The Deep Creek Blog

Heritage Area Grant Workshop

The Garrett County Heritage Area Grants Committee will be accepting grant applications for Fiscal Year 2013 which begins July 1, 2012. Heritage Funding is designed to assist and encourage the preservation of historical, archeological, natural and cultural resources in Garrett County that support economic development through heritage tourism. A mandatory pre-grant worshop will be held at the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce in the conference room on January 5, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. Complete project applications will be due February 1, 2012. For additional information, please call Dee Dee Ritchie, Heritage Manager at the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce at (301) 387-2050 or by email at deidra@garrettchamber.com.

Holiday Delight at the Historic Friend's Store and Residence

Join park staff and volunteers for this unique holiday open house at The Friend’s Store and main residence on Saturday, December 17, 2011 from 5:00- 9:00 P.M.  

Celebrate in the traditional way with egg nog, hot cider and gingerbread.  Enjoy candle dipping, wreath making demonstration, and Dutch oven deserts along with other traditional crafts and activities.  

A candlelight tour of the property, including inside the house main foyer, library and main living room renovations will be provided from 6:00 -7:00 p.m. and 7:30-8:30 p.m.   Enjoy this special look inside the store and main residence decorated for the holidays with family and friends this holiday season!

For more information call 301-387-7067 Friday – Sunday 10am -4pm or visit our website at www.discoverycenterdcl.com 

 

Enjoy Guided Garrett County Barn Quilt Tours With Your Cell Phone

While taking the Barn Quilt Tour around Garrett County, you can now call 301-501-5063 from any phone to learn more about the quilts.  While takign the tour, call from your cell phone and enter the stop number of the block (the same as the block number) and listen interesting facts and stories about the blocks.   Even if you’ve seen all the blocks already, you might want to do it all over again just to hear the stories.   If you know of a business in the area of a barn quilt that would like to sponsor a stop on the tour, please refer them to one of the board members or have them email info@GarrettBarnQuilts.org or call 877-577-BARN (2276).

WQED Production on Leo Beach Receives Mid-Atlantic Emmy Nominations

Leo Beachy: A Legacy Nearly Lost has been nominated for two Mid-Atlantic Emmy® Awards in the categories of:

• Outstanding Historic/Cultural Feature
(David Solomon, writer/producer; Paul Ruggieri, photographer/editor)
• Outstanding Program Writer
(David Solomon)

The nominated work is a follow-up to a previously-acclaimed WQED story on Beachy’s life. The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences will announce this year’s Emmy® winners September 24, 2011 at a ceremony in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Leo Beachy was a teacher turned photographer in the early 1900s who took pictures of life in the Appalachian region of Western Maryland, West Virginia and Pennsylvania. After his death in 1927, most of Beachy’s glass plate negatives were destroyed. Decades later, some of the plates miraculously found their way back to his niece, Maxine Beachy Broadwater of Grantsville, MD. And so began her tireless efforts to preserve the negatives and share the unforgettable, historic images.

WQED writer/producer David Solomon and photographer/editor Paul Ruggieri first told the Beachy story in a short 2008 OnQ feature. The story was a viewer favorite, won a 2008 Mid-Atlantic Emmy® Award, and caught the attention of the Naylor Foundation, which in turn awarded the Garrett County Historical Society a $40,000 grant to preserve the priceless negatives and make them available world-wide for educational purposes.

In 2011, Solomon and Ruggieri expanded the 2008 story into documentary form on the WQED program, EXPERIENCE, showing the intricacy of the preservation process and revealing newly-printed photos. Included in the updated story are memorable interviews with Mrs. Broadwater, photo archivist Chris Schwer, Grantsville resident Mabel Stanton, Grantsville pharmacist Gerald Beachy and Bob Boal of the Garrett County Historical Society. The new segment resulted in the two Emmy® nominations this month.

EXPERIENCE is a half-hour, locally-produced documentary series that airs on WQED-TV Mondays at 7:30 p.m. EXPERIENCE will return on Mondays at 7:30 p.m. this fall on WQED-TV with encore broadcasts on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. Additional episode information, links and past episodes of EXPERIENCE may be found online at wqed.org/experience. For updates on EXPERIENCE viewers may “Like” the show’s fan page on Facebook.

Casselman Publication Celebrates 50th Edition

The Daily American reports on the The Casselman Chronicle celebrating its 50th edition.  

Background on Mountain Names Controversy

The Times-News  gives information on the background of the recent controversy over proposed name changes for  Negro and Polish Mountains.

A Garrett County Treasure: Friends Store Holiday Delight

Read about Friends Store in the Times-News.  Caroline Blizzard and her staff have been hard at work over the past few years, bringing this Garrett County treasure back to life.  

