Book on Quiltmaking provides insight into the history of a great American art form

Book on Quiltmaking provides insight into the history of a great American art form http://tinyurl.com/6464cfh

By Kevin Dayhoff

January 17, 2011 http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/2011/01/book-on-quiltmaking-provides-insight.html

LABELS: ART LIBRARY AUTHORS, ART LIBRARY BOOKS, DAYHOFF WRITING ESSAYS,DAYHOFF WRITING ESSAYS ART ARTISTS, DAYHOFF WRITING ESSAYS HISTORY,HISTORY, HISTORY CARROLL CO, QUILTS

A Maryland Album: Quiltmaking Traditions ~1634-1934, published in 1995 by The Maryland Association for Family and Community Education.  Written by Gloria Seaman Allen and Nancy Gibson:

“A Maryland Album Quiltmaking Traditions ~1634-1934” by Gloria Seaman Allen and Nancy Gibson is a definitive resource on the history of quilts, quilt design and quilting in historic Maryland for anyone who has even a passing interest in quilts, a great American art form.

The book is lavishly illustrated to help bring quilts and quilting to life.  As a bonus, a review of the many quilt-design eras gives an historian or anyone interested in art history or the unique American art form of quiltmaking, great insights into American – and Maryland history.

According to information found in the cover flaps, “Some of the oldest and most collectible American quilts are from Maryland and are examined in this book, which is based on the findings of the Maryland Association for Family and Community Education quilt documentation project.”

The book, quilts and quilt making were the topic of a feature presentation, "Pieces of the Past: An Overview of Carroll County Quilts," by the author, Nancy Gibson, at the Historical Society of Carroll County Maryland on Jan. 19, 2010.

Thanks to the efforts of my wife and sister-in-law, Pastor Sarah Dorrance, whose church, Taylorsville United Methodist, (http://www.taylorsvilleumc.org/) is in the heart of the history and tradition of quiltmaking in Carroll County; I now have a copy of Gibson’s book.

Gibson, whose past credentials include 20-years as the textile curator for the Daughters of the American Revolution Museum in Washington, helped the 125 attendees at the presentation interpret the language of quilts that evening.

On January 24, 2010, I wrote in a column in the Carroll Eagle (www.explorecarroll.com,) “Carroll County's 173rd birthday celebrates a patchwork quilt of history,” “Some of the oldest, historic, and most collectible American quilts, dating as far back as 1803, examined for the project by Gibson in the 1990s are from right here in Carroll County. 

“Several are in the collection of the Historical Society of Carroll County, which has sponsored the annual county birthday celebration for many years, according to Dave Roush, chair of the society's board of trustees, (and now a member of the Carroll County Board of Commissioners.)”

Further information from the flap reveals, “The oldest quilt examined in the project (– in “A Maryland Album: Quiltmaking Traditions ~1634-1934,” -) was made by the daughter of a Pennsylvania-German immigrant in 1803.  During the 1800s an explosion of creativity occurred in Baltimore that led to the development of the beautiful and highly decorated Baltimore Album quilts.”

This explosion of creativity was also found in Carroll County which has a rich tradition and history of art and artisans in the county, especially practical art forms, be it cabinetmakers, culinary artists, painters, writers, singers – and quilters.

The book flap’s introduction goes on to explain, “Quilts adorned with eagles and pieced chintz quilts have also been identified with Maryland. Throughout the state’s history, Maryland quilts have reflected both the major design trends of American decorative arts as well as the diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds of the makers.”

Any study of art and history in the Maryland and Carroll County would be remiss if it did not include a comprehensive study of the design and history of quilts.

“Examining wills, newspapers, and the quilts themselves, the authors trace the history of Quiltmaking in Maryland during a three-hundred-year period, from the seventeenth century to Maryland’s tercentenary in 1934.

When possible, they spoke with descendents of the quiltmakers in order to gain deeper insight into the artists’ motives and inspirations.  Interwoven with more than seventy-five quilts seen here, the enlightening and accessible text chronicles the rich and diverse history of Maryland.”

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See also my columns on Nancy Gibson and quilting in Carroll County:

Historic 1857 quilt inspired by the politics and faith of its era by Kevin Dayhoff http://tinyurl.com/4jsaybn Published February 7, 2010 by Carroll Eagle  http://www.explorecarroll.com/community/3929/dayhoff/

... Past: An Overview of Carroll County Quilts," at the Historical Society of Carroll ... Jay Graybeal wrote about another lecture on quilts at the historical society, which took ... ;Eagles are popular designs on Maryland quilts in the early 19th century," ... ...

Carroll County's 173rd birthday celebrates a patchwork quilt of history by Kevin Dayhoff http://tinyurl.com/4akc774 Published January 24, 2010 by Carroll Eagle http://www.explorecarroll.com/community/3882/dayhoff/

... help attendees interpret the language of quilts that evening. Her past credentials include ... of our English and German background. Quilts were often the collaborative product of ... is not interpreting the language of quilts ... ...

