In last week's column, I mentioned a manufacturing plant on E. Green Street that originally opened with great fanfare in 1925.

An article from the now out-of-print Democratic Advocate described a parade to mark the occasion of the opening of the plant in Westminster.

The Carroll Eagle history trivia question asked readers, "What was the name of that plant that opened in 1925?"

I heard from quite a few folks who remembered when it was called the Westminster Shoe Factory, but only our friend Ruth Anderson knew the original name:

"How well I remember the shoe factory on E. Green Street near Washington Road, known as The Newark Shoe Company, that opened in 1925."

Carl Haines also e-mailed that both he and his dad, Truman, worked at the shoe factory.

In the near future we'll touch on the parade and the fanfare of the opening of the Newark Shoe Company. Meanwhile, I am still collecting memories of folks who worked there.

Anderson, who adds yet another Carroll Eagle mug to her collection, also recalled another shoe factory, located off of Pennsylvania Avenue near Vetville.

"They manufactured Mother Goose shoes and one could buy shoes at the factory," she wrote.

Of course, shoe factories are another example of victims of zoning in Westminster in the late 1970s. The factory was one of a great number of businesses that co-existed with upscale residential housing and provided a tax base and employment opportunities in the neighborhood.

That provided yet another benefit of mixed uses: People could walk to work.

Some of the shops and businesses on Pennsylvania Avenue before the 1979 zoning change were Earhart Motors, O'Farrell Brothers Pontiac, The Avenue Barber Shop, Westminster TV and Radio, Carroll Electric Service, Dutty's Beauty Salon, Everhart's Barber Shop and Wine's Sports Shop, to name just a few.

After the once vibrant neighborhood was zoned to be residential only, businesses slowly disappeared, removing in a large sense the economic sense of community that once made Pennsylvania Avenue one of the nicest communities in Carroll County.

Feet and wheels

For this week, let's ask two really hard questions. The correct answer to either will win you a cherished Carroll Eagle coffee mug (also suitable for cold drinks now that the weather has turned).

In the 1950s, what was the name of the shoe factory at the far end of Pennsylvania Avenue near Vetville? Or, also in the '50s, who can name the old car dealership and garage at 56 Pennsylvania Avenue? Here's a hint — it was a "Willys-Overland" dealership.

Think you know? If so, drop me a line at kevindayhoff@gmail.com, and be sure to put Carroll Eagle in the subject line. Thank you.

When he's not on a "walk-about" in Westminster, Kevin Dayhoff may be reached at kevindayhoff@gmail.com.

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