This Day in History for February 11, 2009

This Day in History for February 11, 2009

February 11, 2009 by © Kevin Dayhoff

Years ago in the middle of February, the Baltimore Colts, graffiti, a new jail, going hungry and sweet corn were on the minds of Carroll Countians – not necessarily in that order.

The Baltimore Colts are coming to town.

On February 11, 1949 it was announced that the Baltimore Colts were coming to Western Maryland College – now known as McDaniel College - to practice in the summer.

The now out-of-print Democratic Advocate carried the headline: “College Campus To Be Used By Colts- Coach Isbell Expects to Bring 55 Players to Train, Starting in July.”

The article proclaimed: “Baltimore's football Colts are going to train at Western Maryland College this year. Dr. Lowell S. Ensor, president of the Methodist school, and Walter S. Driskill, Colts general manager, have signed a contract providing for the city's All-America Football Conference squad to use the Westminster College's campus as a pre-season base of operations …

“Driskill … cited a number of advantages in choosing Western Maryland. "The school's facilities are ideal," he explained, "and because Westminster is only 30 miles from Baltimore the fans will have a good chance to get acquainted with us.’

Children will be children.

The February 11, 1921 edition of the now defunct Union Bridge Pilot lamented: “The practice of defacing property with chalk and pencils… appears to be a favorite pastime with some children.

“Newly painted buildings and porch columns appear to offer special inducements for the practice. The town authorities as a rule do not care to resort to legal measures with children, yet it appears a few applications of this medicine might prove effective.”

New jail to be built.

On February 13, 1970, another local newspaper that has long since fallen by the wayside, the Community Reporter, reported that the Carroll County Board of Commissioners, Robert M. McKinney, Paul J. Walsh, and Scott S. Bair, Jr., “have officially approved the building of a new county jail in Westminster for Carroll County…

“The issue… has been debated for several years. In 1968 the State Jail Inspector stated the jail was not usable and ordered it closed. Since that time, the county has been transporting prisoners to the Baltimore city jail.”

Eventually somebody is going to go hungry.

The February 13, 1920 edition of the Union Bridge Pilot, helped spread the alarm that according to Prof. T. C. Atkeson, the Washington representative of the National Grange: “The Cities Must Experience Industrial Crash.”

Professor Atkeson warned that an “economic crash that will bring down the cost of living, must originate in the cities, and reach such an extent that those who have left the country sections for "big wages" will come back to the country…

“He says there is no cure for high prices that Congress, or anybody, can provide, but that the situation must work itself out...

“He says the labor situation is rapidly making it impossible for the farmers to feed the country, and that eventually somebody is going to go hungry.”

Carroll County was sweet on sweet corn.

Four years later, on February 1, 1924, the Democratic Advocate reported: “One of the largest crops produced by the farmer in Carroll (is) sweet corn…

“The average yield (was) close to 3 tons (per acre.) … The cost ran from $13.00 to $13.50 per ton. Allowing only .25 per hour for labor and .10 per hour for horse.”

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA.
E-mail him at:kevindayhoff at gmail.com
####

20090211 SDOSM This Day in History for February 11, 2009

Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/