Gibson is currently a principal with “Gibson Communication,” since 1995.  Find her online store at http://WWW.vandm.com/gabrielgibson, her blog at http://WWW.TheAntiquer.blogspot.com and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gabriel-Gibson-Decorative-Arts/67445667311.

Join the Historical Society of Carroll County for its annual celebration of the founding of Carroll County . This year's guest speaker, Helen Jean Burn, examines the life of Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte.  Wednesday, January 19, 2011... http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2011/01/carroll-countys-174th-birthday.html.  For more info: Historical Society of Carroll County 410-848-6494 http://hscc.carr.org/ or read Caroline Hailey article in the Carroll County Times, “County to celebrate 174th birthday Wednesday”

Book on Quiltmaking provides insight into the history of a great American art form http://tinyurl.com/6464cfh By Kevin Dayhoff 

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[19950000 Gibson A Maryland Album Quiltmaking Traditions]  [19950000 Gibson A MD Album Quiltmaking Trads]

Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://www.kevindayhoff.com/ (http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/) http://www.kevindayhoffart.com/ New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/

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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/

Westminster MD Clock Tower Fund

Keeping the old timepiece working has been challenging for the city workers in the last number of years.

The project was part of an ongoing restoration of the clock, which at 114 years of age has indeed suffered the ravages of time. To make matters worse, several years ago a few youngsters broke into the clock tower and vandalized the historic icon of the community.

Although Booth is donating his time, other expenses incurred in the clock repair are being covered by private donations collected by a fund spearheaded by Westminster councilwoman Suzanne Albert.

For more information, please see my Explore Carroll article on the clock tower repairs here: http://tinyurl.com/2bnrsrg or here: http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/2010/08/dayhoff-clock-docs-make-house-call-to_10.html

If you would like to contribute, send a donation to the Westminster Clock Tower Fund at the Community Foundation of Carroll County, 255 Clifton Boulevard, Westminster, Md. 21158.

LABELS: DAYHOFF MEDIA EXPLORE CARROLL, DAYHOFF WRITING ESSAYS HISTORY, HISTORY WESTMINSTER 1890S,WESTMINSTER CLOCK TOWER

[20100827 sdosm promo Westminster MD Clock Tower Fund]

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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/

DAYHOFF: Clock docs make house call to fix historic Westminster clock tower on Main Street

DAYHOFF: Clock docs make house call to fix historic Westminster clock tower on Main Street

DAYHOFF: Clock docs make house call to fix historic Westminster...  Explore Carroll By Kevin Dayhoff

DAYHOFF: Clock docs make house call to fix historic Westminster clock tower on Main Street

Eagle Archives

By Kevin Dayhoff

http://www.explorecarroll.com/opinion/4596/clock-docs-make-timely-house-call-citys-historic-timepiece/

Posted 8/08/10

(Enlarge) Wayne Reifsnider, assistant superintendent for the City of Westminster Street Department, works to replace the hands of the 1896 Westminster town clock in the early morning hours of Aug. 3. Reifsnider was assisting a crew from Precision Repair, a timepiece restoration company, which performed a bit of delicate surgery four stories above Westminster's Main Street as part of an overall restoration project for the historic clock. (Photo by Kevin E. Dayhoff)

In the early morning hours of Aug. 3, the old clock atop the old Westminster fire hall -- which served Westminster from 1896 to 1998 at 66 E. Main St. -- got a brand new shiny pair of hands. The venerable timepiece has been a fixture in town since it was dedicated at 3:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26, 1896.

City of Westminster workers used a crane from Thomas Bennett and Hunter, a local road-building firm; and Dave Booth of Precision Repair, a timepiece restoration firm, to accomplish the delicate surgery performed four stories in the air.

Clock doctor Booth was assisted by Wayne Reifsnider, assistant city Street Department superintendent. Meanwhile, Superintendent Larry Bloom, along with Jeff Glass, the city public works director; and city workers Shawn Lockard and Alan Miller, served as ground support.

Keeping the old timepiece working has been challenging for the city workers in the last number of years.

Miller said it was good to get it worked on, as he looked briefly up at the old clock. Lockard added, “I’m glad that we’re finally getting it fixed.”

Booth and Reifsnider subsequently jumped into the steel cage and away they were whisked into the air four stories to replace the clock hands on the old historic clock that has been a fixture in the center of town since it was dedicated at 3:30 in the afternoon on Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 1896...

http://www.explorecarroll.com/opinion/4596/clock-docs-make-timely-house-call-citys-historic-timepiece/

Wayne Reifsnider, assistant superintendent for the City of Westminster Street Department, works to replace the hands of the 1896...

http://www.explorecarroll.com/community/4596/clock-docs-make-timely-house-call-citys-historic-timepiece/

A YouTube of the event may be found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvICD3mOouw

20100803 picture caption information

 20100803 clocktowerhands (14)

Wayne Reifsnider works away at replacing the clock hands of the 1896 Westminster town clock Tuesday morning 