Take an opportunity to visit Friend’s Delight Store to celebrate the holidays on December 18 from 12:00 - 2:20 pm.  Join the Park Naturalist for a demonstration on how to make wreaths out of white pine. Participate in holiday traditional crafts and activities. If the weather is applicable, there will be a snowman building contest. Stay warm by the campfire and have some refreshments. Take the opportunity to purchase artwork, jams/jellies, local maple syrup, baskets, and much more. 

2nd Annual Open House & Fall Fest at Friend's Store

Join the staff of Deep Creek Lake State Park as they close the first season at the Friend’s Store at Sang Run.  Stop by on Saturday October 2nd from 10am until 4pm and see what has been done to restore the property.  Experience some of the best Appalachia has to offer.

Special events and ongoing demonstrations include an 8:00 a.m. Bird Walk with Connie Skipper, Monarch Butterfly gagging, hay rides, and more.  Enjoy historical talks about the grounds and building while historical figure Thomas Cresap is on hand to talk to kids.  Purchase local maple syrup, jams, jellies, and baskets made on site. 

For more information and directions call the Discovery Center at 301-387-7067.  

Garrett County Developing Heritage Area Program

The Times-News reports on the progress Garrett County is making in becoming a certified Maryland Heritage Area.  

Dr. Alta Schrock Highlighted as Legendary Lady in Maryland Life Magazine

Dr. Alta Schrock was listed and highlighted as a "Legendary Lady" in the most recent issue of Maryland Life Magazine.  Schrock founded Penn Alps and Spruce Forest Artisan Village. 

Friends Store at Sang Run to Open Memorial Day Weekend

The Historic Friends Store will reopen for the summer season beginning Saturday May 29th.
 
The Maryland Park Service acquired the 81 acre property in 2008.  “We have been working hard to reopen the store as an Appalachian heritage showcase for the area” according to Ranger Caroline Blizzard.  The store will be replicated as closely as possible to keep its historic nature and place in the community.  We hope to bring to life through interpretive programming the traditions of Garrett County.  Programming of this nature will help insure that our heritage is preserved and passed on to the next generation.  Topics of interest will include gardening, native plant uses, and musical and craft traditions. Nature study such as bird walks, reptile programs, Jr. Rangers and hikes are also slated.
 
The store will also serve as a point of contact for river activity by rafters and tubers.
 
The Friends Delight shelter, now open to public use through reservations, and the Friend’s Store are great additions to our park. Our staff has worked hard to find ways to showcase this wonderful new addition to the Maryland Park Service. So stop by and see us or become a volunteer.  The store will be open Saturday, Sunday and Monday’s through the summer.
 
For more information call 301-387-7067
 

Discover the Cumberland Road Project

 "In Search of the Lost Highway" is a newsletter and blog for The Cumberland Road Project.  If you love history, then you'll enjoy Steve Colby's website.  Next year marks the 200th Anniversary of the start of the construction of the National Road, which was the motivation behind Colby's project.  He is documenting the history of the Road and towns, businesses and people of the road from 1811 to the 1950s. If you have traveled the road for some time, you have to agree that it is a special and unique historical treasure that is worthy of attention. 

Open House at Friend's Store

Deep Creek Lake State Park is hosting an Open House at the historic Friend’s Store on Sang Run Road, October 3rd from 10:00 am until 3:00 pm.  Bring your friends and family to see what has been done to restore and preserve the history of Friend’s Store in the Sang Run area.  Park staff and Volunteer groups have been working hard to prepare for the re-opening of the store in the Spring of 2010. 

At 8:00 am Birding at Sang Run will be offered by Connie Skipper, one of Garrett County’s most avid birders.  Bring your binoculars and discover local breeding birds.   Learn how to bird by ear and listen for distinctive songs. Meet Connie at the Sang Run kayak put-in parking lot, just past the Store. 

All day long people can enjoy Monarch Butterfly tagging, hay rides, pumpkin carving, basket weaving demonstrations, Historical talks about the grounds and building and much more.   From 12:30 – 3:00 pm, there will be demonstrations of Apple cider pressing and tasting.  For more information on this event and others offered, please call the Discovery Center, open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm, 301-387-7067.

Pictured above is "Friend's Store" by Robert Yonke. 

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New Additions to the Springs Museum

The Springs Museum in Springs, PA showcases history, folklore and tradition from the Casselman Valley area.  Recent acquisitions  from the Jacob J. Otto family are highlighted this week in the Cumberland Times-News. 

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Johnny's Baithouse Memorabilia up for Auction

The world's largest fishing bobber and the World's Longest Rod, collectibles that used to hang in Johnny's Baithouse, are up for auction on February 7th at Gateway Gallery in Chambersburg.  It's a live auction, but online absentee bidding will also take place.   How cool would it be to have these hanging in your lake house?  Read more in Public Opinion Online.   Photo courtesy of Gateway Gallery. 

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