”

In April 1865 the editor of the Western Maryland Democrat, Joseph Shaw, was lynched in Westminster at the corner of Anchor and West Main Street for an editorial that he had published in the paper just days before President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 14th 1865. "Joseph Shaw, the outspoken, pro-southern newspaperman, was Carroll County's final casualty of the war."

It might be noted, that murdering editors is on the disapproved behavior list in Westminster. You can complain and mutter epitaphs – but you can’t harm them.

Admission to the Box Lunch Talk is $3 for members and $7 for non-members. The price of admission includes a small selection of beverages and dessert.

Grace Lutheran Church is located at 21 Carroll Street, Westminster. Free parking is available in the nearby Carroll Street parking lot.

For more information check the historical society’s web site at http://hsccmd.org, or call them at 410-848-6494.


+++++++++++++++
Baltimore Sun Carroll Eagle: 
Tumblr: Kevin Dayhoff Banana Stems www.kevindayhoff.tumblr.com/
Kevin Dayhoff is an artist - and a columnist for:
Baltimore Sun - Carroll County Times - The Carroll Eagle: www.explorecarroll.com: http://www.explorecarroll.com/search/?s=Dayhoff&action=GO

Smurfs: http://babylonfluckjudd.blogspot.com/
Google profile: https://profiles.google.com/kevindayhoff/

E-mail: kevindayhoff(at)gmail.com

My http://www.explorecarroll.com/ columns appear in the copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun that is distributed in Carroll County: https://subscribe.baltsun.com/Circulation/


See also - Kevin Earl Dayhoff Art www.kevindayhoff.com: Travel, art, artists, authors, books, newspapers, media, writers and writing, journalists and journalism, reporters and reporting, music, culture, opera... Ad maiorem Dei gloriam inque hominum salutem. “Deadline U.S.A.” 1952. Ed Hutcheson: “That's the press, baby. The press! And there's nothing you can do about it. Nothing!” - See more at: http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/#sthash.4HNLwtfd.dpuf
+++++++++++++++

Saturday, January 16, 2016

Historical Society to throw Carroll County a birthday party

Historical Society to throw Carroll County a birthday party http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/2016/01/historical-society-to-throw-carroll.html

The life and times of Colonel John Klinehoff Longwell (1810-1896,) a newspaper publisher and advocate for the creation of Carroll County in January 1837, will be the topic of a presentation at the county’s annual birthday celebration at Grace Lutheran Church on Sat. Jan 16, 2016 by former Westminster Mayor Kevin Dayhoff

Image courtesy of the city of Westminster and Historical Society of Carroll County.

See also: Talk on Carroll County founding father J. K. Longwell by former mayor of Westminster set for Jan 16, 2016 http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/2016/01/talk-on-carroll-county-founding-father.html


++++++++++++++++++++

+++++++++++++++++++++
Historical Society to throw Carroll County a birthday party


Sat. Jan. 16, 2016

By Heather Mongilio

Carroll County is turning 179, and the Historical Society of Carroll County is throwing it a birthday party.

The party is from 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 16, at the Grace Lutheran Church in Westminster. There will be a talk on one the county's founders, John Longwell, cupcakes and refreshments. The event is free.

The Historical Society throws the county a party every year as a way to raise awareness about Carroll's history, executive director Gainor Davis said.

"I think it's an amazing thing to have a county that's been around 179 years and continues to thrive," Davis said.

The event will start with a talk by former Westminster Mayor Kevin Dayhoff on Longwell, shortly after 2 p.m. The talk should last about 45 minutes, Davis said.

People are welcome to join at any time. Cake and punch will start around 3 p.m.

"It's basically a time for us to introduce people to a little bit of their history," Davis said.

Longwell founded The Carrolltonian, a newspaper that was crucial to the founding of the county. He lived at Emerald Mill mansion, which was recently bought by the historical society, she said.

The Historical Society recently moved into the mansion, holding its annual Winter Wine Warmer there last weekend. The society hopes to open an exhibit about Greek heritage in the county in Emerald Hill mansion in the spring, Davis said.




If you go:

What: Carroll County's 179th birthday party

When: 2-4 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 16

Where: Grace Lutheran Church, 21 Carroll St., Westminster, Md.

Cupcakes and beverages will follow a talk on Carroll founding father John Longwell.

Dayhoff presentations, Historical Society of Carroll Co, Dayhoff writing essays, #amwriting, Dayhoff writing essays history, History, History Carroll Co Jan 19 1837, History Carroll Co, 

+++++++++++++++

Talk on Carroll County founding father J. K. Longwell by former mayor of Westminster set for Jan 16, 2016 http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/2016/01/talk-on-carroll-county-founding-father.html

The life and times of Colonel John Klinehoff Longwell (1810-1896,) a newspaper publisher and advocate for the creation of Carroll County in January 1837, will be the topic of a presentation at the county’s annual birthday celebration at Grace Lutheran Church on Sat. Jan 16, 2016 by former Westminster Mayor Kevin Dayhoff

Image courtesy of the city of Westminster and Historical Society of Carroll County.

