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Showing posts with label History 1948 Chambers Pumpkin Papers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label History 1948 Chambers Pumpkin Papers. Show all posts

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Whittaker Chambers - Carroll County On The Map, Democratic Advocate, December 10, 1948

Carroll County On The Map — From Balto. Sun Dec. 5, 1948


Fear of a Communist raid on his home led Whittaker Chambers to hide microfilms of highly secret State Department documents in a pumpkin on his farm in Bachman's Valley, known as the Clinton Thomas property and along the state road, Chambers said.

He said he and his family were away from home so much he was afraid Communists might visit the farm during an absence and steal the microfilms. Mr. Chambers, now an editor of Time magazine and an admitted former Russian agent, said the Government documents were intended to go to the Russian Government but that they never reached Soviet hands.

He did not identify the source of the microfilm copies, but apparently they were films of State Department papers which were stolen from the files and later returned.

The microfilms came into his possession about ten years ago, he said, at about the time he first considered "quitting the Communist party."

Indicating that the microfilms had been brought to his farm only recently, Mr. Chambers said they had been kept in Brooklyn, N. Y. Where in Brooklyn they had been hidden and how long they were there he did not disclose.

Whittaker Chambers - Carroll County On The Map, Democratic Advocate, December 10, 1948

Democratic Advocate, December 10, 1948.
[19481210 Whittaker Chambers CC On Map DemoAdvo]

*****

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

20070904 Submerging the truth about the fate of the Chambers Farm

Submerging the truth about the fate of the Chambers Farm.

September 4th, 2007

Contrary to what is being circulated; the Union Mills reservoir project in Carroll County will add another layer of protection to the site of the “pumpkin papers,” and this national treasure is not threatened.

I just finished reading Submerging History on “Red Maryland” by Crossposted: on “The Main Adversary.”

I read – and appreciate both blogs. In my appreciation of both blogs I can only understand that the authors on both blogs want to get it right and understand the importance of making available factual information about any particular subject.

I have also read with great sadness: The House of Chambers [Miller, John J.]

… tried to kill himself, Whittaker Chambers wrote a letter to his . . . spy case, which had driven Chambers to what he called "spiritual . . . land that their son, John Chambers, never has left. "My family will . . .

Posted in National Review / Digital on Friday Aug 10, 2007 at 11:25 AM

I can perhaps understand why Mr. Newgent felt alarmed – and the need to spread that “alarm” about the future of the integrity of such a national treasure as the “Pumpkin Papers”….

In “20070307 A sordid saga of communists, reservoirs, congressman, and pumpkins,” I wrote:

“Folks who have been “had” by the great “seizing” conspiracy are in good company - with ah, count them, 12 members of Congress who wrote to the Carroll County Board of Commissioners on January 12th, 2007…”

[…]

In a response to Congressman Bartlett’s January 3rd, 2007 letter, which he penned in addition to the gang of twelve Congressmen’s January 12, 2007 letter, the Carroll County Board of Commissioners wrote on January 18th, 2007:

“With regard to the Pipe Creek Farm specifically, Carroll County has no intention of negatively impacting the field identified as the location of the famed “pumpkin patch” and has designed the reservoir in a way that minimizes impacts on the balance of the farm. Indeed, the impact anticipated by the planned reservoir… is limited to the northeastern edge of the farm where the Pipe Creek stream crosses the property.

The Pipe Creek farm is already protected from future residential development by easement sold to the Maryland Agricultural land Preservation Foundation (MALPF) in 2001. Carroll County has no interest in acquiring Pipe Creek Farm land for the purpose of constructing the reservoir beyond… the ‘normal pool level.’ We estimate this direct impact on the Pipe Creek farm to equal roughly 15.5 acres. The balance of the farm, approximately 346.5 acres, remains undisturbed and under the full control and ownership of its present owner…”

The “National Review” article painstakingly attempted to be as factual as possible, it nevertheless unfortunately did a disservice to not only the reader but also to the “National Review.” It seemingly purposefully mislead or at least at a minimum easily allowed the reader to be left with the impression that the site of the “Pumpkin Papers” was in danger – when this impression could not be farther from the truth.

I know Carroll County history and I am familiar with the history Whittaker Chambers and the Pumpkin Patch – and I also know the history of the deliberations about building a reservoir at the Union Mills location since it was first discussed in the mid-1970s.

The protection of the site of the Pumpkin Papers and the Chambers Farm has always been of the foremost concern in any discussion. I have known many of the folks behind the proposal and the conservative credentials of one of main promoters of the reservoir (he has since passed away) in the 1970s is beyond reproach.

