I Found an Old Newspaper Article About the Baltimore Accent

I went to the latest Used Book Sale presented by the Smith College Club of Baltimore at the Timonium fairgrounds and picked up a copy of The Amiable Baltimoreans by Francis F. Beirne. This is one of many books I purchased there. When I got home and started looking through the book, I found an old musty newspaper clipping inside it. It doesn’t have the newspaper or date information, but it’s yellowed, brownish and old. I’m guessing by reading it that it dates to the 1950’s. It’s titled Is Balamerese Leginamint or Has it Gun to Roon? It’s about the the Baltimore accent and I thought I’d share it with yooze as it is written…

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The Late Great Tolchester Beach Amusement Park

It was the day of the steamship on the Chesapeake Bay. Twenty-seven miles across the Bay from Baltimore, lay Tolchester Beach in Kent County, MD. In 1877 at Tolchester, an amusement park opened on ten acres of land. Though a somewhat primitive park—it included picnic grounds with tables, a few concessions, a bath house, a hand propelled merry-go-round, and a hand organ pulled by a goat. This was the beginning of the most popular beach resort along the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, destined to provide entertainment and fond lifelong memories to millions of patrons during the next eighty-five years…

In My Kitchen

I’ve been hearing my whole life about the virtues of chicken noodle soup. In Maryland there are numerous versions of crab soup, so I decided to make a Maryland version of chicken noodle soup; but instead of chicken~ use crab. Here’s what I came up with…

The Legend of Black Aggie

The legend of Black Aggie is a bizarre tale with many strange twists and turns. To some who grew up in the Baltimore area hearing the stories, Black Aggie conjured up an otherworldly vision of terror shrouded in dark mystery…

A Forgotten Historical Baltimore Building

Baltimore sure has its share of forgotten historical buildings, and this is one of them. Standing on the former property of Johns Hopkins in Clifton Park is a reminder of a bygone era. An often overlooked building and in disrepair, The Clifton Park Pony Barn was constructed in two phases. Looking like an old ranch building transported from New Mexico in the old west, it was built by the Parks Commission in 1898 as a stable and wagon barn…

‘Tis The Season for Sno-balls

Just like crabs and cold Natty Boh—nothing says summer in Baltimore like a good old-fashioned sno-ball. As temperatures climb—young and old alike line up at neighborhood sno-ball stands to indulge in this cold, flavorful delight. When were sno-balls introduced to Baltimore? Check out the story of snow-balls…

A Grand Tour of Clifton Park

Clifton Park in Baltimore has a truly fascinating history. It all started when Johns Hopkins bought a 500 acre property at an auction in 1836 from Henry Thompson. At the time it was a working farm with a farmhouse. What he did with the farmhouse and property is amazing…

A Portal Back in Time

On a recent Sunday Fran and I decided to take a drive out of the city on Belair Road for a little sight-seeing. It was a gray, overcast day—but there was little wind and the temperature was just right. As we headed into picturesque Baltimore County, Fran suggested we look for the Jericho Covered Bridge around Kingsville. It’s the last remaining covered bridge in Harford or Baltimore counties and crosses the Little Gunpowder Falls. So we turned down Jerusalem Road in Kingsville and meandered through the storybook farm country to find it…

Our Baltimore Memorabilia

Over the years Fran and I have collected Baltimore and Maryland memorabilia. It’s been a lot of fun and we’ve acquired some nice pieces. Although we have them all over our house, I wanted to share some of the smaller pieces that are displayed in three shelves of one of our barrister bookcases. The bookcases, by the way, came from old Maryland government buildings. I hope you’ll enjoy looking at a few of our collectibles…

A Baltimore Artist Lovingly Captures Our Past

If you grew up in or around Baltimore, or wondered about its bygone years; Charlene Clark’s artwork will magically transport you back in time. Brightly colored oil paintings of nostalgic lifestyles and strong-willed women are some of the recurrent images in Charlene Clark’s artwork. Each painting tells a story. “There is an abundance of potent and visual memories inside my head and since most of these images no longer exist in reality I am compelled to put them on canvas,” says Clark. While definitely living in the present, this obsession with the past is frankly revealed in her slightly quirky, atmospheric paintings of bygone eras…