During the 17th century, much of the land in Tidewater Maryland was patented in huge tracts to the first settlers. The acreage of these often being more than one family could farm, they were divided into smaller tracts during the 18th century. On these parcels, the colonial planters built their homes, usually dwellings of frame […]
The Kempton, Maryland-West Virginia coal mine has been abandoned. None of the miners were expecting it In early April 1950 a notice was placed in the window at the company store that the mines would close in a week. None of the miners were expecting this. “At midnight April 15, 1950, the Buxton & Landstreet […]
(Hurricane season is upon us. Imagine not having a warning system like we do today. This film remind are a good reminder why we should pay heed to all weather warnings.) In the 1930’s, several hurricanes hit the East Coast of America causing devastating damage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4w24sRoJ7s Seven Superstorms of the Northeast: And Other Blizzards, Hurricanes & […]
Children living in the coal mining town of Kempton, Maryland-West Virginia had difficulty finding a place to play as these photographs taken May 1939 by photographer John Vachon reveal. Children playing in street of company town. Kempton, West Virginia Children playing in street of company town, Kempton, West Virginia. Note open ditches Children playing in […]
The Old Pratt Mansion, located ten miles from Centerville, the county seat of Queen Anne’s County, Maryland, and just beyond the village of Ruthsburg, was later occupied as a county almshouse. The first colonist who owned the ground upon which this house stands was Christopher Cross Routh, who accumulated much personalty and a wide extent […]
Inspired by true events, Col. John Washington (ancestor of President George Washington), Randall Revell, Tom Cottingham, and Edmund Beauchamp ward off Indian attacks and conquer the wilds of Maryland’s Eastern shore in 17th century colonial America in this historical novel, FreeHearts. This is the third book in the Tapestry of Love Series by Donna R. Causey. […]
In May, 1939, photographer John Vachon visited the coal-mining town of Kempton, Maryland-West Virginia when the miners were on a 30 day strike before their annual contract was renewed. The song below, We Done Quit, was sung by Sam Johnson and recorded by George G. Korson at the Scott’s Mine in West Virginia in 1940. […]
Can you believe that sometimes children as young as twelve worked in coal mines? When photographer John Vachon visited the coal mine town of Kempton, Maryland-West Virginia in May 0f 1939, he took outstanding photographs of the people in the small company town, including these of some of the coal miner’s children. They give us a […]
The Coffren Store in Maryland is a rare example of a well-preserved, mid 19th-century general merchandise store. Small local stores of this type one-room utilitarian structures including a Post Office once commonly dotted the rural landscape of the county. Most have long since disappeared, and the few others remaining have been altered. The Coffren Store […]
The Hynson family first came from England with three servants and lived on Kent Island, Maryland. Hinchingham was granted in 1659 to Thomas Hynson for 2,200 acres, lying along the shore of the Chesapeake Bay and extending north from Swan Creek. Hinchingham farmhouse Thomas Hynson was then in the 39th year of his age and […]
