Local government records are essential for studying the past. These primary sources document governance, along with the history of communities, institutions, and people. With state and federal agencies the process of accessing the items usually works efficiently. But when municipalities retain files, there are often challenges in locating the aging volumes as they rarely…
Category: Maryland
Effort to Save Levi Coppin School Continues as State Reopens Review Process
CECILTON – September 2, 2020 – The demolition plan for the Levi Coppin School in Cecilton is being reassessed as a “post-review discovery” under section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, according to the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). Some months earlier, a determination had been made that the demolition of…
Remembering a Bel Air Police Officer Who Died 94 Years Ago While Protecting the Community
Occasionally while researching some criminal justice history matter I find a hint in old records about a long forgotten, undocumented fallen police officer. When that happens, I pick up the evidentiary fragments and trace the trail back through time to make sure the officer’s ultimate sacrifice isn’t forgotten in the mist of time. Over the decades…
The Flickr Commons Has Many Old Photographs and Postcards
As a result of developing research materials for centuries many of the nation’s largest public libraries have vast collections of photographs and postcards from earlier times. These items, which are helpful to those digging into the past, have always been available, safely preserved and stored away for visiting patrons. But now access is greatly enhanced…