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).

Disunion: The Battle of Baltimore

(NYTimes) Baltimore had vexed Abraham Lincoln for months. The city was the secessionist heart of slaveholding, nativist Maryland, a state in which the new president had run fourth in the 1860 election, garnering fewer than 3,000 votes. Maryland’s population was one-quarter African-American, evenly divided between slaves and free blacks. And yet Lincoln desperately needed the state: without it in the Union, Washington would be completely within foreign — and, after April 12, enemy — territory. Continued

Photo: Nick Biddle of Pottsville, Pa., the first man wounded in the great American Rebellion, "Baltimore, April 18, 1861" (Library of Congress)

Pigmeat Markham

Dewey "Pigmeat" Markham (April 18, 1904 – December 13, 1981) was an African-American entertainer. Though best known as a comedian, Markham was also a singer, dancer, and actor. His nickname came from a stage routine, in which he declared himself to be "Sweet Poppa Pigmeat." Continued

Samuel Chase

Samuel Chase, lawyer and politician, was one of Maryland's four signers of the Declaration of Independence and an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Chase was born on April 17, 1741, near Princess Anne, in Somerset County. ... Chase is thus remembered as much for the scandals associated with his career as for his considerable legal and political talents. Continued

Illustration and text: Maryland Online Encyclopedia (MdOE)

Mayor rededicates train station with historical link to Civil War's first shots

(AP) Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is rededicating a historic train station as a Baltimore city landmark for its ties to Civil War history and the Underground Railroad. ... Rawlings-Blake also helped open refurbished exhibits at the Baltimore Civil War Museum at the site. Continued

Pictured: President Street Station

Lionel unveils 'Lindbergh Engine' model at Railroad Museum

(Lancaster Online) A little locomotive legend made a Friday morning stop in southern Lancaster County. More than 100 people were stationed in Strasburg as the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania unveiled a model replica of a train that once raced an airplane and won — well, sort of. The locomotive's proper name is Pennsylvania E6 Atlantic No. 460. However, it's more commonly known as the "Lindbergh Engine" for its June 1927 venture from Washington, D.C., to New York. Continued

Architect Latrobe mapped lower Susquehanna River

(YDR) Benjamin Henry Latrobe is best known as one of the fathers of American architecture. He designed the U.S. Capitol, Baltimore Basilica, Bank of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia Waterworks. In 1801-02 Latrobe used his engineering skills to complete a project much closer to (our) home, channel improvement and detailed surveying of the Susquehanna River from Columbia to the Chesapeake Bay. Continued

Photo: Susquehanna River Ark, Pen and ink drawing by J. W. W. Loose (LancasterHistory.org).

Harford divided in Civil War

(Aegis) In early 1861, Priscilla Griffith, a prominent Harford County diarist, complained that the area’s free blacks were making her own slaves “troublesome” and that no one who dared express opposition to the Lincoln administration was safe. “Such tyranny is unheard of in civilized countries,” she wrote in her diary, according to an account by Jeffery Smart in a 2000 issue of the Harford Historical Bulletin. “Oh, if war [were] only over, and the Southern Confederacy established.” But while Griffith wrote plenty about her fervent support for the South and disdain for Lincoln’s troops, she also mentioned attending a “splendid” Christmas party with two Federal officers present, enjoying music by the New York regimental band in Havre de Grace and worshipping, apparently peacefully, alongside Union soldiers at Spesutia Church. If one person’s life could be that contradictory, it was only a small example of how divided Harford County was in 1861 on the eve of what we today call the Civil War. Continued

Photo: Slave advertisement from local paper, circa 1857 (Eric chucks).

You don't have to travel far to enjoy your own "Assassination Vacation"

People travelling on Route 22, just north of Bel Air, Maryland may notice a sign that reads as follows: Tudor Hall The home of the noted actor Junius Brutus Booth, the elder. Birthplace of his children. His son Edwin Booth was born here November 13, 1833. "Hmmm," you may wonder, "Edwin Booth, I seem to recall he had a brother ..."

He certainly did have a brother, John Wilkes Booth, and yes, he too grew up at Tudor Hall. The region has always been squeamish about it's connection to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, and rightly so, it was a bad thing to do, and also, back in 1865, the locals were very worried about having their region burnt to a crisp in some ugly reprisal. However, after 150 years, I think we can talk about it today. Ol' John Wilkes Booth wasn't the only person caught up in the assassination drama from the area, oh no, the region is chock full of them, though he's the only one from Harford County, many of the the rest weren't far away. Here's a few (excerpted from Wikipedia):

Louis J. Weichmann: "Louis J. Weichmann (September 29, 1842 - June 5, 1902) [born in Baltimore] was one of the chief witnesses for the prosecution in the conspiracy trial of the Abraham Lincoln assassination. Previously he was also a suspect due to his association with the Surratt family."