20100803 clocktowerhands (2)

Left to Right: Wayne Reifsnider, David Booth, and Alan Miller examine the new powder coated aluminum clock hands that were later installed on the face the historic Westminster clock Tuesday morning. 20100803 clocktowerhands (2)

  

20100803 clocktowerhands (5)

City workers used a Thomas Bennett and Hunter crane to replace the clock hands on the face of the 1896 timepiece that overlooks Westminster.  20100803 clocktowerhands (5)

 20100803 clocktowerhands (9)

Left to Right: Wayne Reifsnider, Shawn Lockard and Alan Miller prepare a steel cage that was used to hoist workers up four stories to do repairs on the old town clock Tuesday morning. 20100803 clocktowerhands (9)

 20100803 clocktowerhands (22)

City workers had to use a big Thomas Bennett and Hunter crane to perform repairs on the clock tower Tuesday morning.

20100803 clocktowerhands (29)

Wayne Reifsnider works away at replacing the clock hands of the 1896 Westminster town clock Tuesday morning.

DAYHOFF: Clock docs make house call to fix historic Westminster clock tower on Main Street

August 8, 2010

There are three versions of my story on the Westminster clock tower.

One was published only on the website at: http://www.explorecarroll.com/opinion/4596/clock-docs-make-timely-house-call-citys-historic-timepiece/

There was a short version published in my Sunday history column, “Archives,” that appears in the Baltimore Sunday Sun.  It only appeared in the print version of the newspaper.

Then, there is a much longer version of the piece that was submitted, but edited a good bit for length.  I will eventually put that on my website…

A YouTube of the event may be found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvICD3mOouw

Westminster MD Clock Tower Fund

Keeping the old timepiece working has been challenging for the city workers in the last number of years.

The project was part of an ongoing restoration of the clock, which at 114 years of age has indeed suffered the ravages of time. To make matters worse, several years ago a few youngsters broke into the clock tower and vandalized the historic icon of the community.

Although Booth is donating his time, other expenses incurred in the clock repair are being covered by private donations collected by a fund spearheaded by Westminster councilwoman Suzanne Albert.

For more information, please see my Explore Carroll article on the clock tower repairs here: http://tinyurl.com/2bnrsrg or here: http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/2010/08/dayhoff-clock-docs-make-house-call-to_10.html

If you would like to contribute, send a donation to the Westminster Clock Tower Fund at the Community Foundation of Carroll County, 255 Clifton Boulevard, Westminster, Md. 21158.

http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/2010/08/dayhoff-clock-docs-make-house-call-to_10.html

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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/

A reprint of “Let’s bring back the Westminster Christmas Parade”

From March 16th, 2005 by Westminster Mayor Kevin Dayhoff http://tinyurl.com/yhysm8f

As I am certain you are aware, it is only 284 days until Christmas. But even more importantly, there are only 262 days until the Westminster Christmas Parade on December 3rd, 2005. Please mark this date on your calendar now, so you do not miss all the fun with your friends and neighbors.

In keeping with the theme; “Westminster An Excellent Experience”, The Greater Westminster Development Corporation (GWDC), along with the City of Westminster and the Main Street Program are reviving an old Westminster Christmas tradition; the Christmas Parade.

“In order for an individual or an organization to remain vibrant, relevant and meaningful, it must constantly reinvent itself.”

Community leaders such as former Councilmember Sam Greenholtz, now Chair of the GWDC Board of Directors; Kathy O’Dell, Chair of the GWDC Downtown Main Street Promotions Committee; Lori Graham, President of the GWDC; Missie Wilcox; Sandy Scott; Lynn Aaron and Ron Schroers have rolled up their sleeves to plan this excellent experience.

It is yet another reminder that Westminster’s greatest resource is our human resource. The creative dreamers and dream keepers who are constantly thinking out of the box, with one eye on our past successes and a focus on the future, providing our community with the leadership to maintain “Westminster As An Experience”.

There are many resources that has made Westminster successful for 240 years, including our beautiful historic downtown, family oriented businesses and friendly shopkeepers, our new parking garages, Carroll Arts Center, and the Westminster Family Center in the old Armory Building.

The glue that puts all this together for a quality of life much greater than the sum of its parts are the dream keepers who roll up their sleeves and say let’s get it done.

Last Christmas, we moved the Community Christmas Tree and Santa to Locust Lane in the heart of the downtown shopping district. This year, the GWDC, and downtown merchants, are planning events, starting with the Tree Lighting Ceremony on November 26th and continuing throughout the week until the parade at 4:00 PM on Saturday the 3rd of December and Starlight Shopping when merchants and restaurants have specials and remain open late for shoppers.

Over fifty years ago, Christmas tradition in Westminster included a parade and shopping downtown with the family. In those days, the downtown-shopping district included East Green Street, West and East Main Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.

