This Month In Frederick County History

May

From John Ashbury's - '... and all our yesterdays'

May 3

Few names remain in the memory of longtime county residents like that of M. Etchison. For most of the first half of the 20th Century he operated the Etchison Funeral Home in Frederick.

McKendree Etchison was born September 15, 1864, in Jefferson where his father, John Etchison, and his mother, Julia Ann Etchison, established a funeral home and cabinet making company in February of 1848.

When his father died in 1880, Riley's two older brothers, Eugene and Louis Etchison took over the business. When Eugene died, Riley purchased the interest of both of his brothers and became sole owner of M. Etchison Funeral Home.

In 1922 he rented a room at the rear of 122 West Patrick St. and opened a branch of his undertaking business. He then moved to 214 North Market St. in 1925, and, when his son entered the business as a partner in 1927, he changed the name to M. R. Etchison and Son.

In November 1939 he purchased The Trail Mansion at 106 East Church St. and the firm, and its successors, have operated from there since. Hart Etchison lived in the house while Riley Etchison remained for many years at his West College Terrace home.

Riley Etchison was active in whatever community he lived. He was an active mason and The Jefferson Council No. 127, Junior Order of United American Mechanics. He loved to fish and to build small boats. He was for many years the chaplain of the Frederick County Fish and Game Association. He was a devout member of Calvary (United) Methodist Church and also served the Methodist Church in Jefferson as its Sunday School superintendent for 40 years.

In 1891, he married Ann Kessler and they were the parents of five children. When Riley Etchison died in 1952, he and his wife were living at 11 West Second St.. He was 87. After services at his church, he was buried at Mt. Olivet Cemetery. His son, Hart, continued the family business until 1971 when it was sold.

Today the Keeney, Basford Funeral Home operates from The Trail Mansion, continuing this business into its 150th year. (Now it’s 175th year.)

May 10

When Frederick County was separated from Prince George's in 1748, a court was also established in Frederick. The honorable justices settled every possible dispute, including claims for welfare and tax relief.

In the early history of Frederick "...the county court of the Right Honorable Charles, Absolute Lord and Proprietary of the Province of Maryland and Avalon, Lord Baron of Baltimore," was in session only four times a year, in March, June, August and November.

The sessions were usually called on the third Tuesday of the month. In the March 1750 session, after several postponements from previous meetings of the court, Charles Wood, "late of Frederick County, planter," was tried by jury for "breach of promise."

Miss Lydia Dent contended that Wood, on February 25, 1747, proposed marriage and she accepted. Miss Dent told the jury that at all times afterwards she was ready, willing and able to perform as she had promised. It was also contended by Miss Dent that Mr. Wood "fraudulently intended to deceive and defraud" her.

Evidence also revealed that on May 10, 1748, Charles Wood married another, namely Sarah Brightwell, contrary to his promise to Miss Dent. The plaintiff asked the court for damages in the amount of 100 pounds "current money."

The case was decided in favor of Miss Dent and Mr. Wood was ordered to pay her 30 pounds "current money" plus 1,443 pounds of tobacco for her costs and charges.

May 17

On May 17, 1943, two famous world leaders stopped at a Frederick historic landmark.

At the height of World War II, Winston Churchill, prime minister of Great Britain, came to Washington to confer with President Roosevelt, one of many occasions the two world leaders met during those tumultuous years.

On a bright, sunny afternoon in mid-May, the pair, along with cabinet members and advisors, left Washington by motorcade for Shangri-La, the presidential retreat near Thurmont.

When they arrived in Frederick, coming up Market St., they stopped at the Square Corner and asked Officer Marshall Murray for directions to the Barbara Fritchie House.

Secret Service men cleared the way as the six-car motorcade pulled up to Dame Barbara's home. Churchill was hatless and was wearing a zipper suit, similar to that worn by aviators when he emerged from the limousine.

Others who observed the visit, reported that Churchill had a cigar between his fingers and Roosevelt was holding a rather long cigarette holder in his mouth.

The chauffeur for the two statesmen, recalled years later when he made a return visit to the Fritchie home, that Churchill recited John Greenleaf Whittier's famous poem from memory as he drove them up Market Street.

May 24

When Frederick County National Bank officials arrived for work on May 24, 1841, they discovered the bank had been robbed during the weekend. Missing from the vault was $185,000, consisting of $135,000 in bank notes, $10,000 in gold, $32,000 in State of Maryland bonds, and $8,000 in other negotiable instruments. The robbers had to pass through seven locks to effect their crime.

In June bank officials received a letter from William Wiley, a New York lawyer and judge. He said he could "negotiate" the return of some of the stolen funds in return for a fee of eight percent of the value of the recovered funds.

At a meeting in New York City with several prominent Empire State citizens, and two representatives of the bank, Wiley brought in some of the stolen property and was paid his commission.

The thieves retained the $10,000 in gold and a small amount of C&O Canal script. Wiley refused to provide any information about the robbers or how he had "obtained" the stolen funds.

Sometime later Wiley was convicted in another case in a New York court of receiving stolen goods and was removed from the bench.

May 31

On May 31, 1871, the cornerstone was laid for the first new building at the Maryland Institution for The Deaf and Dumb.

Thousands of local residents, along with numerous state and national officials attended the elaborate ceremonies at the Cannon Hill school grounds.

The corner stone was of "Connecticut brown stone of a superior quality, 21 feet long, 22 inches wide and 18 inches high, with a niche 13 inches in width and 4 and a half inches deep in the center to receive the box, and bears the inscription "1870."

The box is of copper, 8 x 12 inches, and 4 inches deep, and has on the top of it a silver plate with the following inscription: `Institution for the Deaf and Dumb of the State of Maryland, May 31, 1871.'"

Into the box was placed a Bible, a copy of the state's constitution, the act incorporating the institution, the bylaws of the institution, and numerous other documents and a listings of prominent citizens associated with the school.

The daylong ceremonies included speeches, choral presentations, and the actual laying of the cornerstone by the Grand Lodge of The Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Maryland.

When the building was demolished in 1967, the cornerstone was recovered. Most of the documents were in good condition and were placed again - along with accounts of the history of the school - into the same cornerstone and box. It was then used as the cornerstone for the Ely Building, which replaced the original structure, and is today the primary building on the campus.