Historical Society of Carroll County's Digital Library
Item Count: 4558
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Historical Society of Carroll County's Digital Library
Item Count: 4558
That scary Christmas Eve character? It’s a belsnickel
Publication Year: 2023
During this Christmas season, you may have seen someone dressed in animal skins with a canvas bag over his shoulder and switches in his hand at one of Carroll County’s history-related events.
Clergy, Doctors, And The Patent Medicine peddler
Publication Year: 2022
I have given your 'Balsamic Cough Syrup' a fair trial, and am happy to say that I have never tried any thing that relieved me so soon.
Letters From Kate Woods To Jesse Barnes during The Civil War
Publication Year: 2022
So begins the earliest letter from Mary Catherine Woods, known to her friends and family as “Kate,” to Jesse H.
The English Tory And The American Patriot
Publication Year: 2022
In early 1776, Legh Master, a 59-year-old English ironmaster, and David Shriver, a 41-year-old Pennsylvania German farmer.
A Look at U.S. History’s Impact on Life in Carroll County
Publication Year: 2022
When studying United States history, did you ever wonder how it impacted your own area? Teachers on the Historical Society of Carroll County’s Education Committee set out to answer those questions by creating a six-part Traveling Trunk Program specific to Carroll County.
An Iconic Photo with an Intriguing History
Publication Year: 2022
Have you seen this photograph before? You probably have if you follow Carroll County history. It usually appears in newspapers every year or two on Memorial Day or in conjunction with a Civil War article.
Shoes Offer Reminder of Long-lost Tanneries
Publication Year: 2022
Look at your shoes. Chances are they are not made of leather, nor made anywhere locally—not even in this country. Our ancestors just a few generations back would be amazed.
Seeking Adventure Out West
Publication Year: 2022
In the spring of 1849 two young Carroll County men joined a “company” of 35 adventurers that left Baltimore for California aboard the Baltimore-built schooner Creole.
William Boyd, A Hero of the Underground Railroad
Publication Year: 2022
The Historical Society of Carroll County is occasionally asked whether stops on the Underground Railroad existed locally before the Civil War. Unfortunately, we do not have solid evidence of any, although many escaping slaves must have passed through as they tried to reach Pennsylvania.
An Irish Immigrant Took on Mighty B&O and Won
Publication Year: 2022
St. Patrick’s Day 2022 is right around the corner, so today’s column shares an inspiring story of a courageous, illiterate, immigrant named Hannah Dougherty who likely fled Ireland to escape the Potato Famine of the 1840s and early 1850s and ended her life in Carroll County.
New Windsor Celebrates Milestone Birthday
Publication Year: 2022
Try wrapping your mouth around “quasquibicentennial.” That’s a $225 word for, well, a 225th anniversary, and that’s what New Windsor celebrates this year.
Story of One of Only Two Stone Buildings Left in Westminster
Publication Year: 2022
Thirty years ago Joe Getty, one of Carroll County’s leading historians, wrote several articles for this newspaper about the “industrial heritage” of the stone building at 14 Liberty Street in Westminster.
Apprenticeship Act Provided Security for Youths
Publication Year: 2022
In the early 1800s, children often experienced the loss of one or both parents because the average life expectancy in those days, just before significant medical advances began, was about 40 years.
Social Gatherings, Out-of-town Visitors Were News in 1911
Publication Year: 2022
When George K. Mather launched “The Times,” now the “Carroll County Times,” in the autumn of 1911, he must have been quite an optimist. Even though he and his brothers owned a job printing plant in Westminster, Carroll County already had five weekly newspapers serving a population of roughly 34,000.
Carroll County Stood Strong Against Great Depression
Publication Year: 2022
The Great Depression of the 1930s remains as the biggest economic crisis our country has ever faced. It impacted every person. Unemployment was 25%. There were food lines. Millions travelled the rails looking for jobs.
Forgotten for Decades, Black Veterans Are Finally Honored
Publication Year: 2022
When Private Phillip “Gus” McLane enlisted in the United States Colored Troops (USCT) during the Civil War, he was set free from slavery. His enslaver, John Gorsuch, received $300 from the Federal Government.
50 Years Ago, Hurricane Agnes Became the Second 100-year Storm
Publication Year: 2022
Fifty years ago this month Carroll County suffered its worst flooding in over 100 years. The words “Hurricane Agnes” likely conjure up vivid images of what occurred over much of our area in June 1972.
The Civil War through the Eyes of 3 New Windsor Teens
Publication Year: 2022
It is a quirk of history that three primary source documents about New Windsor in the Civil War come from teenagers. The first is from Maggie Mehring, a thirteen-year-old from Bruceville who was boarding at Mrs. Joanna Kleefisch’s Academy in the old Presbyterian manse on High Street.
Sherman-Fisher-Shellman House a Window into Early 1800s
Publication Year: 2022
With gas prices high this summer, why not visit a place close to home. Westminster’s East Main Street is a lovely part of town with towering trees offering pleasant shade and some of the town’s oldest and prettiest homes.
1875 Letters Extol Fad of Bathing Beaches
Publication Year: 2022
During the late 19th century, a few families in Carroll County began to explore the possibilities of travel for a summer vacation. Extended trips to the beach, mountains, other states, and foreign countries were novel affairs and frequently the local newspapers printed letters from the travelers.