To be certain, the Union Mills Reservoir is a proposal on a piece of paper and has many regulatory hurdles to cross - - including a survey and assessment of any and all national treasures that may lie within binocular range of the proposed reservoir.

Also, please be aware that the protection of the site of the Pumpkin Papers is important as is the basic health safety and welfare of all Carroll Countians who would benefit from having adequate supplies of drinking water in the future.

These two protections and dynamics are not mutually exclusive.

At this point the only thing “splashing about” in the discussions and deliberations is the misinformation that are being promulgated about the proposed Union Mills Reservoir and any perceived impact on the site of the Pumpkin Papers.

For additional reading please see my other “Soundtrack” posts: Chambers – Whittaker Chambers and the “Pumpkin Papers”

But if you are concerned about the future of the “Pumpkin Patch,” the Chambers Farm and what, if any impact the proposed Union Mills reservoir will have on this irreplaceable national treasure, please read in particuler:

20070323 A reader responds to my post on the Chambers Property and reservoir

And: 20070308 Winchester Report: “A Sordid Saga.”

If anyone has addition thoughts or concerns, please feel free to be in touch.

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

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 Westminster in Carroll County.

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 United States.

Mr. Chambers was an accomplished writer and editor, who had been a member of the Communist Party of the United States from 1925 to 1937. He renounced communism in 1937.

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 Westminster in the mid-1970s has been revived by the Carroll County Commissioners. Unfounded concerns immediately surfaced that the much-needed water project has threatened the site of the “Pumpkin Papers,” and the Chambers’ “Pipe Creek Farm,” that was granted “national landmark status” in 1988 by Interior Secretary Donald P. Hodel.

Fortunately, I have been led to a clear understanding that the Carroll County Commissioners share the view of many that everything possible needs to be done to preserve the “Pumpkin Papers” site yet nevertheless, take care of the commissioners’ basic “health, safety, and welfare” responsibilities to greater Carroll County.

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 Bachmans Valley Road in Westminster Monday. The farm, which is listed as a National Historic Landmark, was where former owner Whittaker Ch…

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 United States from 1925 to 1937. He renounced communism in 1937.

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 Carroll County farm. The press immediately named them the “Pumpkin Papers.”

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 United States.

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 United States from 1925 to 1937. He renounced communism in 1937.

[…]

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 Columbia after he wrote “A Play for Puppets” in October 1922, under the pseudonym, “John Kelly,” for “The Morningside,” a college magazine which had been brought back to life by John Erskine in 1920.

The New York press excoriated him as an “enfants terribles,” for being, what was considered at the time, sacrilegious, profane, and blasphemous. (Read today, it would be considered “mildly ribald,” according to July 2006 essay by Tim Woods, “Zukofsky at Columbia” in “Jacket Magazine.”)

It is suggested that Mr. Chambers left Columbia in January 1923 in anticipation of being expelled for his writings in “The Morningside,” a college magazine, which the New York press excoriated as sacrilegious, profane, and blasphemous.

_____

This is the Westminster Fire Department Public Information Officer Report:

At 16:39 (4:39 PM) Carroll County firefighters from Westminster, Pleasant Valley and Reese were dispatched for a barn fire on Saw Mill Road near Bachman’s Valley Road. The first units on the scene found a 40 x 60 barn well involved with smoke visible for several miles. Chief 3-1 arrived on the scene first and assumed command. He immediately requested a tanker task force for water supply. There were exposure problems and access was limited to certain areas around the fire. Water supply was established from a pond on Bachman’s Valley road.

Subsequent units responding in addition to those on the initial alarm were from Taneytown, Manchester, New Windsor, and Littlestown in Adams County, Pennsylvania. There were approximately 35 firefighters from the above department.

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 Maryland State Fire Marshall.

April 30th, 2007 Kevin Dayhoff http://www.kevindayhoff.net/


Saturday, March 24, 2007

20070323 A reader responds to my post on the Chambers Property and reservoir

A reader responds to my post on the Chambers Property and the proposed Union Mills reservoir

March 23, 2007

A reader responds to my Winchester Report post on the Chambers property and the Union Mills reservoir: A sordid saga of communists, reservoirs, congressman, and pumpkins

I have removed the name and address of the person with whom I corresponded as my only interest is seeing that as much accurate information gets out about the matter of protecting this valuable national treasure and not about disagreeing with the gentleman…

For additional reading please see my other “Soundtrack” posts: Chambers – Whittaker Chambers and the “Pumpkin Papers”


From: Kevin E. Dayhoff [mailto:kdayhoff AT carr DOT org]

Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2007 9:52 AM

To: 'Kevin E. Dayhoff'; --------------; ----------------; -------------------

Subject: RE: You are very misinformed! Story 3-8-07 reservior,communist,congressman

Thursday morning, March 22nd, 2007

Dear -----------------,

Good morning. Thank you again for your e-mail and thank you for this opportunity to address your concerns.