Colonel John Klinehoff Longwell was a Carroll County founding father who lived from 1810 to 1896.

Colonel Longwell was a newspaper publisher. At the age of 23, Longwell established the Carrolltonian newspaper in 1833 and proceeded to play a leading role in the formation of Carroll County out of parts of Frederick and Baltimore Counties, in January 1837 - and took an active part in all of its affairs. He became widely known as a civic and financial leader in the county.

In 1842 he established a farm just outside of town, north of Westminster and began construction of a huge mansion home on his estate he called “Emerald Hill.” He was elected State Senator in 1850 and 1871; president of Baltimore and Reisterstown Turnpike in 1858; was a director of the Union National Bank and later served as the bank president 39 years from 1857 to 1896. He also served as a Carroll County Commissioner.

Longwell also helped establish the Westminster English and Mathematical Academy, the West End Academy and the Westminster Female Institute; and served as a board trustee for Western Maryland College.

Col. Longwell will be the topic of a presentation at the county’s annual birthday celebration at Grace Lutheran Church on Sat. Jan 16, 2016.

Image courtesy of the city of Westminster and Historical Society of Carroll County.


@CarrCoHistory https://twitter.com/CarrCoHistory Carroll County Md Historical Society

@CarrollCoMD https://twitter.com/CarrollCoMD Carroll County Md government

Dayhoff presentations, Historical Society of Carroll Co, Dayhoff writing essays, #amwriting, Dayhoff writing essays history, History, History Carroll Co Jan 19 1837, History Carroll Co,


++++++++++++++++++
Baltimore Sun Carroll Eagle: 
Tumblr: Kevin Dayhoff Banana Stems www.kevindayhoff.tumblr.com/
Kevin Dayhoff is an artist - and a columnist for:
Smurfs: http://babylonfluckjudd.blogspot.com/
Google profile: https://profiles.google.com/kevindayhoff/

E-mail: kevindayhoff(at)gmail.com

My http://www.explorecarroll.com/ columns appear in the copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun that is distributed in Carroll County: https://subscribe.baltsun.com/Circulation/


See also - Kevin Earl Dayhoff Art www.kevindayhoff.com: Travel, art, artists, authors, books, newspapers, media, writers and writing, journalists and journalism, reporters and reporting, music, culture, opera... Ad maiorem Dei gloriam inque hominum salutem. “Deadline U.S.A.” 1952. Ed Hutcheson: “That's the press, baby. The press! And there's nothing you can do about it. Nothing!” - See more at: http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/#sthash.4HNLwtfd.dpuf
+++++++++++++++

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Talk on Carroll County founding father J. K. Longwell by former mayor of Westminster set for Jan 16, 2016


Talk on Carroll County founding father J. K. Longwell by former mayor of Westminster set for Jan 16, 2016 http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/2016/01/talk-on-carroll-county-founding-father.html

The life and times of Colonel John Klinehoff Longwell (1810-1896,) a newspaper publisher and advocate for the creation of Carroll County in January 1837, will be the topic of a presentation at the county’s annual birthday celebration at Grace Lutheran Church on Sat. Jan 16, 2016 by former Westminster Mayor Kevin Dayhoff

Image courtesy of the city of Westminster and Historical Society of Carroll County.

Colonel John Klinehoff Longwell was a Carroll County founding father who lived from 1810 to 1896.

Colonel Longwell was a newspaper publisher. At the age of 23, Longwell established the Carrolltonian newspaper in 1833 and proceeded to play a leading role in the formation of Carroll County out of parts of Frederick and Baltimore Counties, in January 1837 - and took an active part in all of its affairs. He became widely known as a civic and financial leader in the county.

In 1842 he established a farm just outside of town, north of Westminster and began construction of a huge mansion home on his estate he called “Emerald Hill.” He was elected State Senator in 1850 and 1871; president of Baltimore and Reisterstown Turnpike in 1858; was a director of the Union National Bank and later served as the bank president 39 years from 1857 to 1896. He also served as a Carroll County Commissioner.

Longwell also helped establish the Westminster English and Mathematical Academy, the West End Academy and the Westminster Female Institute; and served as a board trustee for Western Maryland College.

Col. Longwell will be the topic of a presentation at the county’s annual birthday celebration at Grace Lutheran Church on Sat. Jan 16, 2016.

Image courtesy of the city of Westminster and Historical Society of Carroll County.


