20030629 Berlin Mayor Dr. John William Pitts and Corbit’s Charge

20030629 Berlin Mayor Dr. John William Pitts and Corbit’s Charge

Dr. John William Pitts[1]

By Kevin Dayhoff © June 29th, 2003

The first Mayor of Berlin, Dr. John William Pitts, had a small role in Corbit’s Charge in Westminster Maryland on June 29th, 1863.

In 1863, young Private John William Pitts, from Worcester County, was serving in Company K 1st Va. Cavalry (almost all the men in Company K were from southern Maryland). Private Pitts had been attending the University of Virginia as a medical Student and enlisted in the Confederate Army.

The morning after the conflict, June 30th, 1863, Co. A of the 3rd Pa. Calvary came sweeping into town thinking that there was a continued substantial Confederate force still in town, when in reality there were only stragglers left behind. The morning began with the Union Forces firing a few artillery rounds across the town to lay the ground work for a clean-up operation. Private Pitts was one of 25 Confederates captured around 7:30 AM and imprisoned at Fort Delaware, just outside of Wilmington, Delaware and subsequently released. (He somehow later returned to duty.)

After the war, Dr. Pitts became prominent in Maryland in the medical field and later distinguished himself by becoming the first Mayor of Berlin, when Berlin formed in 1896. He also remained in the service, becoming a captain in the Maryland National Guard, and was vice president of the C. B. Taylor Banking Company. He served eight years on the Democratic Central Committee and reportedly voted the Democratic ticket all his life.[2]

[1] G. Thomas LeGore, phone interview, 29 April 2003

[2] “Men of Mark in Maryland”, Volume IV, B. F. Johnson, Inc. 1912, page 91.

20030629 Berlin Mayor Dr. John William Pitts and Corbit’s Charge

20030618 George Street Community Association Meeting

20030618 George Street Community Association Meeting

GEORGE STREET COMM. ASSOCIATION MEETING


DATE: June 18, 2003

IN ATTENDANCE: Major Dean Brewer, Town Planning – Shawn Siders, Tom Thompson, Marie Close, Marleen Gawel, Shirley Haas and Mayor Dayhoff

George Street, Westminster, MD July 18th, 2003 6 PM – Kevin, Brian, Jeff and Shawn met with the George Street Association to discuss placement of trees. The issue distilled down to whether to place them on the properties in back of the sidewalks or cut a 36” x 36’ tree well in the sidewalk, and adjust the sidewalks to facilitate ADA standards of 36” clearance.

Disposition: The George Street Association will mark where they propose to place the tree wells and how they will adjust the sidewalks to allow 36’ pathway clearance.

SHIRLEY HAAS PRESENTATION:

Improve neighborhood, improve community relations, neighborhood beautification, police presence – wants more foot patrol

*TREES:
Talked with Katmna and Brian several years ago – got nowhere
Talked with me at Prayer Breakfast – I referred her to Shawn

SOLUTION – Get together and have a meeting and mark where we can plant trees.

*TRASH:
Dumped, stored on S.L. Co. property … Code enforcement issue ….
(TOM – trash not coming from George Street – Constant vigilance ... observe and call police with information)

*TRASH:
Cans stored just below 2,4,6,8 – Dean will talk with property owner

*GEORGE STREET Clean Up Idea

*INCREASE foot patrol – Dean will look into

*l be invited to future George Street Comm. Assoc.

*SPEED Limit and Special Issues . . .
Paint line down the center of the street
Ideas of trees down the center of street – NO
Speed bumps – NO
Speed Trailer – Dean will look into

*PARKING spaces are marked completed

*We’re looking forward to a playground – need research

*Paint George St of SL Co Property – SL Co Donate paint and material – George Street will paint …

*Put trees there

*I’ll talk with Mike Bennett

*MD Historic Trust Issue with Shirley Haas

*BGE Property

*Neighborhood permitting

*Upgrade lighting

1842 History of Westminster City Hall

HISTORY OF EMERALD HILL, LONGWELL PLACE AND WESTMINSTER CITY HALL[i]

What is now known as Westminster City Hall was a large brick mansion, with wide porches on three sides, built by Colonel John K. Longwell in 1842.