Some of the many shops and businesses on Pennsylvania Avenue included, Earhart Motors, O’Farrell Brothers Pontiac, The Avenue Barber Shop, Westminster TV and Radio Shop, Carroll Electric Service, Dutty’s Beauty Salon, Everhart’s Barber Shop, Wine’s Sports Shop, and Wilson’s Garage to name just a few.

Moreover, who can forget the huge toy department in Hollander’s Auto Store, Bobby’s Hobby Lobby, Rosenstock’s Ladies’ Shop, Gehr’s Hardware Store, The Treat Shop, and the Bixler and Guild Drug Store on Main Street.

The early parades marched west along Main Street to the “Forks” at Main Street and Pennsylvania Avenue where Santa Claus had his “temporary residence”. The jolly old fellow recently moved to Locust Lane, along with the Westminster Community Christmas Tree.

Main Street was decorated with large colored light bulbs that were strung on both sides of the street as well as across the street at various points. These strands were covered with live holly that had been meticulously wrapped around the wiring.

The Democratic Advocate on December 26, 1947 describes the parade with the “city’s two bands”, the American Legion, and the 29th Division Association. Christmas carols, led by Kale Mathias, were sung by the community. Santa often rode on a float, but was also know to come to town on a fire truck.

This year’s parade will be reminiscent of those former parades. Participants will include bands, antique cars, fire trucks and floats.

Businesses are encouraged to provide a float depicting their business and the holiday spirit. The merchants from the TownMall, Westminster Crossing and other areas are invited to participate and call attention to the many fine products that they too offer.

Of course, Santa Claus will be the featured guest as he is welcomed to Westminster while riding in a horse drawn carriage. Store windows will be decorated and musical groups will be strolling the streets to entertain both young and old.

While much of the program revolves around the downtown merchants, you should know that the GWDC represents all of the greater Westminster environs and this event is one of many excellent experiences promoting shopping in all of the Westminster area.

The GWDC was created in 1994 as a private public partnership of business and city leaders to work together cooperatively to maintain and further a positive business environment in Westminster.

Planning for the parade has already begun in earnest and sponsors, at various levels are welcome to help finance the project. More information can be obtained from Sam Greenholtz or calling the Westminster Main Street Program Manger, Stan Ruchlewicz at (410) 848-5294. And keep your hot chocolate at the ready.

Note: This is an earlier longer version of a column originally published in the Westminster Advocate on March 16, 2005

Also a shorter version was published on “Soundtrack” here: http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2005/03/20050316-bring-back-westminster.html

[20050316 longver d2 WA pubver Christmas Parade] sdosm 20091128 Annual Christmas, Annual Christmas Parade, Annual Christmas Westminster, Dayhoff writing essays, Dayhoff writing essays history, Westminster File community events, Westminster File community news

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2009/11/reprint-of-lets-bring-back-westminster.html http://tinyurl.com/yhysm8f

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Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://www.kevindayhoff.net/ Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://www.kevindayhoffart.com/ Kevin Dayhoff Westminster: http://www.westgov.net/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoff Twitpic: http://twitpic.com/photos/kevindayhoff Kevin Dayhoff's The New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/

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Westminster Maryland Online http://www.westminstermarylandonline.net/ http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/

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/

The long version of my Sunday column on the 1899 Manchester Fire Hall dedication

The long version of my Sunday column on the 1899 Manchester Fire Hall dedication has been posted on the http://www.explorecarroll.com/ web site. Lots of good trivia:

http://explorecarroll.com/community/3458/EAGLEARCHIVE/ http://tinyurl.com/yc7qn4n

Click here for a larger image: http://twitpic.com/jkrik

DAYHOFF: Dedication of fire hall in 1899 was a hot time in Manchester EAGLE ARCHIVE By Kevin Dayhoff

Posted on http://www.explorecarroll.com/ 9/27/09

This month is the 110th anniversary of the dedication of The Manchester Fire Engine and Hook and Ladder Co. No. 1 fire hall. The dedication, Sept, 2, 1899, was the scene of a community celebration. The fire company is part of a storied history of Manchester, whose roots go back as far as the 1730s.

Read the rest of the column here: http://tinyurl.com/yc7qn4n

Carroll Co Dist Manchester, Dayhoff Media Explore Carroll, Dayhoff writing essays, Dayhoff writing essays history, Fire CC Depts 04 Manchester, History 1890s, History Carroll Co

Twitpic: http://twitpic.com/photos/kevindayhoff

http://twitpic.com/jkrik The long ver of my Sun col on 1899 Manchester Fire Hall dedication Lots of good trivia http://tinyurl.com/yc7qn4n

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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/

Westminster High School in the 1920s

Westminster High School, Westminster, MD, in the 1920s

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2009/08/westminster-high-school-in-1920s.html

http://tinyurl.com/kmgez3

Catching with some old friends today, coupled with some recent reader questions, reminded me of a piece I wrote in March 2007 on the Westminster High School building on Longwell Avenue in Westminster.

