Westminster purchased the property for its City Hall, on Emerald Hill Lane, from the estate of George W. Albaugh in September 1939 for the grand total of $11,000.

But thinking back even further, I wonder what it was like to have lived there right after it was built by Col. John K. Longwell in 1842.

Or perhaps more interesting would have been August 1863. That's was when more than 40 prominent Westminster citizens were arrested by Union soldiers on the charge of "general disloyalty." Those arrested included Colonel and Mrs. Longwell.

According to the book, "Recollections," by Dr. Joshua W. Hering, at Mrs. Longwell's trial on Aug. 27, 1863, in Westminster, she was told that "among other things, you are charged with feeding the rebel soldiers."

"Well," she replied, "I did, I would feed a hungry dog who came to my house. I would even feed you, if you came to my house hungry."

It was reported that at that last comment, her husband nearly collapsed. Mrs. Longwell subsequently took "an oath of allegiance" and avoided being imprisoned at Ft. McHenry.

Now, before we get to last Sunday's Sunday Carroll Eagle history trivia quiz; I should mention that Anna C. Walsh also correctly answered the previous week's question asking "who were the three county commissioners in 1947?"

Last week's question, asking who was the mayor of Westminster on June 29, 1863, was answered correctly by Ruth Anderson, Jamie Wehler and Suzanne Albert.

All of them knew that Michael Baughman was the 12th mayor of Westminster.

The Sunday Carroll Eagle coffee mug goes to Westminster Councilwoman Albert.

I should've known the councilwoman would know the answer; her grandfather, David E. Walsh, was the mayor of Westminster from 1912 to 1916.

According to Albert, "On the afternoon of June 29, 1863, Mayor Baughman, a blacksmith, was shoeing some horses of the 1st Delaware soldiers (when the) Confederate cavalry entered Westminster and captured the Delaware men."

Long distance e-mail

As much as I love getting e-mail from the councilwoman, I was even more tickled to get one from beyond the grave -- from Mayor Baughman himself.

Well, not really. The e-mail was actually from Ron Kuehne, a re-enactor who portrays Mayor Baughman.

His e-mail read, in part: "As outreach coordinator and civilian re-enactor with the Pipe Creek Civil War Round Table, I always begin my talks with the school children that I am a man of split personalities; part of me living in the 21st century as Ron Kuehne, and part of me living in the 19th century as Michael Baughman, mayor of Westminster from 1861 to 1864.

"A most interesting fellow, (Baughman) had his home and business at the corner of Bishop Alley and Main Street, where he lived with his wife Mahala and five of six children, and worked as a blacksmith.

"It was in his shop that five members of the 1st Delaware Cavalry were captured on the morning of June 29, 1863, by advance parties of Stuart's Cavalry, alerting the Yankees that something was afoot."

Kuehne notes that Baughman died on Jan. 2, 1876, and is buried with his wife in the Westminster Cemetery just to the left of the circle where the old Union Meeting House stood. He also, of course, disqualified himself from the contest.

Now I must tell you that I'm really excited with the idea of folks from the past e-mailing us here at the Sunday Carroll Eagle.

It gives me great hope for a decent Wi-Fi connection in heaven (or wherever I wind up).

Meanwhile, for this week's Sunday Carroll Eagle history trivia quiz, perhaps we'll get an e-mail from Mayor Frank A. Myers. It was during his administration, in 1939, that the offices of Westminster city government were moved to what we now know as Westminster City Hall. So here's the question:

Where were the offices of Westminster city government before 1939?

Think you know? E-mail me at kdayhoff@carr.org and you might win the coveted Sunday Carroll Eagle coffee mug.

When he is not playing with a Ouija board, Kevin Dayhoff can be reached at kdayhoff@carr.org.

---

user comments (0)