July 2013 (Vol.12-No.3

Volume 12, No. 3
ABERDEEN MUSEUM
REVIEW
July / August 2013
Our Volunteer Newsletter --- A Link to the Past and Present
Rails & Tales
Stories Told About the Old B&O Station
I
n her weekly newspaper
column Curator Charlotte
Cronin asked her readers to
share some of their stories and
memories of the old B&O railroad
station on West Bel Air Avenue in
Aberdeen. Replies have come from
old and young alike. Some are
second-hand stories remembered
from parents, fellow workers, and
friends who have passed from the
community scene.
To begin, it might be best to
explain the scene surrounding the
1885 Queen Anne style station.
Years ago, the station stood in the
midst of business activity created by
its neighbors. The last of the 1800s,
Inside
this Issue
Stories Told About
the Old B&O Station ....................... 1
The Newspaper is Still
Important to Aberdeen .................... 4
Decoy Carver and B&O
Singleman Remembered .................. 6
Recent Donations to the Museum ... 7
The US Pigeon Service
Army Signal Corps. ......................... 8
and the first
decades of the
1900s, were
bustling years for
C. W. Baker’s
canning house
and warehouse
across the street,
which had a spur
line directly to the
station. There
was also much
activity on the
railroad at that
time in the areas
of both passenger
and freight,
including the
Bidding Good-Bye as soldiers stationed on APG
warehouses on
depart from Aberdeen during the Korean War.
the railroad
Photo from the Ivins Collection
property itself.
On the southeast corner of the
in the business, political, and social
railroad crossing stood the George
scene of the community. Over the
Slee General Merchandise Store
years, some of the neighbors have
and the Southern Methodist
passed away, buildings have been
Church. On the northwest corner of
remodeled or torn down, the store
the rail-crossing is the entry to Mt.
gone, and the church has seen
Royal Avenue with its homes of
various congregations. Through the
some of Aberdeen’s early business
years, the old station still stands as a
proprietors.
sentinel watching over all the activity
Heading westward are the
and inactivity.
mansion houses built by the Baker
canning magnates, and other
“B&O”
families who played prominent roles
Continued on pg 2
-1-
“B&O”
Continued from page 1
Other memories about the
glamor of the railroad station itself
come from Mary-Lynne Thompson Livezey. It was exciting for her
when her mother took her for
shopping trips by way of the B&O
train. Especially memorable were
those trips near Christmas to see
Santa Claus.
Ruth Lichi Peters, whose
father, Rev. John J. Lichi, pastored
at the nearby church, compiled a
history of the old church beginning
in 1866. In the report, it was seen
that the railroad played an important part in the construction of the
church, transporting building
supplies and other articles, including
the bell.
One experience at the church in
the 1980s was particularly amusing:
One sound unique to the
old church was the train
coming through town. It wasn’t
an issue when the 1866
Chapel was built because the
tracks on the north end of town
weren’t laid until the 1880s,
but from then on, the rumbles,
whistles, and horns of the train
became as well known to the
congregations as any of the
choirs’ soloists.
At precisely the same
with the warning blasts of the
horns, would overpower even
our modern sound system. By
the time the train made its
visitation, the pastor was
Soldiers from APG prepare to leave on a chilly morning. Note smoke
rising from the station’s chimney in the background.
Sue Suttle Rollins shared a
wonderful story of her parents,
Hugh and Dorothy Suttle, who had
met on the train about 1947:
My dad, an Army officer,
was heading south from New
York City to APG where he
was stationed. My mother got
on the train in Philadelphia and
headed to Washington D.C.
where she lived and worked at
the Pentagon.
When Mother got on the
train, there was no seat, so
she sat in the aisle on her
suitcase. Being an officer and
fine gentleman, Daddy offered
her his seat, and by the time
he got off the train in Aberdeen,
my mother said he had her
name, rank and serial number!
Their courtship continued
for about two years or so,
traveling back and forth on the
train, and they were married
in April of 1949.
I often think of them when
I pass over the railroad tracks
-- My Dad probably in uniform
and my mom in her pretty
hats, dresses and, of course,
gloves.
Charlotte Cronin recalls a story
told by George Baker, who lived
in the old James B. Baker house.