The image above is from 1908, is the first Westminster High School building, 1898-1936, at Center and Green Street in Westminster, MD. Click here for a larger image: http://twitpic.com/d936f

This image is a 1977 picture of the second Westminster High School building, 1936-1971, at Longwell Avenue in Westminster, MD. Click here for a larger image: http://twitpic.com/d92z2

Westminster High School in the 1920s

March 28th, 2007 by (c) Kevin Dayhoff

East Middle School, located on Longwell Avenues just north of Westminster City Hall, originally opened as a new “Westminster High School” on November 30, 1936. It is one of two buildings in Carroll County built in the Art Deco style. The other is the Carroll Arts Center which opened as the Carroll Theatre on November 25, 1937.

Art Deco was all the rage from 1920 to 1940 but some argue that the style had a significant presence in architecture and art from 1900 to 1950. A highly decorative and elegant style, it was considered ultra-modern in its day.

The 1936 school building was not the “first” Westminster High School. The first was located at the corner of Green and Center Streets in Westminster and was built in 1898. By all accounts it was the first “public” high school built in Carroll County. It is accepted that the first “public” high school in Maryland started in Talbot County in 1871. By 1907 there were still only 35 public high schools in the entire state.

It was not too long after the 1898 structure was built that complaints began about the inadequacy of the physical plant. As with so many infrastructure improvements in Carroll County, getting a new high school built was fraught with a great deal of acrimony and dissent. In 1921, the Westminster High School yearbook, “The Mirror,” editorialized the increase in enrollment since 1898 with alarm. It had increased from “less than fifty” to over 260 students.

In those days the school housed all 11 grades. There were 7 students in the graduating class of May 1900. Compulsory school attendance was not passed into law until 1916; however, Lisa Kronman reported in an account entitled a “History of Public Schools in Westminster,” “the attendance rate was 93.8 percent of school age children.”

The Mirror lamented “we have seen the school out-grow its surroundings. The present building and equipment are entirely inadequate to the needs of the school…” The editorial explained dire consequences would result if the school were not replaced quickly. Of course, “quickly” in Carroll County took another 15 years.

According to historian Jay Graybeal, there were 139 schools in Carroll County in 1920. 107 had only one teacher. There were approximately 7500 students and 208 teachers. 158 of the teachers were female and only 9 were married as marriage was strongly discouraged for the county’s female teachers. As a matter of fact, a resolution, passed by the school board in the 1928 – 1929 school year, barred female teachers from getting married unless a special exception was granted.

Mr. Graybeal explained that high school teachers were paid an average $903.70 and “elementary teachers in white and black schools had average salaries of $537.85 and $431.87 respectively… Teachers who had served twenty-five years, reached the age of sixty, were no longer able to continue their duties in the schoolroom, and had no other means of comfortable support received $200 per annum” from a state financed pension system.

In 1920, the Carroll County public school budget was $204,000 and the school administration was a staff of four; Superintendent Maurice S. H. Unger, Miss L. Jewell Simpson, Supervisor; G. C. Taylor, Attendance Officer and Charles Reed, Clerk. In 1916, the state board of education was run by three individuals.

The Union Bridge Pilot reported on February 18, 1921: “Teachers' pay are being withheld owing in lack of funds and it appears the county has reached the limit of its credit.”

It is in this air, atmosphere, and environment that the county unsuccessfully tried three times, May 15th, 1922, September 26, 1927, and April 3, 1934, to get the voters to approve bond bills for roads and schools – to include a new Westminster High School.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA.
E-mail him at: kevindayhoff AT gmail DOT com r visit him at http://www.westminstermarylandonline.net/
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http://twitpic.com/d92z2 2nd Westminster High Sch bldg 1936-1971 Full story: http://tinyurl.com/kmgez3

http://twitpic.com/d936f 1st Westminster High Sch bldg 1898-1936 Full story: http://tinyurl.com/kmgez3

Carroll Co Schools Westminster H S, Carroll Co Schools Wster HS Class 71, Carroll Co Schools History, Dayhoff writing essays history, History Westminster 1920s, History Westminster,

20070328 WE Westminster High School in the 1920s
20090808 sdsom

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Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: http://www.kevindayhoff.net/ Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://www.kevindayhoffart.com/ Kevin Dayhoff Westminster: http://www.westgov.net/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoff Twitpic: http://twitpic.com/photos/kevindayhoff Kevin Dayhoff's The New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/ YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/kevindayhoff Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1040426835 Kevin Dayhoff Banana Stems: http://kevindayhoff.tumblr.com/ Blip.fm: http://blip.fm/kevindayhoff_soundtrack

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Alexis de Tocqueville and Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Alexis de Tocqueville and Charles Carroll of Carrollton

July 29 2009 by Kevin Dayhoff http://tinyurl.com/lyt9pw

Today is the birthday of a famous French aristocrat, Alexis de Tocqueville, who published in 1835 what many historians to this day, consider to be the foremost classic analysis of American culture, society, and government, “Democracy in America.”

