Journey Back In Time at the Seton Shrine
James Rada Jr. It’s 1818, and a shipment of straw bonnets has just arrived at Sis. Elizabeth Ann Seton’s free school in Emmitsburg. The young girls sit in their school room decorating their bonnets with ribbon as they talk about their lives, whether she is a daughter of a farming family in town or the…
Blue Ridge Summit Makes Bid to be the Summer Capital of the United States
James Rada, Jr. In the days before air conditioning, Washington D.C. could be nearly unbearable in the summer. Those who could would travel to summer homes in more-agreeable climates. It wasn’t always possible for federal officials, though. In 1915, some of the towns surrounding the capital city began making their case to serve as the…
From Thurmont’s Stoner House to the White House —
The Wallpaper Story Joan Bittner Fry Preface William Jones was a prosperous tannery owner who operated his tannery along Little Hunting Creek in Thurmont in 1838. To show his prosperity, he built a six-room stone house on East Main Street. That was not enough, though. To give his new home a touch of elegance and…
Calvin Bittner Dances at The White House
Jim Bittner of Sabillasville is proud of his grandson, Calvin Bittner, son of Aaron Bittner and wife, Linda, of North Carolina. Calvin is currently dancing and choreographing with a company called Vivid Ballet, in Hartford, Connecticut. He danced at the White House in December. “It was a very last minute, out-of-the-blue opportunity. I was quite…
Papal Gift Honors First American-Born Saint, Elizabeth Ann Seton
Upon Pope Francis’ arrival at the White House on September 23, 2015, in Washington, D.C., President Barack Obama presented him with the original key to the home of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton. The key once opened the door of her home, the Stone House, in Emmitsburg, on the grounds of The National Shrine of Saint…