@CarrCoHistory https://twitter.com/CarrCoHistory Carroll County Md Historical Society

@CarrollCoMD https://twitter.com/CarrollCoMD Carroll County Md government

Dayhoff presentations, Historical Society of Carroll Co, Dayhoff writing essays, #amwriting, Dayhoff writing essays history, History, History Carroll Co Jan 19 1837, History Carroll Co, 


+++++++++++++++
Baltimore Sun Carroll Eagle: 
Tumblr: Kevin Dayhoff Banana Stems www.kevindayhoff.tumblr.com/
Kevin Dayhoff is an artist - and a columnist for:
Smurfs: http://babylonfluckjudd.blogspot.com/
Google profile: https://profiles.google.com/kevindayhoff/

E-mail: kevindayhoff(at)gmail.com

My http://www.explorecarroll.com/ columns appear in the copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun that is distributed in Carroll County: https://subscribe.baltsun.com/Circulation/


See also - Kevin Earl Dayhoff Art www.kevindayhoff.com: Travel, art, artists, authors, books, newspapers, media, writers and writing, journalists and journalism, reporters and reporting, music, culture, opera... Ad maiorem Dei gloriam inque hominum salutem. “Deadline U.S.A.” 1952. Ed Hutcheson: “That's the press, baby. The press! And there's nothing you can do about it. Nothing!” - See more at: http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/#sthash.4HNLwtfd.dpuf
+++++++++++++++

Sunday, July 22, 2012

The July 3, 1938 Smith and Reifsnider fire caused serious concerns in Westminster


The July 3, 1938 Smith and Reifsnider fire caused serious concerns in Westminster


By Kevin E. Dayhoff kevindayhoff@gmail.com Sunday, July 22, 2012

Seventy years ago, Carroll County was still reeling from the aftermath of fireworks of an unwelcome variety - one of the biggest fires in the county’s history – the July 3, 1938 Smith and Reifsnider fire on John Street.

Ironically, today, the property where the fire occurred has been occupied by the Westminster Volunteer Fire Department since October 24, 1998.

On July 8, 1938, the now-out-of-print Democratic Advocate newspaper carried a front page story headlined by: “The Blaze Was of Incendiary Origin--Fear Was Entertained That the Fire Would Go To Main Street, But Was Confined to the Yard--16 Fire Departments With 19 Pieces of Apparatus Poured Tons of Water on the Blaze and Was Conquered After Three Hours' Battle--Several Firemen Overcome--Chief Brown and All Firemen Are commended for Their Heroic Accomplishment--The Loss is Heaviest in the County's History.”

The first paragraph of the news article immediately shows the concern of the community. It read “Westminster citizens had the scare of the their life time Saturday night when a fire from an incendiary origin was discovered in the lumber yard of Smith & Reifsnider, which caused an undetermined loss, but estimated at $125,000.”

At the time the company was solely owned by Mr. John L. Reifsnider, Jr. According the article, Mr. Reifsnider; fed the firefighters “sandwiches and coffee at the American Restaurant after the fire was brought under control.”

The first fire alarm was sounded at 11:45 p.m. by the night watchman John Baile and the two pieces of firefighting equipment, owned by the Westminster Volunteer Fire Department at the time, responded.

The fire department chief at the time was Leroy Brown. He immediately put in a call for additional help. Firefighters from Union Bridge, Hampstead; Manchester, Taneytown, Pleasant Valley, Sykesville, Emmitsburg, Catonsville, Reisterstown, Owings Mills, Glyndon, and Pikesville responded.

Union Bridge arrived in 14 minutes; slightly before Reisterstown, “who also broke all records for speed.” The newspaper estimated that more than 200 volunteers fought the flames, using an “estimated 17,000 feet fire hose…”

The article was also meticulous in reporting where each piece of firefighting apparatus obtained water. Hampstead arrived with two trucks which hooked-up at the railroad and Cover’s Stock Yards. Manchester “coupled up at Klee’s Garage...”

Chief Brown was praised for “his masterly generalship” in bringing the fire, “which was a raging furnace,” under control by 3 a.m.

“Every fireman fought as if it depended upon his life, knowing if the fire was not held in the lumber where it started the city was in for a big loss and would sweep to Main street. A high wind kept blowing the debris over the city and fear was entertained for the buildings in its path, but citizens protected their homes and buildings by pouring water on the roofs.”

Firefighting, to this day, remains dangerous business. It was certainly no different 70 years ago and the newspaper went to great lengths to report upon the firefighters who were injured fighting the blaze.