To see a copy of “Democracy in America,” go here: http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/DETOC/home.html; or here: http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/t/tocqueville/alexis/democracy/.

For more information on “Democracy in America,” go here: http://www.tocqueville.org/.

Alexis-Charles-Henri Clérel de Tocqueville was born on July 29, 1805 in Paris.

Today’s segment of “The Writer’s Almanac,” narrated by Garrison Keillor, noted, “In 1831, (Tocqueville) was 25 years old, and he and Gustave de Beaumont, who was just 29, were sent by the French government to study the prison system in America. They arrived in Manhattan at sunrise on May 11, 1831.”

According to my Elon College history textbook, “The American Nation,” written by John A. Garraty, Tocqueville wrote at the time, “We are leaving with the intention of examining, in detail and as scientifically as possible, all the mechanism of that vast American society which everyone talks of and no one knows… We are counting on bringing back the elements of a fine work.”

[I used notes from my 1971 Elon College history class for the http://www.explorecarroll.com/ column I wrote last night for this Sunday’s Archives column on this topic. (Click here for a larger image: http://twitpic.com/c0ysz)

In addition to my Elon College history textbook, “The American Nation,” written by John A. Garraty.

In the fall of 1971, I had Mrs. Holt for History 211-E, 9:05 AM, MWF. The classroom was in CO-206.

In the spring of 1972, I had George Troxler for History 212-G, 10:10 AM, MWF. The classroom was in CO-213.]

In 1831, our fledgling nation was much on the minds of the French for many reasons, but most notably for the fact that it was in that year that France and the United States teetered on the brink of war over monetary claims accumulated against the French for their actions during the Napoleonic Wars.

The dispute raged-on for years and was prosecuted, for the most part, by President Andrew Jackson, who was not only upset with the French, but also with Great Britain – and Canada – and native Americans...

In today’s world, Jackson would have been diagnosed with an anger management problem. Eventually, the French settled the dispute because, as Garraty puts it, Jackson “showed poor judgment, being ready to take monumental risks to win petty victories… (It) reinforced the impression held by foreigners that the United States was a rash young country with a chip on its shoulders and pathologically mistrustful…”

It is an attitude held by much of Europe to this day.

Historians have developed a number of explanations as to why these young writers made the trip. One accounts says: “Both were at odds with the new government of Louis Philippe,” (the last King of France, Louis-Philippe I,) who had just come to power on August 13, 1830, and they were looking for an excuse to leave France.

Whatever the reason, the result was an ageless classic which is studied and interpreted over and over again, to this day.

My Elon College history textbook, “The American Nation,” written by John A. Garraty, observed that “… many of the fundamental traits of the (American) society Tocqueville analyzed may still be observed in America today.”

For example, “The Writer’s Almanac” segment notes that Tocqueville observed: “The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money.”

The “Almanac” segment reports, “For the next nine months, they traveled more than 7,000 miles, from New England to Wisconsin to Louisiana.” I have yet to determine whether or not they came through what we now know as Carroll County.

Although there is an oblique Carroll County connection nevertheless because the man, after whom our county is named, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, was one of the many Tocqueville interviewed – just before Carroll died on November 14, 1832.

Carroll, who was, at the time Tocqueville interviewed him, the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence. He was also the only Catholic to sign; and was considered to be one of the wealthiest men in the U.S.

One publication on the travels and work of Tocqueville notes “Tocqueville interviewed presidents, lawyers, bankers and settlers and even met with Charles Carroll of Carrollton, Maryland…”

Carroll was probably a fascinating interview because it was not until after his death that his reputation was rehabilitated…

Dr. Bradley J. Birzer is currently writing a new biography on Carroll, “American Cicero: The Life of Charles Carroll (Lives of the Founders) ,” that is scheduled to be released in February 2010.

In a recent interview with Dr. Bradley J. Birzer, in the Washington Times, (Hat Tip: “Against The Grain,”) it was brought out that Carroll “was one of Alexis de Tocqueville's main informants. So there are moments in de Tocqueville's Democracy in America … when he is being critical of the democratic spirit, and it seems very clear to me that he is taking that from his interview with Carroll…

“He was so critical of what happened to the republic after the founding. He's very critical of the democratic element in the American republic - he's worried that self-interest and greed are replacing republican virtue.”

“So from the late 1700s, Carroll starts being called ‘the hoary-headed aristocrat.’ He starts to be seen as a relic of an older age. But after Carroll dies, there's a resurgence of his reputation. All across the country, the headlines read, ‘The last of the Romans is dead.’”

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Recent Explore Carroll columns by Kevin Dayhoff

Recent Explore Carroll columns by Kevin Dayhoff

http://explorecarroll.com/search/more.php?f=news&y=0&p=1&s=Dayhoff

Dayhoff: Maryland National Guard Company H, had its beginnings in the flower business
Published May 22, 2009 by Westminster Eagle
We are deeply indebted to those who fought and died to give us the unalienable right to live free and cherish liberty in the pursuit of happiness. Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster. E-mail him at kevindayhoff AT gmail DOT com....