On his way to and from school, he
often saw what he described as
“very important people” on the
platform of the station arriving on or
waiting for trains to and from
Washington, D.C. They were
dressed in business suits and carried
brief cases. This caused the young
boy to conclude that they must have
been dignitaries of some degree, or
Photo from the Ivins Collection
time during each service
(Sunday morning, Sunday
night, and Wednesday night),
the train would make its
presence known as it
approached the crossing at
West Bel Air Avenue. The
increasing clatter of the
wheels on the tracks, coupled
The Military Band gives soldiers a proper send-off during the Korean War.
One of the station’s ornate work sheds may be seen in the background.
Photo from the Ivins Collection
usually well into his sermon.
We were all so used to the
regular event that it did not
even phase us after a while.
The minister would simply
pause -- sometimes even midsentence -- wait for the sound
to diminish, and carry on as
though never interrupted.
One time we had a guest
speaker from out of town. He
was fervently presenting his
message when all of a sudden
he stopped speaking, leaping
upwards and backwards at the
same time. When he landed,
he froze in a most startled
stance while we in the
congregation wondered what
had seized the poor man. After
the train had passed and its
rumblings trailed into the
distance (we parishioners
never “heard” it), the visiting
minister relaxed and
exclaimed, “I thought it was
coming through the building!”
We all had a good laugh and
totally lost the point of his
sermon that evening.
Charlotte Cronin’s own
memories include the connection
between the Baker canning house,
the Slee store, and the B&O
station:
We would collect corn silk
from the canning house, sell
it to Mr. Slee for a few pennies,
and then run across the tracks
and buy candy from the gum
ball machine at the station.
Those were the days!
The Ripken guest house/store/
restaraunt, pictured here around
the turn of the last century, still
stands on the corner of Stepney
Road and Route 7, south of
Aberdeen.
Mary Lee Oliver Plummer, a
relative of the Ripken family
recalls, “Aunt Clara Oliver Ripken
had a restaurant in the building
with linen covered tables.”
Photo courtesy of Oliver Ripken
Pictured are Oliver Ripken and his
mother Clara standing by the gas
pumps in this cira 1920s photo.
It was from near this location that
Ernest Volkart would catch the train
each day for work in Baltimore.
Photo courtesy of Oliver Ripken
-2-
at least people in the news in
Aberdeen!
Perhaps young Baker was not
too far off, for one of the regular
travelers on the B&O was Judge
Ernest Volkart, who caught the train
near Ripkins Corner and rode it into
Baltimore each day for work.
-3-
The
Newspaper
News
is Still
to
D
id you read the latest in the
newspaper? How often
have we said that! Computers are wonderful sources of
information, but we still can’t
discount the value of the printed
pages.
Someone approached Charlotte Cronin recently with the fact
that no newspapers are printed in
Harford County now. Yes, that is
true, and it is a loss of a great
legacy in Harford communities. But
we do still have our local newspapers, but they are printed by "The
Sun" in Baltimore now.
Fortunately, Aberdeen still has
news coverage in "The Record" and
The Aegis."
Just the other day, Charlotte
Cronin was questioned about the
history of the newspapers that
covered the community of Aberdeen over the years. People still
read her weekly newspaper column
in "The Record" and the rest of the
news articles! And they care!
No matter that there are
computers and other technological
sources of information. The Aberdeen Room Archives and Museum
continues to file current local
newspapers, and they are often
sources of information for visitors,
News
Important
Aberdeen
and for our own volunteers. We
have file books of "The Harford
Democrat and Aberdeen Enterprise" from 1919 until June of
1986. All and all, together they
supply valuable history. In our
library, newspaper clippings are
kept in binders. Donations of saved
clippings continue to flow into the
archives!
How Our Local Newspapers
Began
It is said that the "Harford
Democrat" was established before
the Civil War in Bel Air. Joseph M.
Street was its editor until 1919. He
was a sympathizer for the Southern
cause and a staunch Democrat, as
well, so the name was changed
during the war. It was renamed
"The Harford Democrat" after the
war.
"The Aberdeen Enterprise" was
established in 1891 by R. L.