“William McCoy, a volunteer fireman from the Sykesville company, was overcome by smoke and burned about the face and hands. Dr. S. Luther Bare set up an emergency station and treated McCoy and the others. One fireman from the Hampstead company, suffered a broken nose and three others from the same company were burned … (O)ther firemen were treated for slight burns and returned to fight the blaze…”

The four Hampstead firefighters who were injured included Hampstead Fire Chief John W. Murray and "Bud" Arbaugh, who were overcome by smoke. Charles R. Williams and Oscar Armacost suffered cuts and bruises… and Stewart Thompson bruised.

The Maryland State Police “were rushed to the scene immediately to handle the traffic… One autoist was arrested when he ran his car over a line of hose… The reflection of Saturday night's fire brought people from York, Hanover, McSherrystown and Frederick. The crowd was estimated at about 5,000 that watched the firemen from the railroad tracks and surrounding points.”

To this day, the constant vigilance and protection of volunteer firefighters remains the same. Please keep the selfless public servants who protect us, in your prayers, as you celebrate a safe summer with friends and family.

++++++++++



The firefighting equipment and ambulance are shown in this early 1930s Westminster Fire Engine and Hose Co. No. 1 photograph from when the firehouse was located at 66 East Main Street. Much of the equipment displayed in this photograph may have been used to fight the July 3, 1938 Smith and Reifsnider fire. Photograph courtesy of the collection the Kevin Dayhoff and the Babylon Family. http://twitpic.com/aam2zr Also See: The July 3 1938 Smith & Reifsnider fire caused serious concerns in Westminster http://tinyurl.com/cscd8uq  -  http://www.westminstervfd.org/news/fullstory/news/Westminster%20Volunteer%20Fire%20Company%20fought%20Smith%20and%20Reifsnider%20fire%20on%20July%203,%201938
+++++++++++++++
Kevin Dayhoff is an artist - and a columnist for:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoffTwitpic: http://twitpic.com/photos/kevindayhoff
Kevin Dayhoff's The New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/ = www.newbedfordherald.net

Tumblr: Kevin Dayhoff Banana Stems www.kevindayhoff.tumblr.com/
Smurfs: http://babylonfluckjudd.blogspot.com/
Google profile: https://profiles.google.com/kevindayhoff/

E-mail: kevindayhoff(at)gmail.com
My http://www.explorecarroll.com/ columns appear in the copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun that is distributed in Carroll County: https://subscribe.baltsun.com/Circulation/
+++++++++++++++

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Dr. Paul Lockhart: The Whites of Their Eyes - Bunker Hill: History and Myth


June 15, 2011

Bunker Hill: History and Myth
Kevin E. Dayhoff
Last week I picked-up a copy of “The Whites of Their Eyes,” by Dr. Paul Lockhart, a highly readable and entertaining socio-political – and military – study of the Battle of Bunker Hill, the first American army, and the emergence of George Washington.

Although I am behind in my summer reading, my first selection was well worth the wait.

To add to my anticipation of diving into new insights, research and scholarship on the first major political–military engagement of the American Revolution, last week I was fortunate to be able to attend a presentation on the topic by the author.

Dr. Lockhart, a noted historian, discussed his just-released book in Williamsburg, VA, in which the author debunks much of the folklore and legendary mythology over this episode of the American experience.

His evening presentation came on the heels of a long week of record hot temperatures in the muggy tidewater environs of colonial Williamsburg, setting the stage perfectly as he took his audience back to one hot afternoon on June 17, 1775, on a hill in Charlestown, near Boston.

He then explained that what is arguably “the first honest-to-goodness battle of the revolution” did not take place on Bunker’s Hill, but on a nearby redoubt called Breed’s Hill.

The battle, in the chaotic aftermath of the unplanned skirmishes of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, took place in the larger context of the siege of Boston and has since reserved its place in American history as the “truly iconic battle of the American Revolution,” Dr. Lockhart noted.

In his book, he observes that the Battle of Bunker Hill two months later “simply would not be forgotten. And that is very curious. Bunker Hill … doesn’t enjoy any special tactical or strategic significance.”

The battle on the Charlestown peninsula, “was not decisive, nor was it an American victory. We often forget that Bunker Hill was, in fact, a British victory and a significant one at that.”

“It was small even when compared to other battles of the Revolutionary War and laughably puny when compared to lesser-known battles in Europe… There is no earthly reason, no logical reason at least, that Bunker Hill should be so famous, and yet it is…”

It was at that juncture that Dr. Lockhart’s talking points reminded me of the conversation on the topic of American Exceptionalism which Steve Berryman, Pattee Brown, and I had with WFMD listeners just the other weekend...  http://www.thetentacle.com/ShowArticle.cfm?mydocid=4459

*****
*****
Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://www.kevindayhoff.net/ Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://www.kevindayhoffart.com/
My http://www.explorecarroll.com/ columns appear in the copy of the Baltimore Sunday Sun that is distributed in Carroll County: https://subscribe.baltsun.com/Circulation/