once upon a time...
by James Rada, Jr.
*Note: Newspaper excerpts are as they appeared in their respective issues.
September 1926, 100 Years Ago
Rally At Thurmont
Upwards to 150 persons attended the Law and Order League rally held in the town hall at Thurmont Monday evening. The speaker for the occasion was Leslie N. Coblentz who spoke at length on “Law and Its Enforcement.” At the conclusion of the address, signers for the Fredrick County Law and Order League pledge cards were obtained adding 25 new members to the organization. – The Frederick Post, September 14, 1926
Brakeman Killed When He Is Hit By W. MD. Train
An accident which resulted in the death of a railroad brakeman 23 miles east of Thurmont, on the Western Maryland Railroad early this morning, became known in Frederick as the result of investigation to determine why the mails were late. A railroad brakeman named Edwards, whose home is said to be in Williamsport, near Hagerstown, was killed when struck by Western Maryland train No. 1, which brings the mail from Baltimore to Thurmont, where it is transferred to the H. & F. trolley which brings it to Frederick, arriving here about seven o’clock each morning.
Edwards was a brakeman on freight No. 308 of the Western Maryland. According to reports received at Thurmont, the freight pulled in on a siding to permit train No. 1 to pass and Edwards was supposed to flag the mail train. It is believed he fell asleep on the track and in the early morning darkness was not perceived sitting on the rails. Just how Edwards was injured was not known. – The Frederick Post, September 18, 1926
September 1951, 75 Years Ago
Parade Draws 8,000 Here; Prizes Awarded
Emmitsburg opened its 1951 Old Home Week celebration last Thursday evening with the crowning of Miss Mary Fiery as Old Home Week queen, and a parade which was described as one of the largest and most colorful in the history of the community.
More than 8000 persons jammed the Square and streets through which the parade passed, at many points three and four deep, to cheer and applaud the marching units, drum and bugle corps, bands, floats, drill teams, fire companies and other organizations. There were bands from Hagerstown, Westminster and Emmitsburg; drum corps from Chambersburg, Littlestown, Hagerstown and Waynesboro; 16 fire companies, nearly 20 floats, a 40 and 8 locomotive of the Frederick County Venture Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, a 1914 Oldsmobile; the VFW ambulance; three color guards and other features. The celebration opened at 6:15 o’clock on the Square with the crowning of the queen. As Miss Fiery knelt on the reviewing stand, the crown was placed on her head by Burgess Thornton Rodgers. Then the queen joined her court on the float on which they rode in the parade. – Emmitsburg Chronicle, September 7, 1951
Emmitsburg is County’s Second Largest District
Final figures of the 1950 census place Frederick County’s population total at 62,287, an 8.7 per cent increase over the 1940 population figure of 57,312. The census also proves that Emmitsburg District, No. 5, is the second largest in the county with a total of 4399, followed by Brunswick District No. 25, with 3752, and Thurmont, neighboring District No. 15, with 3444.
Frederick City’s population, according to the final figures, now stands at 18,142 and although this is an increase of 2260 in the past 10 years, the city dropped to fifth place in cities in the state. This was due to the inclusion of a number of suburban areas in the official census of Annapolis, giving that city a population of 25,104. Emmitsburg proper showed a decrease in population from a 1940 figure of 1412 to 1261 while the District No. 5 showed a surprising increase of several hundred. – Emmitsburg Chronicle, September 28, 1951
September 1976, 50 Years Ago
Lucille Beale Honored
Mrs. Lucille K. Beale has just completed her 20th year as a volunteer weather observer for the National Weather Service near Emmitsburg, Maryland. It was announced by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), parent agency of the National Weather Service, that Mrs. Beale is one of 35 observers selected to receive the John Campanius Holm Award.
John Campanius Holm Awards, created in 1959 by the National Weather Service, are made annually to honor volunteer observers for outstanding accomplishments in the field of meteorological observations. The award is named for a Lutheran minister who is the first person
known to have made systematic weather observations in the American colonies. The Reverend John Campanius made records of the climate, without the use of instruments, in 1644 and 1645, near the present site of Wilmington, Delaware. These observations were published in Sweden by his grandson, Thomas Campanius Holm, in 1702.
Mrs. Beale was honored for her excellence as a cooperative observer in maintaining complete and accurate records of temperature and precipitation since May 1, 1956. Her records have been published weekly in local newspapers and have been used for litigation in court cases. – Emmitsburg Chronicle, September 2, 1976
Council Withholds Action on Illegal Boarding
Monday evening the town council decided to take no action right now on the illegal boarding of Mount students by property owners who are not paying the required water and sewer charges.
The issue was brought before the commission by Zoning Administrator Patrick Boyle, who wanted to know from the council whether he was to take action on the many complaints he has received. The complaints have come from property owners of homes in areas that are presently restricted to boarding students or otherwise. According to Boyle, boarders or roomers are allowed only in the business district and are restricted in the R-1 zone but property owners can apply for a variance in the R-2 and R-3 zones.
The complaints have been about noise, excess parking and some rowdy behavior in the neighborhoods and are being attributed to the students. Commissioner George Danner stated ten years ago it was necessary to pump water from Tom’s Creek to ensure an adequate water supply. – Emmitsburg Chronicle, September 16, 1976
September 2001, 25 Years Ago
Traffic Study Shows Full Traffic Signal Not Warranted at Silo Hill Intersection
Emmitsburg officials and a reporter from the Dispatch spoke with Neil Parrott of the State Highway Administration regarding the necessity of improvements to the traffic control situation at the east end of Emmitsburg. Mr. Parrott was asked about the possibility of a traffic light installation at the intersection of MD Route 140 and Silo Hill Road.
The inquiry was prompted by a May 24th traffic accident in which a car was struck by a tractor-trailer traveling west on Route 140 through the intersection. The car, which was deemed a total loss, had been coming across Route 140 onto Silo Hill Road.
It was learned that Hess Development, builder of the new Sleep Inn and Suites, is holding a bond of $80,000 toward improvements of this intersection. Mr. Parrott, also being aware of the bond, stated that a traffic study needed to be conducted.
On August 29, Traffic Engineer Khursheed Bilgrami of the Maryland State Highway Administration told the Dispatch: “We have completed our traffic study and have determined that a full traffic signal is not warranted based on this new study just completed.” – The Dispatch, September 2001
Ambulance Company Defends Emergency Response Record
On Monday evening, August 6, there was standing room only at the town office for the regularly scheduled town meeting. The order of business was changed to address a crowd comprised mostly of persons related in some way to either the Vigilant Hose Company, the Emmitsburg Ambulance Company, or the Frederick County Volunteer Fire and Rescue Association.
Tim Clarke, president of the Vigilant Hose Company(VHC), raised concerns about the delivery of emergency medical service (EMS) being provided by the Emmitsburg Ambulance Company 26. Clarke cited the failure of Company 26 to respond to seven out of eight calls during a 33-hour period over the weekend of July 20 – 21 as an example of a chronic problem. (According to Frederick County Code, “Service must respond within 8 minutes from the time of the first dispatch for an emergency incident. Failure to respond within 8 minutes of the dispatch is considered a failed call.”)
Ann Messner, chief of Company 26, spoke in explanation of those failures, saying the particular incident cited was “due to a breakdown in communication.” – The Emmitsburg Regional Dispatch, September 2001