With respect to the watershed protection zone around the proposed Union Mills reservoir, apparently what is being considered - - should the commissioners decide in the future to go forward with the project - - is the property owner is to be paid to do what they otherwise want to do anyway. The property owner gets to keep their property and on top of that the county is going to make the property a protected waterfront property to be enjoyed by the property owner in perpetuity.

I have had a chance to re-read my March 8th, 2007 column in the Winchester Report on the Westminster Eagle’s web site and a number of dynamics come quickly to mind.

For the most part, especially at the local level, elected and appointed officials and members of staff are our friends and neighbors who are working tirelessly to do the right thing for as many Carroll Countians as possible.

Causing community decision makers to spend valuable time counteracting misinformation and fending off personal attacks is not helpful. Accusing public officials of “intending” to do something before they have made a decision is the stuff of enduring bewilderment.

What is productive is providing community decision makers with thoughtful feedback – especially from folks who wish the decision makers to go in a different direction.

The column, “A sordid saga of communists, reservoirs, congressman, and pumpkins” was specifically focused on what is, in my view misinformation being disseminated in the greater community about the alleged attempt on the part of the Carroll County Board of Commissioners to “seize” the site of the “pumpkin patch papers.”

It is my view that the “pumpkin patch,” right here in our own backyard in Carroll County – is a revered national treasure and I feel rather strongly that preserving this site is a serious responsibility.

It is to that end that I wrote the column to respond to persistent misinformation that it was the intent of the commissioners to flood, “seize,” “take” or otherwise desecrate the site.

Although, I certainly do not speak for the commissioners, I have been led to a clear understanding that the commissioners share the view of many that everything possible needs to be done to preserve the “pumpkin papers” site yet nevertheless, take care of the commissioners’ basic “health, safety, and welfare” responsibilities to greater Carroll County.

I would like to call to your attention the three paragraphs in my column in which I quoted the commissioners’ from their January 18th, 2007 letter in response to Congressman Bartlett’s January 3rd, 2007 letter. The critical paragraph being:

“With regard to the Pipe Creek Farm specifically, Carroll County has no intention of negatively impacting the field identified as the location of the famed “pumpkin patch” and has designed the reservoir in a way that minimizes impacts on the balance of the farm. Indeed, the impact anticipated by the planned reservoir… is limited to the northeastern edge of the farm where the Pipe Creek stream crosses the property.

As far as properties inside “the minimum acquisition line for the reservoir”; to the best of my knowledge, the exact area of the water protection buffer zone has not yet been determined, just as the pool line is still an estimate based on the 30-year-old plans.

For those of us who are well informed; it has been rather difficult to decode and understand the quickly changing landscape of often conflicting state planning and environmental mandates with respect to maintaining an adequate supply of drinking water for Carroll Countians.

To the best of my understanding, the commissioners were placed in a position of acting quickly to preserve the option, with the state, of exploring the reservoir. In doing so they dusted off work that dates back to the 1970s and brought it to the public’s attention for feedback and discussion.

However, at this stage, no permits have been sought and no engineering or design work has taken place since the 1970s. At present, no decision has been made about the reservoir except to begin a conversation about creating reservoirs in Union Mills and Gillis Falls as options in the future.

Once the plans and the old maps were brought to light, it became obvious that the one thing that needed to be changed right away is the idea of a “minimum acquisition line.”

That has been modified to reflect an appropriate change, in my view, in the county’s approach. The map now refers to that area, approximately 2,200 acres, of which the county already owns 1500 acres, as a “water resource protection zone.” It’s not simply different words; it is a different planning concept.

If the county makes a decision to go forward with the Union Mills reservoir, it may be necessary for the county to comply with common sense and state and federal laws requiring the area around the reservoir to be protected.

The information that I currently understand is not consistent with your position, “the county intends on buying (the property in the ‘buffer zone’) and (that property) will not be able to be used by the former owner’s.”

If you are suggesting that the county needs to do everything possible to protect personal property rights, then I cannot agree with you more. From what I understand of the county’s position, Carroll County government also wants to protect personal property rights, all the while, protecting the health safety and welfare of all Carroll Countians…

But I find the statement put forth in your e-mail: that the county has placed your “little piece of the American dream” for which you have worked your “whole life to get there and then have it show up on a map marked to be taken away without any explanation…” to be inconsistent with what I believe is to be what the county is considering.

