• About
  • History Writings

Water and Me

Water and Me

Tag Archives: Statues

Random

09 Thursday Aug 2018

Posted by Ronald Parks in concerts, Eastern Shore, Family

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

byrne, concerts, Hiking, Merriweather, nature, photography, Statues, Swimming

Here lately i have been so busy working on multiple houses, I lose track of time, to work on my blogs. Here are some random photos from over the last month or so.

At Kathy’s parents house, a bunch of turkeys were in the field.

I decided to go over to the deer blind (sniper tower), to see if I could get a better view. This guy was watching me.

Stopped at Terrapin Park one weekend. Spotted this guy along the path to the Bay.

On shore were some guys and dolls.

Molly not too happy about going swimming with me. Kathy asked if I have ever swam in the Chesapeake Bay before? I don’t think I have?

Went to Merriweather to see David Byrne. On stage, the opening act.

Walked around a bit. It has been about 32 years since I was last here. Saw Robert Palmer – Addicted to Love tour. Place looks different. Various sculptures around.

From a distance, I thought this was a statue of a football player.

Sun going down and time to head to our seats.

These next photos Kathy took of the band. I gave up long ago with my camera. I couldn’t get focused.

Another shot. Another song.

And the house that will soon be our home, thanks to the Culver’s.

 

Boy Scouts

25 Tuesday Jul 2017

Posted by Ronald Parks in Baltimore

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Baltimore, HISTORY, Monuments, POLITICS, Statues

There are over 200 of these replicas in 39 states in the U.S. and several of its possessions and territories. The project was the brainchild of Kansas City businessman, J.P. Whitaker, who was then Scout Commissioner of the Kansas City Area Council. The copper statues were manufactured by Friedley-Voshardt Co. (Chicago, IL) and purchased through the Kansas City Boy Scout office by those wanting one. All were erected in the early 1950’s by Boy Scout troops and others to celebrate Scouting’s 40th anniversary theme, “Strengthen the Arm of Liberty.”
The statues are approximately 8 1/2 feet tall without the base, constructed of sheet copper, weigh 290 pounds, and originally cost $350 plus freight.

Maryland had two of them. This one was in front of Mervo until it was destroyed and sold as scrap by the contractor. The other is supposedly in Belair.

The Gunpowder Falls and Battle Monument

21 Wednesday Dec 2016

Posted by Ronald Parks in Baltimore, water history

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Baltimore, engineering, glass plate negatives, Gunpowder Falls, HISTORY, Lake Clifton, Lake Montebello, Montebello, Monuments, POLITICS, Public Works, Statues, water history

When the permanent water supply from the Gunpowder Falls was built, it included a dam at Loch Raven, a 12′ tunnel approximately 7 miles long, an impounding reservoir at Montebello, another conduit from there to Lake Clifton and then it was distributed to the public as unfiltered, yet wholesome drinking water.

Photo from the 1920s showing the original 1881 gate house at Loch Raven

How the gate house area looked in 2011.

When they eventually removed the gate house, they kept some of the original stone and built this somewhat mini-monument to the Permanent Supply, across the street.

The supply is finished and the valves are opened. This is downtown Baltimore at the Battle Monument. Caption reads: Fountain and Cataract – Monument Square – The Introduction of the Gunpowder Water Supply – Oct. 10th 1881

Miscellaneous Drive-by Photos

31 Wednesday Aug 2016

Posted by Ronald Parks in Addiction, Recovery

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Addiction, faith, GOD, Recovery, Statues

Reach out and touch faith

Your own personal Jesus
Someone to hear your prayers
Someone who cares

depeche mode

Saw this on my travels today. Nice stool. Was going to take but I don’t mess with anyone’s personal Jesus.

P1070395

Graffiti as History

13 Wednesday Jul 2016

Posted by Ronald Parks in Baltimore, HISTORY

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

art, Baltimore, graffiti, HISTORY, Monuments, POLITICS, preservation, Statues

img013a

During last night’s class on Historic Preservation, the topic of graffiti came up for a brief moment. There is apparently two sets of graffiti inside the Washington Monument in downtown Baltimore. Those written in the base of the monument, dating back, possibly to the mid-1800s and that written in the tower, which was most recently done. There is an attempt to figure out and preserve the graffiti in the base, but yet, the graffiti in the tower is vulgar, obscene and must be removed! I posed this question to the group; wouldn’t the tower graffiti be historic in 100 years? A couple people were adamant that this type of graffiti is not historic.

