Randy Waesche Fifty years ago three of Thurmont’s leading citizens figured in two of the most remarkable episodes in town politics. The men were Donald L. Lewis, Roy W. Lookingbill, and Calvin G. Wilhide. Donald L. Lewis was one of Thurmont’s most-progressive mayors. Although only in office for just over five years, the effects of…

by Jim Houck, Jr. U.S. Army Private Alfred Woodrow Clark 102 Years Young Born June 13, 1913, in Washington, D.C., to Henry and Edith Clark, was a boy they named Alfred Woodrow. Alfred’s family had a tradition of giving newborns of the family a nickname. His family was together nine days after he was born…

by James Rada, Jr. Bessie Darling’s Murder Haunts Us Still When the mail train from Baltimore stopped in Thurmont on Halloween, more than the mail was delivered. George F. Schultz, a sixty-two-year-old employee with Maryland Health Department, left the train. Schultz hired Clarence Lidie and his taxi to give him a ride to the Valley…

James Rada, Jr. Freemasonry conjures up images of a secret society with hidden rituals and, thanks to the movie National Treasure, hidden treasure. Yet, the Masons are far from secret. They are men who work hard to find brotherhood, enlightenment, and truth. When John Hagemann first came to Thurmont in 2006 and joined the Acacia…

by James Rada, Jr. Thurmont Gets A New School It used to be that if students in Thurmont were going to be late to school, they simply didn’t go because they would have been sent home anyway. At the beginning of the 1877-1878 school year, Thurmont, which was still known as Mechanicstown at the time,…

A Unique Life Experience Michele Cuseo Most people who live in Emmitsburg know or have heard of Mrs. Williams, as she has lived here for 101 years. I know her because I went to high school with her son, Richard, who is also a personal friend. Born in 1914, she is not just unique due…

Dennis Black acquired this historical photo for his collection. It is a postcard of the Thurmont 4th grade melody flute class. It appears to be a photo circa 1950s. If you can identify the children and the teacher in this wonderful, historical image of our local history, please email Dennis Black at [email protected].

This article includes excerpts from Karen Gardner’s article in a 1991 Frederick Post titled The History Behind the Doughboy and Joan Bittner Fry’s research in her compilation of local history titled, Did You Know? published in 2013. A doughboy is the popular name for a World War I foot soldier. A statue commemorating the doughboy…

Easter at Camp David by James Rada, Jr. Anyone with eyes knew just where President Richard M. Nixon and his family were Easter Sunday morning in 1971. It was pretty widely known through town that the Nixons would be spending the weekend at Camp David, a favorite retreat for the president. Since it was also…

Richard D. L. Fulton and James Rada, Jr. will be holding a book siging at St. Philomena’s on the Emmitsburg Square  in April. When were the last U.S. Marines killed in the line of duty on the Gettysburg battlefield? If you said 1863, you’d be wrong. The year was 1922. Two marine aviators crashed their…

by Jim Houck, Jr. My Thank You and Explanation to All My Family, Friends, and Faithful Readers of my Catoctin Banner Column Thank you one and all for taking the time to read my column, which is dedicated to the Veterans in our local neighborhood communities and across this great land of ours. I am…

by Jim Houck, Jr. Note: This is the story titled “History of the Francis X. Elder Post, No. 121 American Legion From its Beginning,” as written by “Abigail,” a writer for the Emmitsburg Chronicle. The article was published in the Emmitsburg Chronicle in 1940. Original Post Founded In 1920. Present One Originated in 1936. Lester…

by James Rada, Jr. Emmitsburg Waits Seventy-three Years for a New Post Office The effort for Emmitsburg to get its current post office took nearly thirty years. At that point, the people who had started the push had passed on. Many long-time residents of Emmitsburg will remember the post office when it was located on…

Guardian Hose Company Makes a lot of Noise by James Rada, Jr. From November 16 to November 21, 1953, the fire sirens went off a lot more often than usual around Thurmont, and people took particular note of where they were when they heard the sirens. It wasn’t that there was a rash of fires…

James Rada, Jr. As the Confederate Army retreated from Gettysburg on July 4, 1863, they encountered Union troops in the area of Blue Ridge Summit. A two-day battle ensued in the middle of a thunderstorm that eventually spilled over the Mason-Dixon Line into Maryland. “It is the only battle fought on both sides of the…

by James Rada, Jr. — 1938 — The End of a Generation in Thurmont When Thomas H. Shelton died on February 19, 1938, Frederick County lost its last Veteran of the Civil War, seventy-three years after the war ended. Shelton died at the home of his daughter-in-law, Stella Shelton, who lived near Rocky Ridge. The…

Dennis E. Black The weather forecast for Sunday, November 9, 2014, called for a splendid day for anyone wanting to venture out on an antiquing trip. My friend, Larry Hauver, asked me to consider going along with him that day to the first York Antique Bottle Show. I was reluctant to go, with so many…

by James Rada, Jr. How a Goldfish Stand Became the Center of the Free World One Afternoon During WWII In the midst of WWII, all two of the world’s most-powerful leaders could talk about one Sunday afternoon in 1942 was goldfish. About eighty percent of the goldfish sold in the United States came from farms…

Donald Lewis stood crammed among a group of friends and fellow soldiers, trying not to lose his balance. The landing craft they were on was pushing toward its destination on Omaha Beach at Normandy, France. A strong current threatened to pull them away from their destination. Lewis was a long way from his hometown of…

Mount St. Mary’s and the Civil War by James Rada, Jr. In the years leading up to the Civil War, Mount St. Mary’s enjoyed prosperity. The college celebrated its golden anniversary in 1858, and student enrollment was around 200 young men and growing. “The Mount was thriving, as was most of the South thriving before…