Featured Articles

By Alisha Yocum Sixty years and three generations later, Catoctin Wildlife Preserve (CWP) is still sharing a love of animals with the community. Richard and Mary Anne Hahn first purchased the property at 13019 Catoctin Furnace Road in Thurmont in March 1966. The three-acre property was purchased from the widow of Gordon Gaver, who owned…

by Richard D. L. Fulton The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins? – Edgar Allen Poe Ghost and spirit stories and ghostly hauntings are as old as civilization itself, with virtually every culture on Earth having stories…

ThurmontMayor John Kinnaird Here we are heading into October. Where has the year gone? School is back in session, Labor Day has passed, cooler days are here, and the leaves will soon be changing. One of the best things about living in this area is the experience of enjoying four distinctive seasons and the wonderful…

by James Rada, Jr. Thurmont Flood Mitigation Project Approved The Thurmont Mayor and Commissioners voted to approve funding for the Emmitsburg Road Flood Mitigation Project. The project will see the installation of two stormwater management facilities and a large culvert under Emmitsburg Road. The town had applied for a grant through the Maryland Water Infrastructure…

Seton Center’s Helping Hands Holidays program helps struggling families celebrate the holidays with a little less worry. The holiday season is often filled with family gatherings, shared meals, gifts, and traditions. But for families struggling to meet their basic needs, the added expenses of Thanksgiving and Christmas can make what should be a joyful season…

By James Rada Jr. Catoctin Mountain is now the setting for a fantasy novel by first-time author Lindsey Campbell. Catoctin Mountain Fever is a story of a healer woman, Airmed, who lives in the mountains above Thurmont, who gives much to the community but is also feared and ostracized. She has a variety of animal…

RelaYed by Becky Royer Smith, Submitted by Joan Bittner Fry If you’ve ever used Route 550 from Thurmont to Sabillasville, you probably became familiar with seeing Rowdy, the donkey. Rowdy was owned by Jim Royer, who lives just outside Sabillasville. He was a farmer for many years along with his father, Paul, who lived on…

by Richard D. L. Fulton Meade Takes Command Major General George Meade was assigned command of the Union Army of the Potomac during the Great Rebellion of 1861-1865 on June 28, 1863, after former commander General Joseph Hooker had resigned. Meade was officially placed in command of that Union army while encamped at Frederick, after…