LOOKING BACK
Littlestown Man Dies of Fright John McCall of Littlestown, Pennsylvania, was one of the oldest engineers working on the Northern Central Railroad in 1909. He had worked for the railroad for over 30 years and even lost a leg eight years earlier in an accident on the railroad. So, what could a man who had…
Nights at the Sanatorium
written by James Rada, Jr. A serial fiction story for your enjoyment 1: Arrival Timothy Ross stepped off the passenger car at the train depot near the Maryland Tuberculosis Hospital. He was used to the large platforms in cities like Baltimore, Washington, and Philadelphia. This was a small 15×30-foot wooden building surrounded on all sides…
On The Wild Side
by Christine Maccabee Where Have All the Large Moths Gone? I will begin this article by asking a question: Have you seen many large moths, such as the luna, cecropia or polyphemus, these days? I am starting to research moth populations in upper Frederick County, and I would appreciate knowing of your sitings of these…
On The Wild Side
by Christine Maccabee I listen to C-SPAN on the radio, though some people watch it on TV. It is a great station that invites all sides of issues to be discussed, and even though I do not agree with every opinion expressed, I try to keep an open mind. However, one issue I am passionate…
Eugene Zacharias Celebrates 100th Birthday
On Saturday, May 20, 2017, family and friends gathered to help Eugene Zacharias (pictured right) celebrate his 100th birthday. “Zach” was born on May 18, 1917, just outside of Emmitsburg, and lived there until he joined the U.S. Marine Corps in early 1935. He served in the Marine Corps for over twenty years, rising to…
New President & CEO of Woodsboro Bank
Stephen K. Heine has joined Woodsboro Bank as president and CEO, effective immediately, following the announcement of the retirement of C. Richard Miller, Jr. late last year. Mr. Heine has thirty-five years of banking experience, most recently as a group vice president for M&T Bank, where he was responsible for ninety-six branches in Central and…
Looking Back 1922
Young Boy Rescues Friend from Runaway Rail Joseph Flautt Frizell was walking along the tracks of the Emmitsburg Railroad one evening in May 1922 with some friends. They were goofing around, as teenage boys are known to do, as they approached the station located on South Seton Avenue. The Emmitsburg Railroad had been incorporated on…
Looking Back
by James Rada, Jr. 1915 — David Firor’s Missing Days On March 2, 1915, David Firor kissed his wife goodbye and told her that he would be back on the evening train from Baltimore. Then he headed into the city to buy Easter items for his store on East Main Street in Thurmont. That evening,…
On The Wild Side
Christine Schoenemann (Maccabee) Some things never change, and my love affair with turtles is one of them. This essay is about how a young girl looking for turtles in the woods grew into an eighteen-year-old carrying water turtles in a bucket on the Greyhound bus between home and college, to the me that I am…
Deputy from Emmitsburg Saves Man’s Life
James Rada, Jr. Frederick County Sheriff’s Deputy Tony Ruopoli is used to seeing accidents after the damage is done, and then reconstructing what happened. However, that all changed in August, when Ruopoli was driving home to Emmitsburg with his family and he witnessed a van and car collide on U.S. 15 North. “The car cut…
looking back - 1933
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…