It is my understanding at present that in order for the county to comply with current federal and state mandates with respect to protecting the watershed; it does not necessarily mean the county needs to “buy” the property and or deprive the owner from the ownership, physical possession, and enjoyment of their property.

It is apparently the prevailing convention that purchasing such easements, that would help to protect the water without the landowner giving up his ownership, is for the most part, the best way to proceed.

Yes, state regulations and best management practices would lead the county to apply some restrictions to the land, but only to portions that fall within the easement.

The specific lines delineating the water resource protection zone will be determined when new engineering studies are conducted (assuming the option of reservoirs is something the commissioners choose to pursue). The only outright purchase would be of land that falls in the pool line.

Ironically, most of what I have heard from folks such as yourself, and the county; is that you are on the same page as far as preserving the land in private hands – and for facilitating open space and against future residential development or the construction of magnesium smelting factories on the properties.

The irony is exacerbated by the fact that what the county may propose is to add an additional layer of protection to the farm that once housed the “pumpkin papers,” and perhaps compensate the property owner for that further protection.

In addition, the county wishes to purchase a protection from certain properties in order for the property owner to continue to do what the property owner has already stated they wish to do – preserve the property.

To recap, apparently what is being considered is that certain (as yet undetermined) property owners are to be paid to do what they otherwise want to do anyway. The property owners gets to keep their properties and on top of that the county is going to make the property a waterfront property all the while providing drinking water (and thus protecting the health, safety and welfare) for many Carroll Countians in perpetuity.

Thank you for your time. I hope that this has been helpful. As always, your thoughtful consideration is appreciated regardless of the outcome on any particular issue. Whether we agree or disagree, always find my door open for friendly constructive dialogue.

Kevin Dayhoff


From: Kevin E. Dayhoff [mailto:kdayhoff AT carr DOT org]

Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2007 10:12 AM
To: --------------; ----------------; -----------------

Subject: RE: You are very misinformed! Story 3-8-07 reservior,communist,congressman

--------------------,

Thanks a bunch for your e-mail. I really appreciate that you have taken the time to be in touch. I’m tied it with family responsibilities for most of the rest of the day. I’ll take a good look at the points you raised in the e-mail and look forward to getting back with you. I’m always interested in another thoughtful point of view.

Thanks again. Have a great day.

Kevin

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster Maryland USA.

www.kevindayhoff.net

E-mail him at: kdayhoff AT carr DOT org

His columns appear in The Tentacle, www.thetentacle.com; Westminster Eagle Opinion www.thewestminstereagle.com and Winchester Report.


From: ------------- [mailto:------------------]

Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2007 9:56 AM
To: kdayhoff AT carr DOT org; ----------------; --------------------

Subject: You are very misinformed! Story 3-8-07 reservior,communist,congressman

What would you do if your house and property showed up on a map inside the minimum acquisition line for the reservoir? The county has notified none of these property owners as to any thing different. You say that these areas are buffer zones and won’t be affected by the pole level. That is well and good but this is still property the county intends on buying and will not be able to be used by the former owner’s. The county commissioners could have very easily notified the affected property owners of there intentions. If this would have been done and they don’t need to purchase properties I am very sure there would have been a different result from the community.

You also say the reservoir should have been built back in the 70’s.You might be right on that but they missed there chance. With today’s technology there are numerous alternatives to the reservoir. Controlling the amount of water that is wasted through leakage alone would be a good start. If you would have come to some of the other meetings and listened you would have heard some of these other ideas. Unfortunately for the county government we have some very informed citizens that would be more than willing to share there ideas. You like the county government just want to stick with a idea who’s time has passed.

There is a lot more to say in opposition to what you have wrote in your story! But maybe for someone that hasn’t worked there whole life to get there little piece of the American dream and then have it show up on a map marked to be taken away without any explanation you won’t understand.

I do encourage you to come to some of the Union Mills Water Ass. meetings and listen further to what they have to say.

Friday, March 09, 2007

20070308 Winchester Report: “A Sordid Saga.”



Winchester Report: “A Sordid Saga.”

“Union Mills reservoir and the pumpkin patch”

As appeared in my “Winchester Report” blog on the Westminster Eagle web site:

A sordid saga of communists, reservoirs, congressman, and pumpkins

Note: see also, “20070307 A sordid saga of communists, reservoirs, congressman, and pumpkins ” on “Soundtrack.”

By Kevin Dayhoff March 8th, 2007

Contrary to what is being circulated; the Union Mills reservoir project in Carroll County will add another layer of protection to the site of the “pumpkin papers,” and this national treasure is not threatened.