Orwen. The paper was initially a
small sheet, but sufficient to handle
the small amount of news of the
day, by editor George Brock in a
little print shop on Howard Street
behind the old "town hall" building
now the dental offices of Dr.
Charles N. Morris, DDS.
In 1919, "The Aberdeen
Enterprise" was purchased by J.
-4-
News
Wilmer Cronin and W. Earle
Jacobs. Later the two purchased
the "Harford Democrat"from
Joseph Street, and the two papers
were consolidated in Aberdeen.
Mr. Jacobs retired in 1923, and
sold his interest to Mr. Cronin who
continued on as owner until his
death in April of 1982.
In 1952, the officials at Aberdeen Proving Ground agreed that
an addition be added to the newspaper, thus the "Aberdeen Proving
Ground Observer" was born.
In 1957 the business, incorporated as Harford Press, Inc., the
newspaper, print shop and law
offices were moved, from 6 South
Philadelphia Boulevard to a newly
constructed building at 4 South
Parke Street, with editors J. Wilmer
Cronin and his son, William R.
"Doc" Cronin.
In 1982, after the death of J.
Wilmer Cronin, the paper was sold
to the Susquehanna Publishing
Company and merged with the
"Record."
D. Bennett Smith, Jr., a longtime valued employee of the Harford Press, still operates the
"Printing Press" in the rear of 4
South Parke Street.
This news article appeared on the
front page of the “The Aberdeen
Enterprise” on July 4, 1919, which
was the first edition published by new
owners J. Wilmer Cronin and W. Earl
Jacobs.
News
The subscription cost at that time
was only $1.50 per year.
News
Newspapers Available for Research
S
ixty-three years of printing
newspapers!
Copies of the first pages of the early newspapers, and
photos, are displayed in the newspaper exhibit at the
Aberdeen Room. Awards for excellence are also on
display.
Bound copies of the weekly newspapers from 1919
until June of 1986 are available for research. Information
about the old papers may be obtained by calling 410-2736325, or e-mail [email protected]
The old Aberdeen
Printing Office is
pictured on the
right in this circa
1910 photo. In
1915, the building
was used as Ivins
Pharmacy after
the Printing Office
moved.
On the lef t is
Gilbert & Rigdon
Grocery.
The men (left to
right) are Chris
K al m bac her,
Parker
Pyle,
Claude Rigdon,
George Brock,
Bert Osborn, and
Harry Authur.
Photo:
Ivins’ Collection
-5-
Narrow Escape From
Death
Mr. O. C. Michael had a very narrow
escape from being crushed to death
while helping to move a piano from the
Chautauqua tent [where the Southern
Methodist Church held a tent meeting,
behind where the bowling alley and car
wash stand today] last Wednesday
night.
The piano which was being
returned to Grace M. E. Church, South
by truck became unbalanced when the
rear wheels of the truck passed over a
drain ditch near the tent. Mr. Michael,
who was in the truck helping to hold the
piano, was carried over the side, falling
on his head; the piano in falling cleared
Mr. Michael by a few inches and was
almost demolished.
Though suffering from shock and a
few severely strained muscles, Mr.
Michael was able to be out the following
day.
News
Decoy Carver and B&O Singleman Remembered
H
ow do we value B&O
Cards of 1917-1918, he was listed
Equipment 3rd Supplement for July,
Railroad memorabilia at
as a "signal repairman." In the
1930." There are also several other
the Aberdeen Room
records of the Cemetery of Angel
instruction booklets for
Museum! The rich history consignaling principles and
nected to that railroad and station in
practices.
Aberdeen is so valuable when we
A family file was set up
trace the development of the
for C. N. Barnard family.
community.
Into it were placed the
When Shirley Graves called and
more personal memoraasked if we would be interested in
bilia. The B&O items were
some family records containing
placed in the large railroad
B&O memorabilia from the estate
exhibit of the museum.
of Charles Nelson Barnard, we
Research for the family
were overjoyed! Could it be the
N. C. Bernard’s B&O Railroad pass bears
files found that Charles
his signature on the back. It also lists the
same
Nelson
lines East and West for which the pass
Charles
Barnard
may be used.
