October 6

We have often head examples of people going from rags to riches. But in Frederick, on October 6, 1908, Lewis Walter took the adage literally.

Lewis' father, John Walter, made his living as a junk dealer. After his father's death, Lewis purchased the contents of the warehouse from his estate for $178. Lewis' brother, Dr. Edward Walter, purchased the building and the real estate.

After selling some of the scrap iron in the warehouse, Lewis was about to sell a huge pile of rags when he decided to examine the pile to determine if it covered anything of value.

For a few minutes he searched through the pile. Much to his surprise he heard the sound of metal rolling across the floor. He turned to see what it was and discovered gold coins scattered about the floor. The money was in twenty dollar, ten dollar, five dollar, and two-dollar-and-fifty-cent gold pieces.

When he had gathered them all up, and after making sure there weren't more of the same in the pile of rags, young Walter counted his cache. It amounted to $1,800.

The coins were dated from 1876 to 1880 and it was thought that they were placed among the rags by his father shortly after the last one was minted.

Much to his chagrin, Lewis Walter did not uncover anything else of real value, but it can be presumed that he went through everything with a fine-tooth comb before he turned the real estate over to his brother. This truly can be called a case of a young man going from rags to riches.

October 13

The Great Frederick Fair has had its share of famous visitors. Frequently the Governor of Maryland attends. There is the ever-present Louis Goldstein, state comptroller.

On October 13, 1870, President Ulysses S. Grant, and several members of his cabinet, attended the 10th Annual Fair of The Frederick County Agricultural Society. He was accompanied by the Marine Band.

The entourage arrived at Frederick Junction aboard two special cars, where they were met by Dr. Fairfax Schley, Maj. Lawrence Brengle, W. H. Falconer, Col. George Dennis, and Charles Keefer.

After a few remarks from Schley, the train then left for Frederick where several carriages were awaiting their arrival. At the fairgrounds the president was introduced at the "center stand."

Following a luncheon "under the pavilion," the President went to the Judges Stand from which he and his party witnessed several "tests of speed."

After the harness races, the guests were escorted to various homes in Frederick to spend the night. According to The Examiner, President Grant stayed at the home of Maj. Brengle.

The next day the presidential party returned to the fair and made a grand tour of the festivities. The military company of the State Agricultural College, now the University of Maryland, neatly uniformed, passed in review before the president.

After the afternoon races, the President was escorted back to the train station for the return trip to Washington.

October 20

It wasn't the first time, nor would it be the last. But in 1969, The Federated Charities on South Market Street needed a veterinarian.

On October 20, 1968, vandals badly damaged the pewter dog which had graced the steps of the building since at least August 8, 1859. On that date Jacob Englebrecht noted in his now-famous dairies, that the dog had made its appearance.

However, in a thorough study of the dog, Edward Delaplaine, a noted local historian, said the dog was placed on the steps in 1858.

H. Ralston Goldsborough reported in a paper for The Historical Society of Frederick County, that the Federated Charities building was built by Henry Schley. He further stated that on a visit to the family, a local minister, probably the pastor at the Evangelical Reformed Church, backed out the front door, oblivious to the openness of the porch, and fell to the sidewalk. It was after this incident that the pewter Newfoundland dog was placed on the porch.

The vandals in 1968 managed to remove the dog's head. It was eventually restored, but in the early 1980s, the dog was again vandalized. This time both the head and the tail were removed, and the culprits also attacked the rest of the animal with a hammer and chisel. On August 1, 1983, the dog was returned to its pedestal after extensive renovation.

There was even a change in anatomy that had long been a source of consternation for dog lovers everywhere. H. I. Gates, a professor of sculpture at George Washington University, spent nearly a year restoring the figure. He took the dog completely apart, dividing it into sections. He placed steel rods through the body and the tail and reattached the head. He said that if repairs were needed in the future, they could probably be done on the premises rather than having to haul it elsewhere.

Gates also said that the dog was made of white medal and pewter and was not cast-iron as had been thought for more than 100 years.

The change in the dog's anatomy that pleased animal lover's everywhere was the repositioning of the tail. For most of its life the tail been pointed skyward. But dog experts said that it should been pointed in a downward direction, more in keeping with the Newfoundland breed.

For some strange reason, the cast-iron dog on the steps of the (now former) All Saints Episcopal Church Rectory at 108 West Church Street, has escaped the vandal's wrath. It was removed by Confederate soldiers during the Civil War to be melted down for use as shot, but was "captured" by Union troops before it was damaged.

October 27

We all know who the first Governor of Maryland was. His memory is brought to mind every time we pass Rose Hill Manor, or the high school named in his honor.

But Frederick can also lay claim to the man who succeeded Thomas Johnson at the head of The Free State.

Thomas Lee was immensely popular with the citizens of Maryland. He served six years in all as governor, although his first three one-year terms ended 10 years before his second term began.

Lee was born October 29, 1745, "at the foot of South Mountain," at the time in Prince George's County.

In 1779 our legislators were torn between Lee, a man who loved the pomp and circumstance associated with the position of Governor, and Col. Edward Lloyd, an experienced soldier of unremarkable accomplishments for Johnson's replacement as governor.

Marylanders were reluctant to give up the ceremony associated with the monarchy, so, on Nov. 8, 1779, Lee was elected governor by a wide majority of legislators. One of his first acts as Governor was an executive order for the collection of provisions for what was then a ragged colonial army under George Washington. Even his wife, Mary Digges Lee, whom he married October 27, 1771, joined the effort by making clothes for the soldiers.

All during his years as governor, Lee bypassed no chance for ceremony. He traveled the state and everywhere found some occasion for ritual.

He was a handsome man. Historians relate that he was 6 feet 4 inches tall "and that every inch was magnificently proportioned."

Unfortunately because of his lack of confidence in the artists of the day, no portrait of Governor Thomas Lee was ever painted.