Kevin Dayhoff - Soundtrack Division of Old Silent Movies - www.kevindayhoff.net - Runner, writer, artist, fire and police chaplain. The mindless ramblings of a runner, journalist, and artist: National and International politics. For community see www.kevindayhoff.org. For art, writing and travel see www.kevindayhoff.com
Wednesday, July 05, 2017
The “Fire House” at the Carroll County Farm Museum
Sunday, January 22, 2012
A History of Heroes in Westminster's Fire Department - Westminster, MD Patch by Kevin Dayhoff
Westminster Fire Engine and Hose Co. No. 1 Fire Hall 37 E Main Street 1879 to 1896
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The Westminster Fire Department ladder apparatus from approximately 1879. |
The Westminster Fire Department hand pumper from approximately 1879 |
Members of the Westminster Fire Department pose for a picture in front of the fire station at 37 E. Main Street in Westminster around 1880 |
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
DAYHOFF: New Windsor fire company acted on burning desire to serve
DAYHOFF: New Windsor fire company acted on burning desire to serve
Eagle Archive
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Explore Carroll: Plunkert cited for 50 years as Westminster fire company responder
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Charlie Mann, driver for S Lease Warner and WFD member died Nov 17, 2008
November 20, 2008
Charles A. ‘Pappy’ Mann, 86, of Westminster
Charles Adam “Pappy” Mann, 86, of Westminster died Monday, Nov. 17, 2008, in Westminster.
Born June 8, 1922, in Patapsco, he was the son of the late Harry H. Mann Sr. and Agnes A. Frank Mann. He was the husband of Thelma D. “Sis” Buckingham Mann, his wife of nearly 67 years.
He was an active member of Benjamin’s Krider’s United Church of Christ in Westminster. He worked as a delivery truck driver throughout Carroll County for S. Lease Warner — Carroll Independent Fuel Co. before retiring in 1995.
During the World War II era, he was active in Minutemen and assembled aircraft at Glen L. Martin.
He was a member of the Westminster volunteer fire company for more than 40 years. During his life, he worked as a home delivery salesman for Quality Cleaners and serviced area business in the first 7-UP distributorship in Carroll and Frederick counties.
He enjoyed working on Wheel Horse lawn tractors and mowing lawns for his neighbors and family.
Surviving, in addition to his wife, are sons and daughters-in-law Charles R. “Bobby” and Mara Mann of Westminster, Gerald R. “Jerry” and Mary Mann of St. Louis, and Daniel L. and Bonnie Mann of Finksburg; a brother, Clayton Mann of Taneytown; 10 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
He was predeceased by siblings Harry H. Mann Jr., Margie Virginia Wilson, William F. Mann; and two great-granddaughters.
A funeral service will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday at Myers-Durboraw Funeral Home, 91 Willis St., Westminster, with his pastor, the Rev. Jennifer Walters, officiating. Interment will follow in Sandymount United Methodist Church Cemetery in Finksburg.
The family will receive friends from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, and from 2 p.m. until the time of service Sunday at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions may be sent to Benjamin’s Krider’s United Church of Christ, 208 Krider’s Church Road, Westminster, MD 21158; or Carroll Hospice, 292 Stoner Ave., Westminster, MD 21157.
Online condolences may be made to the family at www.myersdurborawfh.com.
2008117 19220608 Charlie Mann WFD S Lease Warner
Mann Charlie 19220608 2008117 WFD S Lease Warner
Monday, November 17, 2008
Harry Zook, former member of the WFD and the WPD died Nov. 14, 2008
November 17, 2008
Harry A. Zook, 83, of Westminster
Harry Arthur Zook, 83, of Westminster died Friday, Nov. 14, 2008, at Carroll Hospice Dove House.
Born Nov. 16, 1924, in Hanover, Pa., he was the son of the late Arthur Abraham and Ruth Zincon Zook.
He was a 1943 graduate of Westminster High School and was a World War II Navy veteran. He was a retired police sergeant with the Westminster Police Department, joining the force in December 1954 and retiring in March 1982.
He was a member of Grace Lutheran Church, Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 20 and a former member of the Westminster fire company.
Surviving are a daughter, Barbara E. Zook of Westminster; son and daughter-in-law John and Lori Zook of Westminster; and a grandson, Torey Daniel Zook.
He was predeceased by a son, William "Billy" Zook; and a sister, Delores Zook Ecker.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Pritts Funeral Home & Chapel, 412 Washington Road, Westminster, with his pastor, the Rev. Kevin Clementson, officiating. Interment will be in Westminster Cemetery.
The family will receive friends from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.