Barnard,
was,
Courtesty : Shirley Graves
the
infamous
deed,
decoy
Hill in Havre de Grace, his death
a carver of fine
carver?
was in December of 1958.
decoys. He
NeedBarnard is listed as one of the
was born in
less to
well-known carvers of decoys in
February of
say, we
the Copley Fine Arts Auctions for
1876, and in
Pictured above is the front of N. C.
were
his Canvasback Drake. It is a 1920
the United
Bernard’s B&O Railroad pass from 1910.
excited
finely sculpted high head Susquehanna
States Census
Courtesty : Shirley Graves
when
flats decoy. According to the Copley
of 1880, his
Shirley
Records, "he carved a rig of decoys
father was a
and Walter Graves visited the
for Maryland’s U.S. Senator Millard
fireman on a railroad engine from
museum with their treasures. There
Tydings,
Port
are B&O railroad passes from
who was a
Deposit, in
1910 and 1911 for Charles N.
lifelong
Cecil
Barnard, B&O signal repairman.
resident of
County,
There is a vehicle registration from
Havre de
when
1929, agreement booklets from
Grace, at his
"Nelson"
1930 and 1939 for the B&O
Oakington
was four
Railroad and the Brotherhood of
Farm. A
years of
the Railroad Signalmen of America,
number of
age.
a 1929 rules booklet from the
Barnard’s
In the
Brotherhood of the Railroad
famous high
Census of
Charles Nelson Bernard (1876 - 1958) moved
Signalmen of America.
head decoys
1930,
to Havre de Grace in 1915. It was there that he
gained
popularity
as
a
carver
of
decoys.
Above
Continuing on with the B&O,
were
Charles
is
pictured
a
hand
chopped
Chesapeake
the records contained a "1938
orignally
Nelson
canvasback by Bernard.
Seniority Roster of the Baltimore
made for his
was a
Division of the East End of the
rig."
resident of
B&O." Included is a handbook of
Jim Lindsey did research of the
Havre de Grace, having moved
"Intermittent Inductive Automatic
Barnard
Family for the museum’s
there in 1915. In the United States
Train Central Wayside Testing
file.
World War I Draft Registration
-6-
RECENTDONATIONS TO THE  MUSEUM
by Charlotte Cronin
Newspaper Clippings Tell Us
What was Going On 50 Years
Ago in Aberdeen
pringtime 50 years ago was
alive at the old Aberdeen
Elementary School on North
Philadelphia Boulevard.
The playground (now Festival
Park) was filled with children
practicing for athletic events and the
upcoming May Day. There were
violets growing in the same spots
where we picked them many years
before. Mr. Aaronson’s livestock
were gone, but memories of the old
farmyard were still very vivid.
The library building at 58 North
Parke Street was open for youngsters after school hours. Yes,
children still occupied that school
complex for another decade. The
cinders back of the school are now
gone, and the swings have been
taken down, along with the sliding
board and jungle jim.
S
Around town, election time was
heating up. George P. Mahoney’s
Team was touring Aberdeen, Bel
Air and Havre de Grace. J. Millard
Tawes’s “Team Mates” were also
making their way through Harford
County. Newspapers read, “Candidates Heat Up.” Names like Blair
Lee appeared in the newspapers.
The County Commissioners were
also busy Campaigning.
The PEO’s (Philanthropic
Educational Organization), met with
Mrs. Richard Cronin. Former
teachers were honored at Miss
Helen Cronin’s birthday party. Mrs.
Helen Fisher and Miss Bessie
Forward were there.
The Aberdeen Firemen’s Ball
was held at the Aberdeen Recreation Center (the former USO
building) with music by Frederick
Foster, (USO, United Service
Organization).
“The Freedom Riders” visited
the A&P Restaurant, the Mayflower
Restaurant, the Ideal Diner, Aberdeen Restaurant and Musical Inn
Bar. (The Freedom Riders, a
dedicated group of men and
women, black and white, young and
old, many from university and
college campuses across the
country, boarded buses, trains and
planes bound for the deep South to
challenge that region‘s outdated Jim
Crow laws and the non-compliance
with a US Supreme Court decision
already three years old that prohibited segregation in all interstate
public transportation facilities.)
The 6th District Women of the
Moose visited the local chapter of
the Moose.
The Aberdeen Lions Club was
planning its 30th Anniversary Charter Night.