Recently the old Whittaker Chambers “pumpkin patch&...[Read full story]

_____

A sordid saga of communists, reservoirs, congressman, and pumpkins

03/08/07

By Kevin Dayhoff

Respond to this story

Email this story to a friend

Contrary to what is being circulated; the Union Mills reservoir project in Carroll County will add another layer of protection to the site of the “pumpkin papers,” and this national treasure is not threatened.

Recently the old Whittaker Chambers “pumpkin patch” farm just north of Westminster, in Carroll County Maryland has resurfaced in the news.

The Chambers’ Pipe Creek Farm was the scene of the “pumpkin papers” incident in which a former communist spy; Whittaker Chambers, defected to become a champion of the anti-communist cause at the beginnings of the cold war in 1948.

Mr. Chambers hid U.S. State Department documents in hollowed-out pumpkins on his Carroll County farm. Once he gave the documents to then- Congressman Richard Nixon, the entire issue of communists and communism in the United States gripped the nation for many years in what has become known as the “McCarthy era.”

The “pumpkin papers” named a local Baltimorean and Baltimore City High School and Johns Hopkins University graduate, Alger Hiss, as a communist spy.

The national, if not international story of intrigue, spies, and the beginnings of the cold war all took place in Carroll County with roles played by Carroll County and Baltimore citizens.

It is now almost 60 years later and intrigue and conspiracy continue to abound.

Since January, Carroll County officials have been plagued with persistent rumors and conspiracy theories, some of which have been published in local newspapers, that Carroll County wants to “seize” the old Chambers “pumpkin patch” farm. Good folks, good journalists and conspiratorialists alike have been “had” by this misinformation.

The misinformation seems to continue to grow legs and is about as far from the position of Carroll County officials as one could get. Carroll County is not trying to take the farm.

I attended what appears to be the genesis of the misinformation; the December 14th, 2006 “Public Hearing ~ Carroll County Water & Sewerage Master Plan.”

The public hearing was poorly attended except for a couple of gentleman who politely and eloquently expressed concern for their property which seemed to be involved in the proposed reservoir. Anyone can understand that. However, assurances were made by county officials that they were sensitive to the concerns of the citizens.

Somehow, from there, the alarm was quickly spread that the county was about to begin “seizing” land for the project even though that has not been the practice and policy of past commissioners and there seems to be no indication by the present Carroll County Board of Commissioners to go in that direction.

But, the casual reader and any person seriously interested in this aspect of our national history could read certain news accounts and walk away with the impression that the pumpkin patch will cease to exist as a result of the reservoir project. This is not true.

In the Internet age, where news is 24/seven, there is an epidemic of misinformation getting legs and if it is repeated often enough “it becomes true.”

Folks who have been “had” by the great “seizing” conspiracy are in good company - with ah, count them, 12 members of Congress who wrote to the Carroll County Board of Commissioners on January 12th, 2007.

They wrote, in part;

“We are writing to express our support for continued preservation of an important National Historic Landmark located within Carroll County, known as Pipe Creek Farm. All steps must be taken to preserve the integrity of this property, having served as the home of a great patriot and noted author, Whittaker Chambers.”

So far – so good. From what I am aware of the attitude of Carroll County officials, they are also interested in “preserve(ing) the integrity of this property.”

So what is the problem?

It’s in the next paragraph:

“We understand that the Carroll County Commissioners are considering a water plan that includes the creation of a Union Mills reservoir which, if completed, would destroy a significant portion of this national treasure…”

The letter is signed by Members of Congress, Ros-Lehtine, Bartlett, Gilchrest, Mario Diaz-Balart, Wolf, Wilson, King, Bordallo (from Guam,) Feeney, Boozman, McCotter and Lincoln Diaz-Balart.

Well, it is true that the Commissioners are considering the creation of a Union Mills Reservoir. As has been considered since the mid 1970s when the City of Westminster first proposed the reservoir.

As I wrote on February 28th, 2007 in my Westminster Eagle column titled, “Recalling when B's Coffee Shoppe was all abuzz:”

In line with expanding the city's water supplies, in the mid-1970s, plans were made for Westminster to build another reservoir, this one to be located on Big Pipe Creek in Union Mills.

When the $5 million dollar reservoir was presented to the public, the public rose up in arms saying the city did not need the water and that the project was a waste of ratepayer money.

By September 1976, the project was shelved.

History, of course, has proven that the council was correct in pursuing the project and we would be in a lot different position today if it had been allowed to go forward.

However, fast forwarding to today, the waters of the proposed reservoir will hardly come within a mile of the present day unmarked location of the “pumpkin patch” which now rests in an otherwise nondescript field.

The Carroll County officials who are in a decision making role in this matter are keenly, and personally, interested in preserving the integrity of the site of the “pumpkin papers” – so it is simply baffling as to how this matter got all wound around the axles of misinformation.