Mulkey is one of many, yet a special son of Carroll County
Published May 22, 2009 by Carroll Eagle
... thanks to Mount Airy councilwoman Wendi Peters and American Legion Post 191 commander Roy True for their help with this column. We will resume the history trivia quiz next Sunday. In the meantime, Kevin Dayhoff may be reached at

Celebrating Cockey's Tavern, birthplace of Carroll County
Published May 18, 2009 by Carroll Eagle
... When he's not hanging around old haunts such as Cockey's Tavern,....

Utz elected as new mayor of Westminster
Published May 18, 2009 by Carroll Eagle
… — compiled by Kevin Dayhoff

Dayhoff: The rebirth of the Cockey's Tavern building in Westminster
Published May 12, 2009 by Westminster Eagle
… column in the Carroll Eagle of The Baltimore Sun for more of the rich history of Cockey’s.Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster.

Crunching numbers, and historic perspective, in Westminster election
Published May 12, 2009 by Westminster Eagle
... The writer, Kevin Dayhoff, is a history columnist for The Eagle newspapers. He served as ... did his grandfather Frank Thomas Babylon for several years in the 1890s.

Utz elected as Westminster mayor
Published May 11, 2009 by Westminster Eagle
— compiled by Kevin Dayhoff...

For municipalities that still exist, elections renew a call to activism
Published May 10, 2009 by Carroll Eagle

Dayhoff: How water drove the growth Westminster ... and still does
Published May 4, 2009 by Carroll Eagle, Westminster Eagle
... 200 years after our community banded together to maintain a steady and reliable water supply. Feedback, questions, and comments are welcome in the readers’ comments section below.

Readers revel in the details of the great baseball tater caper
Published May 3, 2009 by Carroll Eagle
... who declared the caper the "hidden-ball trick to end all hidden-ball tricks." No history trivia question this week -- I'm missing the baseball game on TV. When he is not watching baseball…

20090523 Recent Explore Carroll columns by Kevin Dayhoff

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Md Natl Guard Co H began in the flower business

The Maryland National Guard Company H, from Carroll County had its beginnings 110 years ago in the flower business.

From its roots in a Frizellburg flower business, to the shores of Normandy on D-Day, part of the family tree of the famed 29th Division, Company H, from Carroll County started to grow 110 years ago.

By Kevin Dayhoff, May 20, 2009

Next Monday is Memorial Day. It is a solemn day that Carroll County has faithfully observed for 142 years

Hopefully I will see you and your family at the historic Westminster Cemetery when we gather together, after the traditional Memorial Day parade, to our express our profound gratitude for the acts of brave patriots who gave their full measure to preserve our way of life.

Just after last year’s observances of Memorial Day, I wrote a Sunday Carroll Eagle column on D-Day, and the fact that many Carroll Countians served in the 29th Division - which along with V Corps and the 1st Infantry Division made up the total of 34,250 troops, 3,300 vehicles - who landed at “Omaha Beach” that faithful day on June 6, 1944, at 6:30 in the morning.

For several months after that column appeared, many readers asked for more information on the 29th Division and its humble beginnings in Carroll County as Company H of the Maryland National Guard

As a matter of fact, the D-Day column came as a result of reader feedback from an earlier column on the history and tradition of the Memorial Day observances in Westminster.

Folks also took me aside during last year’s Westminster’s Memorial Day ceremonies and contacted me after I had the opportunity to talk about the Memorial Day holiday and D-Day on WTTR with Gail Jones, the guardianship program coordinator for the Carroll County bureau of aging, on the “Carroll Senior News” program.

Then the topic came up again when I was honored to be the guest of George Miller and Paul Garver last year at the Westminster Senior Center for a Memorial Day program.

I promised that I would fill-in more of the history of Company H this year, in time for the 2009 Westminster observance of Memorial Day.

Candidly, the history and tradition of Company H of the Maryland National Guard and the 29th Division will remain a long-term project because one could write a lengthy book on the topic.

For this installment, we’ll just introduce you to the early roots of Company H and we’ll see what further questions arise and take it from there.

[…]

Read the entire column here: http://tinyurl.com/rb7542

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http://explorecarroll.com/opinion/2941/dayhoff/

20090520 sdosm Md Natl Guard Co H began in the flower business

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Arlington National Cemetery – Firsts of the heart

Arlington National Cemetery – Firsts of the heart

Wednesday, May 13, 2009 on http://www.thetentacle.com/ by Kevin E. Dayhoff

http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/2009/05/arlington-national-cemetery-firsts-of.html

As Memorial Day approaches, it is significant to note that today, on May 13, in 1864; the first soldier was buried at Arlington House, also called the Custis-Lee Mansion. We now know the property as Arlington National Cemetery and it is now the revered final resting place of over 320,000 stories of the heart.

