As my office chair creaks in the heat and the fan in the corner of the room scatters papers from my desk onto the floor, a quick review of the events of past Julys certainly doesn’t support the notion that summers in Carroll County have been lazy and sleepy. From breaking news about the Westminster Municipal Band and the Westminster Fire Department, to taxes and fires, from Japanese beetles to the illegal manufacture of alcohol and the first commercial to air on television, it’s been a busy July in history.
On July 2, 1920, the Union Bridge Pilot ran the headline “Man Jailed for Possession of Still.” The article reported, “As far as the records show, this is the first time a United States court has sentenced a prisoner to incarceration in the Carroll County Jail. Benjamin F. Poole, a farmer and business man of this county, was indicted in the United States District Court in Baltimore for operating a whiskey-making still on his farm near Granite. He was fined $100 and sentenced to 90 days in the county jail.”
“Japanese Beetle Traps Available” was reported in a July 5, 1946 article in the Democrat-Advocate. The article stated, “This year, as in previous years, a large infestation of Japanese beetles is expected in the rural areas of the county. … There are numerous traps that are set annually throughout the county as a method of control. … Hundreds of traps will be available for loan to anyone in the county who has a problem and would like to set traps on their property. Traps are available by application to the County Agent’s Office on the second floor of the courthouse.” [Westminster] City Hall…A two-year lease will be granted at a fee of 20 cents per trap for that period.”
A lengthy newspaper article from July 17, 1931, describes how the Westminster City Band and the Westminster Fire Department “went home elated, taking home $100 for best band in the parade” after participating in the Maryland State Firefighters Association’s annual convention in early July that year.
“A $100 wallet was a lot of money in 1931,” says local historian Jay Graybeal. “In those early Depression years, a pound of coffee was 20 cents, a pound of peanut butter was 21 cents, and two cans of tomatoes were 15 cents.”
In 1899 [Maryland State Firemen’s Association] The convention was held in Westminster. An article in the Baltimore Sun on June 8, 1899 stated, “Between 10,000 and 12,000 people gathered in Westminster for the opening ceremony of the seventh annual convention of the Maryland State Firefighters Association. Many arrived by train from midnight to noon today. All agree it was the best day in Westminster’s history…” (Can you imagine 12,000 visitors in Westminster in 1899? The city streets were still dirt, the running water had only recently been installed, and the town had no sewer system. Where did the 12,000 spend the night and where did they meet for the convention?)
Westminster Fire Engine and Fire Hose Company No. 1, Westminster. Carroll County, Maryland, circa 1932. Left to right: Jim Hopkins, Maryland State Police; Otto Bowers, Westminster Police Department, Mayor Matthews; Harry Fauble; Walter Helm; Michael Walsh; Sam Helm in a 1919 American LaFrance engine; Norman Boyle; Frank T. Shafer, Leonard Shafer; Ralph Taylor, 1921 American LaFrance truck – Bill Long; Charles Shipley, Sterling Eckenrode; Bill Helm, Warfield Babylon; Drivers: Dick Weller, Bill Heagy; Bud Shafer in a 1927 American LaFrance engine; Leroy Brown; Ed Diffendal; Frank Herman. Ralph Taylor: 1927 Studebaker Ambulance, H. II: Harbaugh. Original photo by Celick Wilson. (Photo courtesy of Westminster Fire Engine and Hose Company No. 1)
An editorial in the Democrat-Advocate on March 28, 1947 reported that Maryland’s first retail sales tax went into effect on July 1, 1947. The editorial stated, “Governor Lane doesn’t like taxes either, but as long as the university collects them, there will be a tax. But we need money for public schools, medical centers and, of course, road construction. … Store owners are 100 percent opposed to the sales tax and are very disappointed with the results.”
Twenty years ago, on July 4, 1924, the Democrat-Advocate published a story announcing that the Carroll County commissioners were raising the tax rate by 10 cents, from $1.40 to $1.50. The commissioners cited “increases in mandatory items in the school budget and an act of the Legislature in 1924 requiring the county to raise $8,000 annually for the county volunteer fire department.”
Of course, during this time, according to a February 18, 1921 article in the Union Bridge Pilot, “Teacher salaries were [to] “Funds are tight and the county’s line of credit appears to have been maxed out. A few years ago, when taxes were less than $1, the outlook for tax rate reductions was said to be bright. Today, taxes are higher than they’ve ever been and the county’s finances are in trouble.”
The first television ad aired in the United States on July 1, 1941. It aired just before a baseball game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies.
At exactly 2:29 p.m., New York City’s NBC affiliate WNBT aired a 20-second spot for the Bulova Watch Company. Bulova paid $9 for the ad. According to Bulova historical records, the ad simply showed a Bulova watch on a map of the United States with a voice-over stating the company’s slogan, “America runs on Bulova time!”
So, grab a sweet iced tea, eat a grilled cheese sandwich, and take a nap. Happy summer.
Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster. His “Time Flies” column appears every Sunday. E-mail him at kevindayhoff@gmail.com.