Samuel Arnold: "Samuel Bland Arnold (September 6, 1834 - September 21, 1906) [Baltimore] was involved in the plot to kidnap President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. He and the other conspirators, John Wilkes Booth, David Herold, Lewis Powell, Michael O'Laughlen and John Surratt, were to kidnap Lincoln and hold him to exchange for the Confederate prisoners in Washington D.C.."

Michael O'Laughlen: "Michael O'Laughlen, Jr. (3 June 1840 in Baltimore, Maryland - 23 September 1867 in Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida) was a conspirator in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln."

John Ford: "John Thomson Ford (16 April 1829 - 14 March 1894) was an American theater manager in the nineteenth century. He is most notable for operating Ford's Theatre at the time of the Abraham Lincoln assassination. Ford was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and was the son of Elias and Anna (née Greanor) Ford. ... He was a good friend of Lincoln's assassin John Wilkes Booth, a famous actor."

Edmund Spangler: "Edmund Spangler (August 10, 1825 - February 7, 1875), also known as Edman, Edward, and Ned Spangler, was originally from York, Pennsylvania, but he spent the majority of his life in the Baltimore, Maryland area. He was an alleged conspirator in the Abraham Lincoln assassination and had worked at Ford's Theatre at the time of Abraham Lincoln's murder."

William Norris: William Norris of Maryland was the Chief Signal Officer of the Confederate States Army and Chief of the Signal Bureau in Richmond. ... Norris also commanded the Secret Service Bureau, a unit within the Signal Corps.

Reverdy Johnson: "Reverdy Johnson (May 21, 1796 - February 10, 1876) was a statesman and jurist from Maryland. ... In 1865, he defended Mary Surratt before a military tribunal." Johnson wasn't a plotter, just a local caught up in the drama.

If birthplace is any indicator, perhaps the assassination plot wasn't just a Southern Maryland thing after all, extending northward up through York, Pennsylvania, coincidentally[?] following the famed "Doctor's Line," a Confederate espionage ring that stretched from Richmond into Maryland and who knows how far north.

Those wanting to make a day-trip of the thing should start with, of course, Tudor Hall, the birthplace of John Wilkes Booth. It's a pretty site with an interesting architecture and a spiffy little pond. Diehard Booth fans can head a few miles south to see the old Bel Air Academy on Gordon Street, where little Johnny dreamed through a few semesters of school. If it's lunchtime, run right to the old Milton Academy in Sparks (named for Paradise Lost poet John Milton), another Wilkes Booth school, now a very good eatery known as the Milton Inn, described by the Zagat Survey as "top ranked Traditional American Cuisine."

After lunch, head south to Baltimore's Green Mount Cemetery where Booth is buried (unmarked in the Booth family plot), along with two other conspirators: Samuel Arnold and Michael O'Laughlen. You can also pay a visit to the grave of Reverdy Johnson, Mary Surratt defender and one of our greatest unsung statesman. After that, take a short hop on over to Old Saint Paul's Cemetery and view the grave of George Atzerodt, executed Lincoln conspirator, buried under the fictitious name "Gottlief Taubert."

Then take the beltway to Loudon Park Cemetery (the private one, not the national one, next door), and see the grave of John Ford of Ford's theatre fame, and while you're at it, pop on over to Confederate Hill to see where much of Maryland's old sympathy's now lay. Loudon Park is a hop, skip, etc. from New Cathedral Cemetery, final resting place of John Harrison Surratt, former Papal Zouave and, oh yeah, the son of Mary Surratt. Or pop on over to All Saints' Cemetery in Resiterstown where William Norris is interred. Norris was head of the Confederate Secret Service and may or may not have been involved in a plot to, at the very least, kidnap Lincoln.

From there you can finish up your day trip or make it a true vacation via Washington D.C. and down through Booth's escape route in Southern, MD, ending at Garrett's Farm in Northern Virginia, either way, have fun and "Break a Leg!"

This post was inspired by Sarah Vowell's excellent book "Assassination Vacation," available at all the better bookstores.

Top photo: Frederick Aiken (James McAvoy) and Reverdy Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) on the steps of the Capitol. From the movie The Conspirator.

