Photograph from
perhaps around 1960, of
Md. Gov. Tawes &
President John F. Kennedy
looking at a Mason
Dixon Line crownstone.
Photograph by Cook –
Baltimore Sun
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Three recent articles on the Historical Society of Carroll
County by Kevin Dayhoff
All of my articles these days may be located on both the
Carroll County Times and The Baltimore Sun:
Enjoy
KED
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Impact of the Mason Dixon Line on the history of Carroll
County Maryland
January 14, 2015
By Kevin E. Dayhoff
The Historical Society of Carroll County has a longstanding
tradition of throwing an annual themed birthday party for the county every
January.
For this year's event, which was scheduled for Jan. 17, the
topic was the history of the county's northern border, the storied, celebrated
and, at times, vilified Mason Dixon Line.
In 1763, the Treaty of Paris had signaled the end of the
North American theater of the world-wide war between France and England, the
French and Indian War that began in 1754-63.
The end of the conflict on this continent was one of the
last pieces of the puzzle that enabled settlement in Carroll County with
relative freedom from violence. The final piece was the American Revolution,
1775-83.
Another piece of the puzzle was the settlement of the longstanding,
and often violent, dispute over the border between Maryland and Pennsylvania.
Today, that rivalry is played out every football season
between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers. But before the
Mason-Dixon Line was surveyed between 1763 and 1767, the dispute was often the
source armed conflict and bloodshed.
[…]
Related
Carroll County's connection to Cuba began with sugar in
1800s
Carroll County's connection to Cuba began with sugar in
1800s
New year begins with familiar faces missing from county
leadership
Also see:
On Saturday January 17, 2015 from 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. at
Grace Hall Grace Lutheran Church 21 Carroll St. in Westminster, Maryland the
Historical Society of Carroll County will
host birthday party for Carroll County. The event is free.
This year’s speaker is Michael Dixon, who will make a
presentation on “The Mason-Dixon Line: The Story Behind the Boundary.”
According to information from the Historical Society, “Born
as the result of a bitter territorial dispute over royal land grants, the
Mason-Dixon Line was surveyed between 1763 and 1767 to settle the boundaries
for Pennsylvania and Maryland.
“After 1820, when the Missouri Compromise created political
conditions which made the line important to the history of slavery, it became
associated with the division between the free and slave states. Today the line
is still seen by many as a symbolic dividing line for regional attitudes and
customs. This program explores the story of the line, which runs through our
land and our history, along with the perceptions that have developed about the
boundary.”
Recently, the Historical Society of Carroll Count announced
a new executive director. According to a news release:
Westminster, MD - The Historical Society of Carroll County
(HSCC) is pleased to announce Gainor B. Davis, Ph.D., as its new executive
director. Davis will fill the vacancy created by Fred Teeter’s retirement in
January. Davis brings more than two
decades of nonprofit experience to the HSCC, most recently serving as president
of the Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland, OH, where she moved the
institution from a deficit position to four years in the position of profit.
Davis will begin her new position at the HSCC on Jan. 20, 2015.
Davis’ background includes over 25 years of executive
planning, administration, communications, and marketing experience in the
nonprofit sector. Special areas of
expertise include strategic planning, finance, operations, fundraising, public
affairs, earned income generation, and educational programming development.
Davis has served as the president for the York County Heritage Trust, PA,
director for the Vermont Historical Society, VE, and the Longue Vue House &
Gardens, LA. She also worked as a director for the Historical Society of
Pennsylvania, and as a membership coordinator for The Henry Francis Du Pont
Winterthur Museum in Delaware.
Davis’ community involvement has included serving on the
board for The Vermont Civilian Conservation Corps, Chapter 11; Barre
Partnership (National Trust Downtown Program); Executive Committee, University
Circle Inc., Cleveland, OH; and 100 Year Club of the Western Reserve.
2015 Board Chair James Lightner commented: "We are delighted to welcome Dr. Davis
as the new Executive Director of the Historical Society of Carroll County. Dr. Davis brings a wealth of background in
historical society leadership, fundraising, programming, and community
development. I know that she will become an active member of our community as
she advances and expands the Society's mission throughout the County."
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