by Jeff Yocum “A Change of Scenery” focuses on day trips from Thurmont that are within 150 miles (give or take). These trips will not include “Disney-level” destinations, but rather, lesser-known points of interest. The purpose of the article is to suggest venues for folks seeking a short, easily accessible change of scenery. In the…

‘President’ John Hanson:1972/1981 Richard D. L. Fulton John Hanson was born in Port Tobacco Parish, Charles County, in 1721, to parents Samuel Hanson and Elizabeth Storey Hanson, and in 1781,  arguably became the first president of the United States, eight years before the election of George Washington. On September 1, 1972, the United States Postal…

Area connections to the Star-Spangled Banner by James Rada, Jr. Frederick County native Francis Scott Key was a lawyer, who is not remembered for his legal expertise, but for a poem he wrote. In 1814, the War of 1812 was still raging. Some historians call it the second American Revolution. Less than a generation after…