Coxey's Army

(Wikipedia) Coxey's Army was a protest march by unemployed workers from the United States, led by the populist Jacob Coxey. They marched on Washington D.C. in 1894, the second year of a four-year economic depression that was the worst in United States history to that time. Officially named the Commonweal in Christ, its nickname came from its leader and was more enduring. It was the first significant popular protest march on Washington and the expression "Enough food to feed Coxey's Army" originates from this march. Continued

Western Maryland Railway depot open for National Train Day

(Carroll County Times) All aboard to celebrate National Train Day on May 7. The Western Maryland Railway Historical Museum Complex in Union Bridge will welcome visitors from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to tour the 1902 Western Maryland Railway depot and office building.
"You can see railroad artifacts and two model train layouts," said Brian Mahoney of the Western Maryland Railway Museum. ... The family-friendly day is free of charge and is sponsored by the Western Maryland Railway Historical Society Inc. Continued

Photo: The Maryland Midland Railway runs near the museum.

Princess-to-be Kate Middleton has Maryland family ties

(Baltimore Sun) Soon-to-be princess Kate Middleton has a few prominent Marylanders — and American celebrities — in her family tree. Middleton, a commoner who marries Prince William on Friday, is a distant cousin of "The Star-Spangled Banner" author Francis Scott Key, talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres and Colonial Maryland governor Sir Thomas Bladen, the namesake of Bladensburg, according to "The Ancestry of Catherine Middleton." Continued

Photo: Mrs. Mary T. Key-McBlair, granddaughter of Francis Scott-Key, 5/1/25 (Library of Congress).

SS Sultana

(Wikipedia) The SS Sultana was a Mississippi River steamboat paddlewheeler destroyed in an explosion on 27 April 1865. This resulted in the greatest maritime disaster in United States history. An estimated 1,800 of the 2,400 passengers were killed when three of the ship's four boilers exploded and the Sultana sank near Memphis. Continued

Hack Wilson

(Wikipedia) Lewis Robert "Hack" Wilson (April 26, 1900 – November 23, 1948) was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball from 1923 to 1934. He is best known for his record-setting 191-RBI season of 1930. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979. Continued

Industry encroaches on Maryland's Civil War battlefields

(Baltimore Sun) ... As history buffs begin four years of events marking the anniversary of a conflict that continues to resonate in American politics and culture today, the land over which blue- and gray-clad soldiers bled and died is coming into increasing conflict with modern society. In Maryland, both the Monocacy and South Mountain battlefields face development pressures from energy projects. Continued

Photo: War Correspondent's Memorial, South Mountain Battlefield, Gathland State Park, Maryland (Falmanac).

Plan for new Gino's in Towson triggers memories, hunger

(Towson Times) When Lawrence Maykrantzen, president of St. John Properties, announced this month that Gino's will be returning to Towson, he struck a chord that resonated.
In a different place and with a slightly different name, Gino's Burgers and Chicken will open this summer in the Maryland Executive Park, located near the intersection of Joppa Road and LaSalle Road and owned and being developed by St. John.
"Securing this lease, with the realization that we will soon have a hot Gino's Giant in our hands, along with some fries, is like going back into time to enjoy our days as youngsters growing up in Baltimore," Maykrantzen said.
The name Gino's is synonymous with football, the 1960s and hamburgers. Continued

In York, preservationists fear a new wave of destruction of historic buildings

(YDR) When York's City Market was erected in 1878, Baltimore shipbuilders had to be brought into town to hoist its massive trusses into position.
Architects lauded the building's innovative design -- a mix of Victorian and Gothic created by noted York architect J.A. Dempwolf -- and it was featured in American Architect and Building News shortly before its opening.
The building's vaulted interior was said to resemble a cathedral, but the size was even grander. With two additions that would later be added, City Market measured 50,000 square-feet, dwarfing Central Market's 35,000.
Today, all that remains on its Duke and Princess street site is a parking lot. Continued

Photos: Billmeyer House, 225 East Market Street, York, York, PA. Significance: An excellent example of an elaborate Italianate townhouse. Also significant as the home of Charles Billmeyer, railroad car magnate. (Library of Congress).

1907: Hersheypark opens

(Wikipedia) ... In 1903, Milton S. Hershey, founder of the Hershey Chocolate Company, surveyed a site along Spring Creek that would be suitable for his park. Hershey Park opened on April 24, 1907, with a baseball game played on the new athletic field between the Louisville Cardinals and the Boston Red Socks. The beautifully landscaped park was an ideal spot for picnicking, boating, and canoeing. Vaudeville and theatre productions were performed on a rustic bandstand and pavilion.
A merry-go-round was installed and opened on July 4, 1908. A 1,500-seat tiered amphitheatre was built next to the pavilion. The entrance sign proclaimed, “Ye who enter here leave dull cares behind.” Continued

Travel the York - Hanover Trolley Line: Abandoned PA

The York Hanover Trolley Line was operated as a passenger trolley line from 1908 until 1939. The historic line, which is approximately 16 miles in length, provided a transportation connection for many outlying communities such as Graybills, Bairs, Sunnyside, and Menges Mills.Take only pictures; leave only footprints.

History for sale: The Willis House

(YDR) Some houses have a history -- people were born there or died there or quarreled over wallpaper there -- and some are history.
The Willis House is history.
Perched on a grassy knoll off Willis Run, just north of the city limits in Manchester Township, it is one of the 10 oldest buildings in York County, dating to 1762, when William Willis built it.
And you can own it. Continued

John Waters

(Wikipedia) John Samuel Waters, Jr. (born April 22, 1946) is an American filmmaker, actor, writer, personality, visual artist and art collector, who rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films. He had a major mainstream hit in 1988 with the movie "Hairspray" starring Divine and introducing Ricki Lake.
... Waters was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Patricia Ann (née Whitaker) and John Samuel Waters, who was a manufacturer of fire-protection equipment. Waters grew up in Lutherville, Maryland, a suburb of Baltimore. His boyhood friend and muse Glenn Milstead, later known as Divine, also lived in Baltimore County, Maryland, a short distance away.
... "NYU...I was there for about five minutes. I don't know what I was thinking about. I went to one class and they kept talking about Potemkin and that isn't what I wanted to talk about. I had just gone to see Olga's House of Shame. That was what I was more into." Continued

Photo: Mr Azed

It’s Not You, It’s Your Books

(NYTBR) Some years ago, I was awakened early one morning by a phone call from a friend. She had just broken up with a boyfriend she still loved and was desperate to justify her decision. “Can you believe it!” she shouted into the phone. “He hadn’t even heard of Pushkin!”
We’ve all been there. Or some of us have. Anyone who cares about books has at some point confronted the Pushkin problem: when a missed — or misguided — literary reference makes it chillingly clear that a romance is going nowhere fast. Continued

Photo: moriza

April 20, 1841: ‘Rue Morgue’ Paves Way for Detective Genre

(Wired) 1841: Mad literary genius and theorist Edgar Allan Poe publishes “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” in Graham’s Magazine, launching the detective story into popular culture and acclaim.
The prolific Poe was born in Boston in 1809, and eventually died under mysterious circumstances in Baltimore in 1849. But, in the United States, he was known better during his life as a literary critic than a craftsman, though more famous in Europe for his fiction. Continued

Image by Aubrey Beardsley

Ya Gotta Quit Kickin My Dog Aroun'

Gid Tanner & the Skillet-Lickers' 1926 recording of "Ya Gotta Quit Kickin My Dog Aroun". The accompanying animation is from Walt Disney's "Alice and the Dog Catcher" from 1924 (pre-MickeyMouse).