John Hanson

(Wikipedia) John Hanson (April 13, 1721 – November 22, 1783) was a merchant and public official from Maryland during the era of the American Revolution. After serving in a variety of roles for the Patriot cause in Maryland, in 1779 Hanson was elected as a delegate to the Continental Congress. He signed the Articles of Confederation in 1781 after Maryland finally joined the other states in ratifying them. In November 1781, he became the first President of Congress to be elected under the terms of the Articles of Confederation. For this reason, Hanson was later promoted as having been the first President of the United States, one of several myths about him. Continued

Battle of Fort Sumter

(Wikipedia) The Battle of Fort Sumter (April 12–13, 1861) was the bombardment and surrender of Fort Sumter, near Charleston, South Carolina, that started the American Civil War. Following declarations of secession by seven Southern states, South Carolina demanded that the U.S. Army abandon its facilities in Charleston Harbor. On December 26, 1860, U.S. Major Robert Anderson surreptitiously moved his small command from the indefensible Fort Moultrie on Sullivan's Island to Fort Sumter, a substantial fortress controlling the entrance of Charleston Harbor. An attempt by U.S. President James Buchanan to reinforce and resupply Anderson, using the unarmed merchant ship Star of the West, failed when it was fired upon by shore batteries on January 9, 1861. South Carolina authorities then seized all Federal property in the Charleston area, except for Fort Sumter. Continued

Hosanna School's 144th anniversary

(TheRecord) The celebration of the 144th anniversary of the Hosanna School in Darlington had a distinctly Havre de Grace flavor. Harford County Executive David R. Craig and Photographer Bobby Parker, two of Havre de Grace’s best known citizens, were among those honored April 1 at the Richlin Ballroom as the Hosanna School Museum marked the 144th year since the school began operating. It was one of three schools built for African-American students in Harford County by the Freedmen’s Bureau in 1867. Continued

On the war path: Hiking Civil War sites

(Baltimore Sun) One hundred fifty years ago this week, the first shots were fired in the Civil War, the bloody conflict that pitted North against South for four long years and forged our identity as a nation. Though the guns have long since been silenced, they echo down through the years, in countless ways large and small, in our politics, our pastimes, even in some of our popular sayings. Continued

The London Company

(Wikipedia) The London Company (also called the Charter of the Virginia Company of London) was an English joint stock company established by royal charter by James I of England on April 10, 1606 with the purpose of establishing colonial settlements in North America. It was not founded as a Joint Stock company, but became one under the 1609 charter. It was one of two such companies, along with the Plymouth Company, that was granted an identical charter as part of the Virginia Company. The London Company was responsible for establishing the Jamestown Settlement, the first permanent English settlement in the present United States in 1607, and in the process of sending additional supplies, inadvertently settled the Somers Isles, alias Bermuda, the oldest-remaining English colony, in 1609. ... On May 14, 1607, the London Company established the Jamestown Settlement on the James River about 40 miles (64 km) upstream from the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay at Cape Henry. Later in 1607, the Plymouth Company established its Popham Colony in present day Maine, but it was abandoned after about a year. Link

Lee Surrenders at Appomattox Court House, Virginia

The momentous meaning of this occasion impressed me deeply. I resolved to mark it by some token of recognition, which could be no other than a salute of arms. Well aware of the responsibility assumed, and of the criticisms that would follow, as the sequel proved, nothing of that kind could move me in the least. The act could be defended, if needful, by the suggestion that such a salute was not to the cause for which the flag of the Confederacy stood, but to its going down before the flag of the Union. My main reason, however, was one for which I sought no authority nor asked forgiveness. Before us in proud humiliation stood the embodiment of manhood: men whom neither toils and sufferings, nor the fact of death, nor disaster, nor hopelessness could bend from their resolve; standing before us now, thin, worn, and famished, but erect, and with eyes looking level into ours, waking memories that bound us together as no other bond;—was not such manhood to be welcomed back into a Union so tested and assured? Instructions had been given; and when the head of each division column comes opposite our group, our bugle sounds the signal and instantly our whole line from right to left, regiment by regiment in succession, gives the soldier's salutation, from the "order arms" to the old "carry"—the marching salute. Gordon at the head of the column, riding with heavy spirit and downcast face, catches the sound of shifting arms, looks up, and, taking the meaning, wheels superbly, making with himself and his horse one uplifted figure, with profound salutation as he drops the point of his sword to the boot toe; then facing to his own command, gives word for his successive brigades to pass us with the same position of the manual,—honor answering honor. On our part not a sound of trumpet more, nor roll of drum; not a cheer, nor word nor whisper of vain-glorying, nor motion of man standing again at the order, but an awed stillness rather, and breath-holding, as if it were the passing of the dead!