Why didn’t the gang of 12 Congressmen contact Carroll County officials before they sent the letter? Every member of Congress who did contact Carroll County officials did NOT send a letter.

Unfortunately another one of the Congressman who has been “had” in this saga was Congressman Roscoe Bartlett who wrote to the Carroll County Board of Commissioners on January 3rd, 2007.

Congressman Bartlett wrote in part:

“It is my hope that the Commissioners of Carroll County will value, even treasure, this very special farm, that you will do all in your power to keep it whole, and protect its integrity for this and future generations to study and know.”

And here lies the really bizarre part of the story. Contrary to what is being circulated, the Union Mills reservoir project will add another layer of historic protection to the site of the “pumpkin papers,” which is already in agricultural preservation -- and preserve the site in perpetuity.

This is a good thing. The county wants a watershed protection easement which will concurrently give the site addition historic protection.

Click Here to See a PDF of a County Map Depicting the Historic Chambers Farm in Relation to the Proposed Union Mills Reservoir

The “lake” area of the Union Mills reservoir will only encompass approximately 325 acres. The balance of the 2,200 acres needed by the County that surround the “lake” are for the purposes of watershed protection. The county commissioners have reported that the county already owns 1500 acres of the needed watershed protection area – to be preserved in perpetuity.

Nevertheless, in situations like the Chambers Pipe Creek Farm, where the county can get a watershed protection easement on the property, rather than purchasing it, this is a good thing.

This watershed protection will add an additional layer of protection for the historic “pumpkin papers” site, which again, is almost a mile from the waterline.

In a response to Congressman Bartlett’s January 3rd, 2007 letter, which he penned in addition to the gang of twelve Congressmen’s January 12, 2007 letter, the Carroll County Board of Commissioners wrote on January 18th, 2007:

“With regard to the Pipe Creek Farm specifically, Carroll County has no intention of negatively impacting the field identified as the location of the famed “pumpkin patch” and has designed the reservoir in a way that minimizes impacts on the balance of the farm. Indeed, the impact anticipated by the planned reservoir… is limited to the northeastern edge of the farm where the Pipe Creek stream crosses the property.

The Pipe Creek farm is already protected from future residential development by easement sold to the Maryland Agricultural land Preservation Foundation (MALPF) in 2001. Carroll County has no interest in acquiring Pipe Creek Farm land for the purpose of constructing the reservoir beyond… the ‘normal pool level.’ We estimate this direct impact on the Pipe Creek farm to equal roughly 15.5 acres. The balance of the farm, approximately 346.5 acres, remains undisturbed and under the full control and ownership of its present owner…”

On a final note, the Union Mills reservoir was needed and should have been built in the 1970s. The need for water in Carroll County has been a basic health, safety, and welfare concern for public officials in Carroll County since the terrible drought of 2002.

To not go forward with the Union Mills reservoir would be an abrogation of one of the basic responsibilities of elected officials to Carroll County’s citizens. NIMBYism and misinformation cannot prevail.

In their January 18th, 2007 letter, the Carroll County Board of commissioners wrote:

“The need for a surface water supply for communities in northern Carroll County is real. We also believe that protecting and preserving nationally recognized sites of historic significance and irreplaceable farmland is equally important to our local, state and national well being.

Our reservoir concept, with minimal impact to the Pipe Creek Farm, satisfies both of these fundamental principles of government: protecting our past while planning for our future.”

####


Thursday, March 08, 2007

20070307 A sordid saga of communists, reservoirs, congressman, and pumpkins


A sordid saga of communists, reservoirs, congressman, and pumpkins


UPDATE: This post was included in the Maryland Blogger Alliance 2nd Blog Carnival. The 2nd Blog Carnival was hosted by “Pillage Idiot” on March 11, 2007. Click here to find it.

Contrary to what is being circulated, the Union Mills reservoir project in Carroll County will add another layer of protection to the site of the “pumpkin papers,” and this national treasure is not threatened.

March 7th, 2007

If you followed the Carroll County section of the Baltimore Examiner web site on Wednesday March 7th, 2007 you will have witnessed not one, not two, but three articles about the old Whittaker Chambers “pumpkin patch” farm just north of Westminster, in Carroll County Maryland.

You remember Mr. Chambers. According to the first of the three intrepid articles, which appeared on the web site at 3 AM, “Reservoir threatens ex-spy Chambers’ farm:”

“he is the “Soviet spy who defected to become a critic of communism, stored U.S. State Department documents in carved-out pumpkins that he gave to then-Rep. Richard Nixon in 1948. The documents incriminated another spy, Alger Hiss.