It was not realized at the time that one hundred years after its construction, this building was to become "City Hall" and remain a showplace of the City of Westminster, as it was when first completed.

The land on which the home was built, and referred to as "Emerald Hill" was Colonel Longwell's home. It was purchased from trustees of the Estate of David Fisher, and was a part of all the tract which now comprises West Street, Willis Street, Center Street, North Street, Longwell Avenue and extended to the Railroad Tracks.

When the home was completed, Colonel Longwell called it his "Mansion House," and it was considered one of the finest in the county. A plat of this area surveyed in 1907, referred to it as "Longwell's Addition to Westminster." Subsequently, with changes in ownership, the property became known as "Longwell Place."

Colonel John K. Longwell was born in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, October 18, 1810, and was educated in an academy of that town, which is believed to have been the beginnings of what we now know as Gettysburg College.

As a young man, he learned the printing trade and in 1832 he published the "Maryland Recorder" in Taneytown.

He published this paper for about one year and then moved his plant to Westminster, where he established "The Carrolltonian." Colonel Longwell played the leading role in the formation of Carroll County out of parts of Frederick and Baltimore Counties, and took an active part in all of its affairs. He became widely known as a civic and financial leader in the county.

Following the death of Colonel Longwell in 1896, the family continued to occupy the mansion until the death of his daughter, Sallie (Mrs. Sarah Longwell having preceded her daughter in death), at which time the property was transferred to the Albaugh and Babylon Grocery Company of Westminster, by a deed dated January 22, 1909, from Joshua W. Hering, Trustee for the Estate of Sallie Longwell.

It remained the property of Albaugh and Babylon Grocery Company for twenty years, during which time Mr. George W. Albaugh and his family were the occupants.

On June 4, 1929, Mr. Albaugh purchased Longwell Place from Albaugh and Babylon Grocery Company and continued to reside there until his death on May 30, 1933.

Following his death, two granddaughters, Ruth and Margaret Gillelan, and a distant relative, Miss Frances Thomson, were the remaining members of his family who continued to live there until June of 1934.

From that date, Longwell Place was vacant until The Mayor and Common Council of Westminster purchased it from the George W. Albaugh Estate in September of 1939 for $11,000.

After extensive renovations and improvements, without impairing the original features of the structure, the City offices were moved from the old Westminster Fire Engine and Hose Co., No.1 building at 63 West Main Street, to the recently acquired building during the administration of Mayor Frank A. Myers, and it became known as "City Hall."

In August of 1993, The Mayor and Common Council of Westminster approved a major contract to provide for renovations and improvements to portions of City Hall.

This was the first major change to City Hall since the original work was completed in 1940 when it first became City Hall.

A Council Chamber was constructed on the first floor, with beautiful furnishings and modern features in a period style. Additionally, a new entrance and modern restrooms were constructed on the first floor.

Finally, an elevator was installed to provide complete access to the disabled to all levels of City Hall. An interesting feature of the construction was that the outside appearance of the elevator shaft was designed to look like a chimney so that this feature would not conflict with the appearance of City Hall.

City Hall, still affectionately referred to as "Emerald Hill", has been preserved for future generations to enjoy and yet still remains a viable and heavily used City facility.

In keeping with this historical flavor, the name of the street that runs past City Hall was changed to "Emerald Hill Lane" and the street address of the building was changed to "1838 Emerald Hill Lane", reflecting the year of Westminster's Incorporation.

[i] A Westminster Informational Brochure - assembled from multiple sources –

no claim to original authorship is either claimed or implied. It was entered into a Microsoft Word document on May 26th, 2003 by Westminster Mayor Kevin Dayhoff, from a document that it is believed to have been used for the June 11th, 1994 10 AM “Westminster City Hall Dedication Ceremony and Open House” brochure.

At that time some photos were added to the document. The base for the 1994 document appears to be a similar document from 1976 entitled “Emerald Hill, Longwell Place and City Hall”.

Most of the information for 1976 and 1997 documents appears to have come from an undated (c.1945?) newspaper article by Dorothy Elderdice entitled “History of Carroll. John Longwell: A Founding Father”.

Another source of information appears to have come from an article by J. Leland Jordan in The Times in Friday, August 7th, 1942 entitled “Westminster’s City Hall”.