– Joshua L. Chamberlain, Passing of the Armies, pp. 260-61

The Works Progress Administration (WPA)

(LoC) On April 8, 1935, Congress approved the Emergency Relief Appropriation Act of 1935, the work relief bill that funded the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Created by President Franklin Roosevelt to relieve the economic hardship of the Great Depression, this national works program (renamed the Work Projects Administration beginning in 1939) employed more than 8.5 million people on 1.4 million public projects before it was disbanded in 1943. The WPA employed skilled and unskilled workers in a great variety of work projects—many of which were public works projects such as creating parks, and building roads and bridges, and schools and other public structures. The Federal Writers' Project (FWP) was one of several projects within the WPA created to employ people with skills in the arts. Other arts projects included the Federal Art Project (FAP), the Federal Music Project, and the Federal Theater Project. When these projects were created, they were known collectively as Federal Project Number One—or more informally, “Federal One.”Among the well-known writers employed by the Federal Writers’ project were Nelson Algren, Saul Bellow, Ralph Ellison, Zora Neale Hurston, May Swenson, and Richard Wright. Continued

Billie Holiday

"Billie Holiday was a true artist of her day and rose as a social phenomenon in the 1950s. Her soulful, unique singing voice and her ability to boldly turn any material that she confronted into her own music made her a superstar of her time. Today, Holiday is remembered for her masterpieces, creativity and vivacity, as many of Holiday's songs are as well known today as they were decades ago. Holiday's poignant voice is still considered to be one of the greatest jazz voices of all time. Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan) grew up in jazz talent-rich Baltimore, Maryland in the 1920s. As a young teenager, Holiday served the beginning part of her so-called "apprenticeship" by singing along with records by Bessie Smith or Louis Armstrong in after-hours jazz clubs." Continued

Photo: William P. Gottlieb, Library of Congress

Grand Army of the Republic

(Wikipedia) The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army who served in the American Civil War. Founded in 1866, it was dissolved in 1956 when its last member died. Linking men through their experience of the war, the GAR became among the first organized advocacy groups in American politics, supporting voting rights for black veterans, lobbying the US Congress to establish veterans' pensions, and supporting Republican political candidates. Its peak of membership at more than 400,000 was in 1890, a high point of Civil War commemorative ceremonies. It was succeeded by the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW), composed of male descendants of Union veterans. Continued

The Manassas Gap Railroad In Centreville

(Patch) With a tremendous degree of anticipation, I decided recently to set out, Indiana Jones-style, and find a relic from the past. Of course, being limited to Centreville and the surrounding area, I wouldn't find a gold trinket or biblical treasure. Instead, I looked for an archaeological relic—in this particular case a pair of bridge abutments from the Civil War. "You know, you're kind of reinventing the wheel," Jim Burgess, Ranger and Museum Specialist from Manassas National Battlefield Park warned me. "Others have already written about the unfinished railroad." They have, indeed, but with the sesquicentennial of the Civil War approaching, I figured now would be a good time to revisit. Continued

National Park Service

(LoC) Conservationists, civic leaders, and government officials submitted testimony before Congress in favor of the establishment of the National Park Service on April 5 and April 6, 1916. The congressional debate over the proper management of the growing system of national parks began in 1912 and culminated with the passage, in 1916, of the National Park Service Act. This legislation created the National Park Service within the Department of the Interior. Stephen T. Mather was named its first director. Continued

1969: Dr. Denton Cooley implants the first temporary artificial heart

(Wikipedia) Denton Arthur Cooley (born August 22, 1920) is a pioneering American heart surgeon. He graduated in 1941 from the University of Texas, then began his medical education at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston and then went on to complete his medical degree and his surgical training at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Following his graduation he went to London to work with Lord Russell Brock. In 1969, he became the first heart surgeon to implant an artificial heart designed by Dr Domingo Liotta in a man. Continued

Underground Railroad 'safe house' represents struggle against slavery

(Baltimore Sun) Maia Woods had long wondered about the strange-looking house on Rolling Road in Rockdale, the one that sits off Liberty Road, boarded up and neglected. On Saturday, she found out about its years as a station on the Underground Railroad, how it's been moved twice in its 200-plus-year history by family members well aware of its historical importance, and how it was bought by a couple 30 years ago determined to see it preserved — even though it's been so contaminated by pesticides that no one will ever be able to live in it again. Continued

Underground railroad park trail in Maryland opens for the season

SANDY SPRING, Md. (AP) Visitors to a park in Maryland will be able to experience what it was like to travel the underground railroad. Saturday marks the start of this year's free guided hikes of the Underground Railroad Experience Trail at Woodlawn Manor Cultural Park in Sandy Spring. Continued

Photo: Brooklyn Museum - A Ride for Liberty -- The Fugitive Slaves - Eastman Johnson (Wikipedia)

What's onion snow?

(YDR) The snowfall the region is receiving is probably winter season's last breath. "Probably" is used here because we can have more. Indeed, one snowfall struck York County in early May, 150 years ago, in fact. That was a clear case of an "onion snow," so named particularly around Central Pennsylvania because such spring snow showers come after onions have been planted... Continued