Memorial contributions may be sent to Grace Lutheran Church, 21 Carroll St., Westminster, MD 21157.
Online condolences may be made at www.prittsfuneralhome.com.
20081114 19241116 Harry Zook WPD WFD
People Zook-Harry
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Westminster Fire Department Open House on October 25, 2008
Join us for our Open House to celebrate our 10 years at 28 John Street and 185 years of service. Our station will be open from 11AM to 3PM. We will have raffles, fire prevention material, and Sparky for the kids.
Stop in for a visit. Also, don't forget, change your batteries in your smoke detectors.
20081025 Westminster Fire Department Open House on October 25 2008
Thursday, July 05, 2007
20070703 Westminster firefighter has served for 30 years
News Briefs 07/03/07 Email this story to a friend
Mike Glass, a career engineer
Members of the
As firefighters gathered around over sandwiches and ice cream cake, Westminster Fire Department Chief Jeff Alexander presented Glass with a plaque.
Chief Alexander noted that in 30 years Glass has seen "many changes, but through it all we could always count on Mike to be there."
Glass remarked that "it had been a pleasure" to serve all those years as he immediately fielded questions as to whether or not he would put in another 30 years.
At that point, members of the department could not help but mistake the otherwise serious ceremony for a roast.
Glass took some good-natured ribbing as stories of his three decades began to unfold. Glass, who was accompanied by his wife, Nancy, seemed to be able to give and good as he got.
One member was overheard to say, "Thirty years, wow, that's a long time. How did ya do it?"
"It wasn't easy. It wasn't easy," said Glass. "Now let's get back to work."
-- Kevin E. Dayhoff
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
20070430 Fire destroys barn on historic Whittaker Chambers farm
Fire destroys barn on historic Whittaker Chambers “Pumpkin Papers” farm
Monday evening, April 30, 2007 approximately 35 fire fighters from Carroll County, Maryland and Adams County, Pennsylvania responded to a fire which destroyed a barn that was over 150 years-old on the Whittaker Chambers’ “Pipe Creek Farm” (the old Thomas Farm) just north of Westminster, Maryland.
April 30th, 2007
References:
My Tentacle column for Wednesday, May 1st, 2007 is on the “The Legacy of Whittaker Chambers:”
On Monday evening, a tragic fire destroyed a circa-1850 barn on the historic Whittaker Chambers "Pumpkin Patch" farm just north or
Interestingly enough, most of those attending the fire were not aware of the significance of the farm, which made history in 1948.
More than 45 years after his death on July 9, 1961, Whittaker Chambers continues to have a profound impact on the conservative movement in the
Mr. Chambers was an accomplished writer and editor, who had been a member of the Communist Party of the
After he defected from the Communist Party and abandoned his role as a Soviet spy, he became a courageous and vocal critic of communism and acquired lasting fame for outing Alger Hiss "as a fellow member of his underground Communist cell in the 1930s," according to Dr. Lee Edwards.
Dr. Edwards, writing for the Heritage Foundation in April 2001, called Mr. Hiss "a golden boy of the liberal establishment."
[…]
The site of the “Pumpkin Papers” has, over the years, come to be considered a national treasure by conservatives as many consider Whittaker Chambers to be a true American patriot of the first order.
[…]
In recent months, the “Union Mills Reservoir” project, first suggested by the City of
Fortunately, I have been led to a clear understanding that the
Read the rest of my Tentacle column here: “The Legacy of Whittaker Chambers.”
Penny Riordan, writing for the Carroll County Times also wrote about the fire:
“Fire causes damage at historic farm” A late afternoon fire burned a barn to the ground and severely damaged a shed at the historic Chambers Farm off
For other posts on Soundtrack about Whittaker Chambers please click: Chambers – Whittaker Chambers and the “Pumpkin Papers”
_____
Monday evening, April 30, 2007 approximately 35 fire fighters from Carroll County, Maryland and Adams County, Pennsylvania responded to a fire which destroyed a barn that was over 150 years-old on the Whittaker Chambers’ “Pipe Creek Farm” (the old Thomas Farm) just north of Westminster, Maryland.
The call for the fire went out at 4:40 pm and the fire was declared under control by 5:45 pm. (I arrived with the canteen crew at 6:15 and took these pictures of the scene after the fire had been gotten under control.
As I wrote in my Tentacle column which came out this morning, “The Legacy of Whittaker Chambers:” Interesting enough, most folks attending the fire were not aware of the history or the significance of the farm, which made history in 1948.