“Chambers, a former Time magazine managing editor, claimed Hiss was a member of the Communist Party and Soviet spy. Hiss, a Baltimore City College High School and Johns Hopkins University graduate, was later convicted of perjury in connection with the same allegation in 1950.”

So far we are in great shape. The national, if not international story of intrigue, spies, and the beginnings of the cold war all took place in Carroll County with Carroll County and Baltimore actors.

But it with the next paragraph that the wheels of the story quickly fell off:

“This is a man who single-handedly stood up to state authority and the [county] is now attempting” to take his land, said John Chambers, Whittaker’s son, who now owns the land.

“Commissioners recently voted to send their triennial update of the county’s water and sewerage plan — which calls for a reservoir in Union Mills and possibly on Chambers’ Pipe Creek farm — to the state.”

Juxtapose those two paragraphs with the first paragraph and you have the makings of misinformation that seems to continue to grow legs and is about as far from the position of Carroll County officials as one could get.

The first paragraph reads:

“Carroll County - He railed against government invasion of residents’ private lives, but now the government could seize the farm where espionage secrets he hid once were kept.”

Almost 60 years later and intrigue and conspiracy continue to abound. Sounds like the stuff of a Hollywood movie. All we would need is a Hollywood-type like Cher or Jane Fonda and the plot would be complete.

Only one problem; Carroll County is not trying to take the farm. (See footnote.)

Okay, let’s back it up a bit here. In the interest of objectivity, the article was written by one of my favorite journalists covering Carroll County these days, Kelsey Volkmann, and when I read the article I instantly had beaucoup heartburn. Ms. Volkmann has developed a great reputation among public officials for working hard and getting it right. She won’t pull any punches but for those of us who keenly follow the issues she consistently runs her articles “straight down the middle.”

But, the casual reader and the person seriously interested in this aspect of our national history could read this story and walk away with the impression that the pumpkin patch will cease to exist as a result of the reservoir project and this is totally not true.

To make matters worse, the Associated Press picked up the story and gave it legs. By 2:02 PM that afternoon, the AP story ran with the alarming – and totally inaccurate headline, “Farm where Chambers turned over 'pumpkin papers' may be seized.” (Again – see footnote.)

By 3:35 PM the AP had to walk its story back and it posted an article titled, “County wants part of same farm that was home to "pumpkin papers".”

It was a very long day for many folks.

Ay caramba. Where to begin?

As far as I - and many others I talked with on Wednesday, Ms. Volkmann got “had.” It will happen to the best of us and at some time or another it will happen to all of us. Someone peed on her leg and told her that it was raining.

In the internet age, where news is twenty-four seven, there is an epidemic of misinformation getting legs and if it is repeated often enough “it becomes true.”

And she is not the only person to have been “had.”. She’s in good company - with ah, count them, twelve members of Congress who wrote to the Carroll County Board of Commissioners on January 12th, 2007.

They wrote, in part;

“We are writing to express our support for continued preservation of an important National Historic Landmark located within Carroll County, known as Pipe Creek Farm. All steps must be taken to preserve the integrity of this property, having served as the home of a great patriot and noted author, Whittaker Chambers.”

So far – so good. From what I am aware of the attitude of Carroll County officials, they are also interested in “preserve(ing) the integrity of this property.”

So what is the problem?

It’s in the next paragraph:

“We understand that the Carroll County Commissioners are considering a water plan that includes the creation of a Union Mills reservoir which, if completed, would destroy a significant portion of this national treasure…”

The letter is signed by Members of Congress: Ros-Lehtine, Bartlett, Gilchrest, Mario Diaz-Balart, Wolf, Wilson, King, Bordallo (from Guam,) Feeney, Boozman, McCotter and Lincoln Diaz-Balart.

Well, it is true that the Commissioners are considering the creation of a Union Mills Reservoir. As has been considered since the mid 1970s when the City of Westminster first proposed the reservoir.

As I wrote on February 28th, 2007 in my Westminster Eagle column titled, “Recalling when B's Coffee Shoppe was all abuzz:”

In line with expanding the city's water supplies, in the mid-1970s, plans were made for Westminster to build another reservoir, this one to be located on Big Pipe Creek in Union Mills.

When the $5 million dollar reservoir was presented to the public, the public rose up in arms saying the city did not need the water and that the project was a waste of ratepayer money.

By September 1976, the project was shelved.

History, of course, has proven that the council was correct in pursuing the project and we would be in a lot different position today if it had been allowed to go forward.

However, fast forwarding to today, the waters of the proposed reservoir will hardly come within a mile of the present day unmarked location of the “pumpkin patch” which now rests in an otherwise nondescript field.

