Following The Great Fire of 1918 T. L. Hanway and J. H. Gibson sued the railroad over the loss of their business after not one, but two trains ran over and cut the fire hoses being used to douse the blaze on the building. What had started as a small fire in the eaves, which a witness testified could have been put out with a couple of buckets of water, ended up completely consuming the Hanway and Gibson mercantile. It was the only building destroyed on that side of West Bel Air Avenue. Invoices and books show that Hanway and Gibson lost $19,845.50. To put things in perspective, that would be …

When fire broke out downtown on West Bel Air Avenue in the frigid early morning hours of February 5, 1918, it wasn’t the first fire Aberdeen saw, nor would it be the last, but the destruction was far greater than it had to be, as written in documents found at The Aberdeen Room Museum and Archives. According to a news report in The Harford Democrat, the fire started when an oil stove exploded.  It had been left burning to prevent the water pipes from freezing at the Adams & Co. meat shop.   The store was located on the west side of the street, a couple of blocks from what was then called Front…

If you’ve ever driven through downtown Aberdeen, you’ve seen the old railroad station.  It was built in 1885, by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, which was the first common carrier in the United States.  Construction of the B&O Railroad began in Baltimore on July 4, 1828, and among the attendees at the ceremony was Charles Carroll, a Marylander and the last living signer of the Declaration of Independence, according to a website devoted to railroad history. Though the Aberdeen station is far from its glory days, it was once a bustling depot. The railroad helped the canning industry become a …

Join me as we continue on our jaunt from Baltimore to Aberdeen on the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad as it was described in the PWB railroad Guidebook of 1856. You can read about the first leg of the trip by clicking here. The railroad protective signal, which saved many lives, was invented by PWB General Superintendent S. L. Spafford. When the draw was up on the bridge, the red face of the danger signal was illuminated by a red lantern, thus the engineer knew it was not safe to proceed. The white face of the safety signal, illuminated by a white lantern, would only show when…

Join me as we travel from Baltimore to Hall’s Cross Roads on the  Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad, as it was described in the PWB Rail Guide of 1856. The train station in Baltimore was located on the corner of President and Canton streets.  It was known as the President-street Depot. The 66-foot-by-237-foot brick building was “painted in imitation of brown sand-stone,” the Rail Guide said. Currently, the station is home to The Baltimore Civil War Museum. Dig deep into your pocket. The fare for this trip, according to the American Rail Guide, will set you back 85 cents. Just be…

Because there was no bridge over the Susquehanna River until 1866, trains crossed the river the same way everything else did, by ferry. Read Part I here. The Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore RR Guidebook had the following description: “A ferryboat of the first class was ordered for the Susquehanna crossing, upon a plan which would permit the cars to be transferred to an upper deck by direct connection with the track.” The same publication also noted that, in 1836, “this was the first boat constructed in the United States upon this model, and for this purpose.” It would be replaced with …

When the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad rolled into Hall’s Cross Roads in 1835, life in the town was forever changed. Bear in mind that the steam locomotive had been only invented roughly 20 years earlier, in 1814, by Englishman George Stephenson. The first public railway, in 1825, ran between Stockton and Darlington, England, according to a website devoted to train history. The railroad came to America in 1830, when the first trial run of an American railroad train took place between Baltimore and Ellicott’s Mills, or Ellicott City as it’s known today, according to C. Milton…

Now that we know that Aberdeen wasn’t named by any Mr. Winston, who did name the town? Once upon a time, before there was an Aberdeen, there was a Mechanicsville and a Hall’s Cross Roads. According to Jennings and Herrick's Map of 1858, Mechanicsville was located between Churchville and Hopewell, and, “Halls Roads,” stretched from Churchville to Havre de Grace. Hall’s Cross Roads came into being largely as a result of Old Post Road, which was the main thoroughfare between Philadelphia and Alexandria, VA. This road, created in 1666, was straightened and reworked over the years and would …

George Washington Baker (1815- 1888) was the father of canning in Harford County, in more ways than one. Before becoming a canner, Baker was a carpenter who was also involved with the lumber trade. He, “cut and shipped lumber to the chair manufacturers in Baltimore,” according to an article by Richard F. Cronin, in The Harford County Directory of 1953. Baker later became a dairy farmer. He, “shipped the first milk to Baltimore, receiving 35 cents a gallon for it, in 1858,” Cronin’s article stated. So, it’s fair to say that Baker recognized the potential for money-making endeavors via the …

Odds are, you’ve never given a can of corn a second thought. That’s about to change. The canning industry was one of the most important factors in how Aberdeen became the city it is today.  Between the railroad and the fertile farmland, not to mention waterways, it was only logical that the produce grown here would find its way to dinner tables around the country and beyond. However, the catch was how to get the product to the people while it was still fresh, without the benefit of refrigeration.  Although pickling and drying had been used for centuries, an entirely new means of preserving …

Last week, we explored Aberdeen and its beloved semi-pro baseball team, the Canners. This week, we’ll take a closer look at the team and its players. Ripken baseball did not begin with Cal, Sr. Rather, it began with his older brothers, Ollie and Bill, in the Susquehanna League. Ollie, also known as “Big Rip,” was 18 years older than Cal and was a catcher for the Canners starting in 1935. He also worked at a lumber company. His baseball career was interrupted when Uncle Sam came calling in 1943, during World War II.  Ollie fought in the Battle of the Bulge and lived to tell about it, according…

Welcome to our newest feature.  If you enjoyed the Historic Markers Series, then this is right up your alley.  Each week, we’ll explore the Aberdeen history that hasn’t been commemorated with a marker. And this town has its fair share of history, and then some. So, without further ado, let’s get started. Before baseball had an American League East, and long before the Orioles or Memorial Stadium, there was Aberdeen’s own Lester Stanley German.  He was, in effect, the Cal Ripken of his day, according to Charlotte Cronin, curator of the The Aberdeen Room. Just to put things in perspective, time…