The Birth of the Interstate Richard D. L. Fulton Military convoys carrying troops and war supplies were not a rare sight in Frederick County and elsewhere during World War I but were certainly nothing like the vision that local residents would be witnessing in July of 1919. The Catoctin Clarion announced on June 19, 1919,…

by James Rada, Jr. Early in the morning of June 2, 1914, a fire started in the engine room of the Monocacy Valley Creamery in Creagerstown. No reason was given as to just what happened, but the fire was soon out of control. “The flames quickly communicated from one building to the other and made…

James Rada, Jr. Northern Frederick County is not known for growing tobacco, but it has had a cigar box manufacturer and a few cigar manufacturers who used cigar boxes to pack their products. On May 1, 1905, the federal government made it illegal to give away, sell, or display empty cigar boxes. The reason for…

by James Rada, Jr. Things That Go “Boom” In the Night January 2, 1887, was a cold day in Frederick County. Thermometers hovered around eight degrees. Fireplaces and stoves were stoked with roaring fires to fight back the cold that was pushing its way through every crack and crevice of a home. Several inches of…

by James Rada, Jr. The End of Rocky Ridge Rocky Ridge disappeared in 1913. “So far as railroad matters are concerned, Rocky Ridge does not exist and hereafter that station will be known as Emmitsburg Junction,” the Catoctin Clarion reported. The Western Maryland Railroad (WMRR) station had opened in Rocky Ridge in 1870, with Sheridan…

by James Rada, Jr. Frederick County hides a wealth of natural resources underground. It is mined for iron, copper, gold, lead, silver, zinc, aluminum, stone, limestone, silica, calcium, and clay. At one time, Frederick County also had a short-lived coal mine or did it? In October 1877, coal was discovered on the farm of Mary…

The Catoctin Outlaws and the Origins of Blue Blazes Years before the Blue Blazes became part of Thurmont’s history due to the 1929 raid on the county’s largest moonshining operation, it made the newspapers for another raid, but this one was to capture wanted criminals. In 1913, the Catoctin Clarion reported “a gang of this…

The Jinx of Old Frederick Road by James Rada, Jr. Old Frederick Road used to be the main thoroughfare between Thurmont and Frederick in 1917. It wasn’t the safest roadway, though. The Catoctin Clarion claimed it had a “jinx” on it. As evidence, it offered four different mishaps suffered on the road during a  September…

by James Rada, Jr. Celebrating Independence During the Country’s Centennial When America celebrated its first one hundred years in 1876, Mechanicstown threw the country a grand party. “The old saying that the people of Mechanicstown could never get up anything of a startling nature was beautifully knocked in the head last Tuesday—the 4th of July—by…

by James Rada, Jr. When the men of the Thurmont District of Frederick County began returning home from World War I, they were feted with a parade through Thurmont. People lined the streets to see their returning heroes. They cheered, and they cried. In that, Thurmont was not unusual. Just about every town in the…

Note: This is the third of three articles about the wreck of the Blue Mountain Express between Thurmont and Sabillasville in 1915. by James Rada, Jr. On June 25, 1915, the Blue Mountain Express bound for Hagerstown crashed head-on with a mail train coming east from Hagerstown, crumpling the two engines and sending a baggage…

The Western Maryland Comes to Mechanicstown by James Rada, Jr. Photo Courtesy of Thurmontimages.com Thurmont’s stop on the Western Maryland Railway makes up only a paragraph in the history of the railroad. For Thurmont, however, it was a major event that not only helped shape the town’s future but also gave it its unique name.…

A House Divided –Part 1- by “My Father’s Son” Sallie K. Harrison-Boyce-Auginbaugh-Boyce may have never figured out exactly what she wanted in a husband, but she certainly knew what she fancied from a house. In early 1902, the Catoctin Clarion and Star and Sentinel, published “A Matrimonial Mix,” an article explaining how Sallie Boyce first…

by James Rada, Jr. 1908 — Let There Be Light Thomas Edison invented the light bulb in 1879, and soon thereafter, companies began forming to provide electricity and light to homes and communities. Larger cities were the first recipients, but eventually, it became a feasible project for smaller communities. However, as community after community turned…

by James Rada, Jr. 1871 — Catoctin County, Maryland Can you imagine a Catoctin County, Maryland? It would have included Frederick County, north of Walkersville, and Mechanicstown would have been the county seat. It was a dream that some people in the northern Frederick County area pursued throughout 1871 and 1872. The Catoctin Clarion was…

A Hero Dies Saving His Parents by James Rada, Jr. The Stackhouses lived the simple life of a hard-working family. They didn’t have much, but their family was happy. Christmas 1937 had been one of those happy times, with the family getting together to share gifts and hearty meals. Early in the morning on December…