It was Whittaker Chambers (April 1, 1901 – July 9, 1961) who was called to testify on August 3rd, 1948 in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC.) Mr. Chambers had been a member of the Communist Party of the
In several sessions in front of HUAC, he identified Alger Hiss, “a golden boy of the liberal establishment, as a fellow member of his underground Communist cell in the 1930s,” but offered little in the way of corroborating evidence.
Subsequently, Mr. Hiss, who denied he was a communist spy, sued Mr. Chambers for libel on October 8th, 1948. Under pressure to provide materials to support his claims, and in response to a subpoena from HUAC, it was in December 1948 that Mr. Chambers retrieved various materials he had secreted in a hollowed-out pumpkin on his
Although it was not confirmed, the destroyed barn is believed to be adjacent to the December 1948 pumpkin patch. And a nearby building also heavily damaged, is hypothecated to be the “steer building” where Mr. Chambers and HUAC member Richard Nixon, once met to review the pumpkin patch materials.
______
When I turned in my copy for the Tentacle column, I had to cut it for word limit.
Pasted-in here are a few outtakes, juxtaposed in context:
[…]
Over 45 years after his death on July 9, 1961, Whittaker Chambers continues to have a profound impact upon the conservative movement in the
William F. Buckley Jr., who later became steadfast friends with Whittaker Chambers, called him “the most important American defector from Communism.”
Mr. Chambers was an accomplished writer and editor who had been a member of the Communist Party of the
[…]
After he graduated from high school in 1919 he enrolled in Columbia University, where his classmates came to consider him to possess a first rate mind and a gifted writer.
His classmates included the celebrated “Objectivist” poet, Louis Zukofsky; art historian Meyer Schapiro; and author and literary critic, Lionel Trilling, whose 1947 novel about an affluent communist family, “The Middle of the Journey,” is said to have been based on a main character fashioned after Mr. Chambers.
In her 2002 book, “Red Spy Queen: A Biography of Elizabeth Bentley,” historian Kathryn Olmsted referred to Mr. Chambers as being “brilliant, disturbed, idealistic, - and dysfunctional.”
In his first brush with public controversy, he abruptly left
The
It is suggested that Mr. Chambers left
_____
This is the Westminster Fire Department Public Information Officer Report:
At 16:39 (4:39 PM)
Subsequent units responding in addition to those on the initial alarm were from Taneytown,
The fire was placed under control at 17:45 (5:45 PM) and the tanker task force was released at 18:45. Units stayed on the scene until 20:00 (8 PM) for overhaul.
The barn was over 100 years old and was on the farm known as the Whitaker Chambers Farm. Cause and determination of the fire is under investigation by
April 30th, 2007
Sunday, June 04, 2006
20060603 KDDC Where on Main Street was this photograph taken?
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
20050330 A Tribute to Richard N. 'Dick' Gehr
On March 30, 2005, the greater Westminster community suffered a great loss with the passing of Richard N. "Dick" Gehr.
Dick Gehr was born in Westminster on June 25, 1917, and lived here for 87 years. Uncle Dick was the son of the late Denton and Anna A. Whitmore Gehr. He was the husband of Charlotte L. Marker Gehr, to whom he was married for 25 years and the late Dorothy V. Starner Gehr, who predeceased him in 1977.
Dick Gehr graduated from Westminster High School in 1934 and attended Western Maryland College. He served in the Navy during World War II.
He was retired from the state of Maryland, where he worked as a project engineer. Following his retirement, he worked for Wadel Kitchens and for auctioneers, Russell Kerr and David Redding.
Dick Gehr was an active life member of Westminster Fire Engine and Hose Company No. 1, having served since August 2nd, 1939, and was one of the last members with over 50 years of service. He served as president, secretary and chaplain of the fire department. He later served on the Fire Police Auxiliary.
Dick Gehr was a member of the American Legion Carroll Post No. 31, the MD Retreads and Maryland Gold Wings and was an avid antique collector.
Surviving, in addition to his wife, are son Terrence N. Gehr of Westminster; stepdaughters Tamara Teaff of Lexington, Va. and the Rev. Sue Shorb-Sterling of Lusby; sister-in-law Juanita Senseney of Westminster; grandsons and spouses Anthony and Deborah Gehr of Manassas, Va. and Timothy and Juliana Gehr of Westminster; step-grandchildren Elizabeth and Robert Teaff, Margaret Sterling Brubaker and George and Christopher Sterling; great-grandchildren Kelsey, Dylan Richard, Zachary, Madison and Emily Gehr; nephews and spouses Thomas and Barbara Senseney, Jeffrey and Jill Senseney and Christopher Senseney and Darlene Rae Breining.
This memorial tribute was signed in Westminster City Hall,
this April first, in the year Two Thousand and Five.