Mrs. Ethal Gaul of the Aberdeen Ladies Auxiliary of the Veterans of Foreign Wars was choosen a
state page for the State of Maryland.
Charles W. Grinage, custodian
of the First National Bank of
Aberdeen, was honored at the
Drive-In branch of the bank on his
birthday. He talked of his memories
of the 1918 fire, and when Route
40 was just a dirt road through
town.
At Aberdeen Proving Ground,
-7-
General J. A. Peters was honored
before his departure from the post.
New barracks were completed at
Edgewood Chemical Center.
APG Basketball Team had a
15-8 season, and APG Players
presented “A Visit to a Small
Planet,” by Gore Vidal.
In Perryman, Little Acres Riding
Club had a full season with Molly
Lee Maslin. Molly wrote a weekly
column telling of the club’s activities.
Real Estate firms of Ridgely
Baker and Helen Baker, Bill Cooper, Charles Chalone, Howard
Shields, Ross Eck, Bob Vaught and
Bill Wallett, Phillip Webster, Billie
Landbeck and Richard Cronin were
advertising homes and businesses
for sale.
Museum Family Files Grow
Jim Lindsey provided the latest
program from the Rotary Club of
Aberdeen, "The ARC" in which the
latest recipient of the Rotary Club’s
Citizenship Awards for 2013 was
presented to William R. Cronin, and
that program is placed both in the
Rotary file and the family files.
Also placed in the rapidly
growing family files are records
from the career of D. B. Smith, Sr.,
donated by John Bender of the
Board of the Aberdeen Fire Department.
From the Lynn Tanner Estate
have come more records for the
family files. There is a portrait of
Lynn Tanner and a certificate for his
wife, Patricia, when she served on
the Selective Service Board in
1971. There is also a sign from the
Rice’s Bakery that was built where
Lynn Tanner later had his law office.
The US Pigeon Service, Army Signal Corps
Homing Pigeons are released between a siding and the warehouses at the
B&O station during a pigeon race.
Photo from the Ivins Collection
T
he US Pigeon Service, Army Signal Corps was established in 1917 for the purpose of sending
messages between soldiers on the field and their home base and for reconnaissance as they
were considered an undetectable method of communication.
During WWII, at its peak, 54,000 pigeons, 150 officers, and 3,000 enlisted men made up
the Pigeon Service. Over 30,000 messages were sent during that war with a 96% success
rate, and pigeons were responsible for saving thousands of soldiers’ lives.
WWI pigeons averaged flights of 200 miles. WWII pigeons averaged flights of 600 miles.
On long flights, pigeons lose 2 -3 ounces, or about 1/5th of their body weight. Average pigeon
speed is 37.5 MPH.
Pigeons in the service were decorated with the Dickin Medal and buried with military
honors. The US Pigeon Service was disbanded in 1957.
The Aberdeen Room
Archives & Museum
18 Howard Street, PO Box 698
Aberdeen, Maryland 21001-0698
Phone: 410-273-6325
Web: www.aberdeenroom.org
Email: [email protected]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
The Aberdeen Room
acquires, records, and displays
memorabilia and artifacts
that relate to the social, economic,
and cultural development of the
City of Aberdeen
and surrounding area.
~~~~~~~~
All interested persons
are welcome and are invited
to visit, utilize, and enjoy the museum
and archival facilities provided.
~~~~~~~~
No Admission Charged
Your Donations are Appreciated
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Aberdeen Room Archives & Museum
is non-profit.
All donations are Tax-deductible.
-8-
Current Museum Officers
and Board of Directors
Charlotte G. Cronin, Curator
Ruth Peters, Secretary
Jon Harlan Livezey, Treasurer
Catherine Adams
Trudy De Forest
Barbara Baker
Ed Illick
Mary Clary
Ann M. Kelly
William R. Cronin
Peggy Malson
Ruth Elliott
Mary Lee Plummer
Kenny Wilson
James Lindsey, Resource Manager
Tom Baker, Computer Consultant
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Articles written by
Charlotte Cronin unless otherwise noted.
Edited by Jim Lindsey & Ruth Peters
Layout by Ruth Peters
Copyright 2013
Aberdeen Room Archives & Museum, Inc.