The Carroll County officials in a decision making role in this matter are keenly – personally interested in preserving the integrity of the site of the “pumpkin papers” – so it simply baffling as to how this matter got all wound around the axles of misinformation.

Why didn’t the gang of twelve Congressmen contact Carroll County officials before they sent the letter? Every member of Congress who did contact Carroll County officials did NOT send a letter.

Unfortunately another one of the Congressman who has been “had” in this saga was Congressman Roscoe Bartlett who wrote the Carroll County Board of Commissioners on January 3rd, 2007.

Congressman Bartlett wrote in part:

“It is my hope that the Commissioners of Carroll County will value, even treasure, this very special farm, that you will do all in your power to keep it whole, and protect its integrity for this and future generations to study and know.”

And here lies the really bizarre part of the story. Contrary to what is being circulated, the Union Mills reservoir project will add another layer of historic protection to the site of the “pumpkin papers,” which is already in agricultural preservation - - and preserve the site in perpetuity.

This is a good thing. The county has no interest in "seizing" the property.

Quite the contrary, the county wants a watershed protection easement which will concurrently give the site addition historic protection.

I attended what appears to be the genesis of the misinformation; the December 14th, 2006 “Public Hearing ~ Carroll County Water & Sewerage Master Plan.”

The public hearing was poorly attended except for a couple of gentleman who politely and eloquently expressed concern for their property which seemed to be involved in the proposed reservoir. Anyone can understand that. However assurances were made by county officials that they were sensitive to the concerns of the citizens.

Somehow, from there the alarm was quickly spread that the county was about to begin “seizing” land for the project and that has not been the practice and policy of past commissioners and there seems to be no indication by the present Carroll County Board of Commissioners to go in that direction.

In a December 15th, 2007 Carroll County Times article by Marjorie Censer, she wrote, “The county has long anticipated building a reservoir at the Union Mills site, north of Westminster, said Steve Horn, the county's planning director, and it already owns about two-thirds of the almost 2,200 acres needed... The Union Mills reservoir itself would be about 325 acres, but the additional land around the reservoir would protect the water quality, Horn said.

The translation is that the acreage above and beyond the 325 acres of “lake” to be created is for the purposes of watershed protection – and this land is to be preserved in perpetuity.

Further translation – the watershed protection will add an additional layer of protection for the historic site, which again, is almost a mile from the waterline.

In a response to Congressman Bartlett’s January 3rd, 2007 letter, which he penned in addition to the gang of twelve Congressmen’s January 12, 2007 letter - - the Carroll County Board of Commissioners wrote on January 18th, 2007:

“With regard to the Pipe Creek Farm specifically, Carroll County has no intention of negatively impacting the field identified as the location of the famed “pumpkin patch” and has designed the reservoir in a way that minimizes impacts on the balance of the farm. Indeed, the impact anticipated by the planned reservoir… is limited to the northeastern edge of the farm where the Pipe Creek stream crosses the property.

The Pipe Creek farm is already protected from future residential development by easement sold to the Maryland Agricultural land Preservation Foundation (MALPF) in 2001. Carroll County has no interest in acquiring Pipe Creek Farm land for the purpose of constructing the reservoir beyond… the ‘normal pool level.’ We estimate this direct impact on the Pipe Creek farm to equal roughly 15.5 acres. The balance of the farm, approximately 346.5 acres, remains undisturbed and under the full control and ownership of its present owner…”

On a final note, the Union Mills reservoir was needed and should’ve been built in the 1970s. The need for water in Carroll County has been a basic health, safety, and welfare concern for public officials in Carroll County since the terrible drought of 2002. To not go forward with the Union Mills reservoir would be an abrogation of one of the basic responsibilities of elected officials to Carroll County’s citizens. NIMBYism and misinformation cannot prevail.

In their January 18th, 2007 letter, the Carroll County Board of commissioners wrote, “The need for a surface water supply for communities in northern Carroll County is real. We also believe that protecting and preserving nationally recognized sites of historic significance and irreplaceable farmland is equally important to our local, state and national well being. Our reservoir concept, with minimal impact to the Pipe Creek Farm, satisfies both of these fundamental principles of government: protecting our past while planning for our future.”

####

[1] Carroll County Board of Commissioners wrote on January 18th, 2007: “…Carroll County has no interest in acquiring Pipe Creek Farm land for the purpose of constructing the reservoir beyond… the ‘normal pool level.’ We estimate this direct impact on the Pipe Creek farm to equal roughly 15.5 acres. The balance of the farm, approximately 346.5 acres, remains undisturbed and under the full control and ownership of its present owner…”