[…]

The history of Arlington Cemetery before it was officially designated as a national cemetery on June 15, 1864, by Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, is of additional interest as it is steeped in the history of the families of some of America’s more memorable historic namesakes.

Read the entire column here: Arlington National Cemetery – Firsts of the heart

http://www.thetentacle.com/ShowArticle.cfm?mydocid=3157

http://tinyurl.com/r88gd8

Photo credit: 1864 May: Arlington, Va. Brig. Gen. Gustavus A. DeRussey (third from left) and staff on portico of Arlington House. MEDIUM 1 negative : glass, wet collodion. CALL NUMBER LC-B817- 7215 REPRODUCTION NUMBER LC-DIG-cwpb-03890 DLC (digital file from original neg.) LC-B8171-7215 DLC (b&w film neg.) SPECIAL TERMS OF USE No known restrictions on publication. PART OF Selected Civil War photographs, 1861-1865 (Library of Congress) compiled by Hirst D. Milhollen and Donald H. Mugridge, Washington, D.C. : Library of Congress, 1977. No. 0756

20090513 SDOSM TT brief Arlington National Cemetery

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Dayhoff: A brief review of the Westminster Navy, and its role in American history

Dayhoff: A brief review of the Westminster Navy, and its role in American history Published April 1, 2009 by Westminster Eagle

Folks have been asking where they may find my brief review of the Westminster Navy, and its role in American history… Here you go:

The Westminster Eagle column for Wednesday, April 1, 2009 by Kevin Dayhoff (649 words)

She was once a proud ship, a ruler of the waves and a queen of the sea. The “Patapsco Militia Ship Westminster” was her name.

The days of glory for the PMS Westminster are now gone as she sits askew on the ground with a list and sigh on the shores of the Patapsco River in back of the Westminster utilities work shop on Manchester Road.

The once proud ship is hardly noticed by passersby in their hustle and bustle traveling to and from Westminster. It's an inglorious plight for the once proud master of the seas.

No one knows, for example, that the PMS Westminster was the ship used by George Washington in his famous crossing of the Delaware River.

This event has become confused with the passage of time. Initially George Washington crossed the Patapsco River on his way to the Battle of Brandywine.

The event stirred such emotion and passion that the news media wanted it recreated for the 5 o'clock news. By then General Washington had travelled far from the Patapsco River so they used the Delaware River for the reenactment.

It's only fitting that the Patapsco River near Westminster should have such a rich and colorful nautical history.

This area of Carroll County was founded by the Carthaginians shortly after the 3rd Punic War which raged in the Mediterranean Sea from 149 to 146 BC.

After Carthage was destroyed by the Romans, a small band of seafaring Carthaginians set sail for a new home and settled in the valley by the natural port offered by the Patapsco River in what we now know as the Lucabaugh Mill Road and Manchester Road area near the new Westminster Cranberry water treatment plant.

The Carthaginians named the Patapsco River after Patroclus, the gentle and amiable friend of Achilles in Homer's “Iliad.” A rival group of natives at the time confused Patroclus to be "Petapsqui" – the Native American word for backwater or tide water covered with foam which was actually the froth formed by the discharge pipes of the large stills operated at the time by the Patapsipiss tribe of brewing Native Americans.

The well read Carthaginians were also aware that the site where Ulysses successfully sailed past the Sirens was actually on the Patapsco River.

The exact spot is the bridge over the railroad and the Patapsco River on Manchester Road just north of Westminster.

The Sirens, if you'll remember, were sort of a sea goddess who lured to destruction those who listened to their songs. When Ulysses sailed under the bridge towards Westminster to attend a public hearing, he stopped-up the ears of his companions with wax and had himself tied to the mast of his ship.

Ulysses thereupon passed safely, and the Sirens, disappointed at their loss, drowned themselves – which is exactly what many of us want to do after attending most public hearings in Westminster.

George Washington wrote in his “Maxims: Transcripts of Revolutionary Correspondence” that he felt that Westminster-on-the-Patapsco ought to have been the site of the nation's capital. The planners confused the name Patapsco with the name Potomac and well, the rest is history.

When President Abraham Lincoln began his trip to Gettysburg to deliver the Gettysburg Address; the plan was for him to travel up the Patapsco River on the PMS Westminster, disembark, and travel by land for the balance of the trip.

Upon reaching Westminster, Lincoln was thereupon informed that Carroll County's road system was a bad collage of stoplights, confusion, and overcrowded roads which go from nowhere to nowhere. So he took the train.

These are but a few of the legendary exploits of the PMS Westminster and the Westminster Navy. A proud heritage only a few Carroll Countians know. Now you know it too!

Well, maybe not. Happy April Fool’s Day.

That’s my two-cents. What’s yours?

I’ll look forward to your comments in the readers’ comment section below.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster.
Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://www.kevindayhoff.com/ (http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/)
SDOSM 20090510

Kevin Dayhoff: www.westgov.net Westminster Maryland Online www.westminstermarylandonline.net http://kevindayhoffwestgov-net.blogspot.com/