Westminster Mayor Kevin E. Dayhoff
Sunday, August 17, 2003
Summer 2003 Carroll Co Volunteer Fire Company Series by Jamie Schmidt
Union Bridge Fire Company: Union Bridge marking 116th year A fire in 1868 that destroyed the Western Maryland Railroad shops lives on today as one of the worst in the town's history, and one that sparked the creation of a Union Bridge Fire Department. May 18, 2003 by Jamie Schmidt, Times Staff Writer
Gamber and Community Fire Company: Gamber among newest companies A barn fire started it all. May 25, 2003 by Jamie Schmidt, Times Staff Writer
New Windsor Fire & Hose Company: Growing from humble beginnings Forty-one years passed from the time residents first organized until the New Windsor Fire and Hose Company No. 1 was admitted to membership in the Carroll County Fireman's Association. June 1, 2003 by Jamie Schmidt, Times Staff Writer
Taneytown Volunteer Fire Company: A history of service to Taneytown Residents started talking up a Taneytown fire company in the 1830s, though the department didn't join the Carroll County Fireman's Association until almost a century later. June 8, 2003 by Jamie Schmidt, Times Staff Writer
Harney Volunteer Fire Company: Small company with a big mission Harney was home to about 250 people in 1951 when the volunteer fire company organized in town. June 15, 2003 by Jamie Schmidt, Times Staff Writer
Sykesville Freedom District Fire Company: Providing service to South Carroll Sykesville's fire company started in 1933, after a blaze drew out firefighters from Ellicott City and Mount Airy. No one in the department remembers anymore what burned down, but the event was enough to prompt a few business owners to band together and establish a new company. Sunday, June 22, 2003 by Jamie Schmidt, Times Staff Writer
Manchester Fire Department: Serving the Manchester area since 1893 Incorporated in 1893, Manchester's Fire Engine and Hook and Ladder Company No. 1 is among the oldest in Carroll County. The Manchester Academy Building on York Street, which was used as a high school building at the time, was used as Manchester's first firehouse in the early days. In 1898, a building which is the present site of the company, was purchased for $725. The building needed $350 of repairs, and then the new firehouse was dedicated in 1899. Sunday, June 29th, 2003 by Jamie Schmidt, Times Staff Writer
Winfield Fire Department: Company nears four decades of service The Winfield Community Volunteer Fire Department first formed in 1964, after residents grew tired of waiting for fire companies nearly 10 miles away in Sykesville and Mount Airy to answer calls in the Winfield area. At first, the company had no firehouse or equipment to work with. July 6, 2003 by Jamie Schmidt, Times Staff Writer
Reese Volunteer Fire Company: Company celebrating 55th year It was 1948 when nine people in the Reese area joined together to start up a company. July 13, 2003 by Jamie Schmidt, Times Staff Writer
Mount Airy Volunteer Fire Company: Servicing a growing population After facing two devastating fires in the town's business section in the early 1900s, resident Charles Glover realized that Mount Airy needed fire protection. Firefighter Don Brightwell, who joined the company in 1968, said that a few residents had meetings under Glover's guidance in the early 1920s, but efforts fell apart when he died. July 20, 2003 by Jamie Schmidt, Times Staff Writer
Pleasant Valley Community Fire Co.: Protecting the Pleasant Valley area It was 1931 when 30 residents joined together to start a fire company in Pleasant Valley. July 27th, 2003 by Jamie Schmidt, Times Staff Writer
Lineboro serves Mason-Dixon line Lineboro citizens were called to action in 1915, after a group gathered at a schoolhouse to talk about fire protection. August 3, 2003 by Jamie Schmidt, Times Staff Writer
Westminster service spans 180 years The Westminster Fire Engine and Hose Company No. 1 began in 1823, when members erected a plain board fire house built with two large doors, no windows and a shingle roof. The first building stood on Church Street, and it was only large enough to hold a hand engine, according to company history. August 17, 2003 by Jamie Schmidt, Times Staff Writer
20030817 20030518 Summer 2003 Carroll Co Vol Fire Co Series by Jamie Schmidt
Fire CC Depts History, Fire CC Depts 01 Mount Airy, Fire CC Depts 02 Hampstead, Fire CC Depts 03 Westminster, Fire CC Depts 04 Manchester, Fire CC Depts 05 Taneytown, Fire CC Depts 06 Pleasant Valley, Fire CC Depts 07 Lineboro, Fire CC Depts 08 Union Bridge, Fire CC Depts 09 Reese, Fire CC Depts 10 New Windsor, Fire CC Depts 11 Harney, Fire CC Depts 12 Sykesville, Fire CC Depts 13 Gamber, Fire CC Depts 14 Winfield