So that got me thinking – who determines this? Who is to say what is vulgar and what is historic? A quick Google search of Roman Graffiti shows many sites with graffiti quotes that the Romans plastered everywhere. Did this graffiti tell a story of the social lives of people? Was Pompeii a den of iniquity? What about cave drawings? Supposed it was found out that these were all sexual in nature? Would they be removed? And petroglyphs? Rock carvings, some of which may be considered animal cruelty. Or are they the tales of various cultures?

I do not condone graffiti. I was once (when I was 17) considering writing a book about it while hitch hiking cross country. I was amazed at the different graffiti scribbled on the bathroom stalls of gas stations. Short stories and quotes about toilet paper (or the lack thereof) and where to get the best sex in town! Did this graffiti describe nomadic living? I’ve seen much graffiti that defaces public spaces and right next to it will be graffiti, renamed as a commissioned art piece. Who determines which of the two are really works of art? I’ve seen a lot of graffiti that were truly works of art. Someone I know went under a bridge, saw graffiti and did a painting of it. It was really good and I tried to buy her original artwork at auction but was outbid by many others.

Misplaced Monuments

27 Monday Jun 2016

Posted by Ronald Parks in Baltimore, HISTORY

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Baltimore, HISTORY, Monuments, Public Works, Statues

Here are two monuments that have disappeared:

Liberty

There are over 200 of these replicas in 39 states in the U.S. and several of its possessions and territories. The project was the brainchild of Kansas City businessman, J.P. Whitaker, who was then Scout Commissioner of the Kansas City Area Council. The copper statues were manufactured by Friedley-Voshardt Co. (Chicago, IL) and purchased through the Kansas City Boy Scout office by those wanting one. All were erected in the early 1950’s by Boy Scout troops and others to celebrate Scouting’s 40th anniversary theme, “Strengthen the Arm of Liberty.”

As can be seen, her “Arm” is missing. And she is missing. After about a year of searching, found out that the contractor working on Mervo School, scrapped her.

Below shows the missing monument to Adam. There was one built for Adam and one for Eve in the 1920s. Eve is where she always has been (private property) but Adam is gone. He was at a house where Bowley’s Lane and Philadelphia road met. That is now Route 40 and Morarvia. There are a few businesses there and no one I talked to in the surrounding neighborhood or businesses know anything about it.

11160591_10153736149131258_5080423337534477605_n

Research and Sources

23 Thursday Jun 2016

Posted by Ronald Parks in Baltimore, HISTORY

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Baltimore, engineering, HISTORY, Monuments, Public Works, Research, Statues, writing

Tuesday evening I attended a class “Explore Baltimore Heritage 101” and during the class it was talked about ‘sources’ used for writing about historic people, places and things. My main interest in this (other than the history of sewers) are the displaced and missing monuments. My most recent research of just one, the Monument to Columbus, shows how various people looked at things and more importantly, are their perceptions true historical facts?
From the Monument City Blog:
History
To commemorate the three-hundred year anniversary of Columbus discovering America, a forty-four foot obelisk was erected in Charm City. Made of brick with a stucco finish, the monument to Columbus is the oldest in the country, and world, that is still standing. Originally it was placed on the estate of French Consul to Baltimore, Charles Francois Adrian De Paulmier, Chevalier d’Anmour, and was moved to its current location in 1964. Rumor has it that one evening De Paulmier was entertaining guests, which he did frequently, and they started discussing the great men of the western world. It was mentioned that there was not a single monument to Christopher Columbus in America. De Paulmier promised to change this fact, placing the monolith on his property shortly thereafter.
Another Monument City Blog:
History
The first monument dedicated to Christopher Columbus in the United States is the 44 foot tall obelisk on Hartford [Harford] Road, just east of Lake Montebello. The structure was erected, in 1792, to commemorate the three-hundred year anniversary of the explorer’s discovery of America. During the 19th century a local legend developed stating that the obelisk was actually a monument to a horse of the same name, not the explorer.
The Italian community refused to recognize the obelisk, eventually collecting funds and erecting their own statue on the shore of Druid Lake. On Columbus Day in 1892 the monument was unveiled. The sculpture, carved by Albert Weinert, is a reproduction of artist Achille Canessa’s original. In 1950, Mayor Thomas D’Alesandro, Jr. placed a wreath on the neglected Hartford Road monument, finally putting an end to misconception, and giving equal worth to both memorials.
A third monument to Chris Columbus stands in the Inner Harbor near the Katyn Memorial and the Public Works Museum. Professor Wayne Schaumburg of Johns Hopkins University states that Mayor William Schaefer planned to move the Weinert Columbus to the Harbor East location but the Druid Hill neighborhood committees protested strongly. Instead, a new statue was created and dedicated, in 1984, with President Reagan attending the ceremony.
1992 Sunpaper: http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1992-05-21/news/1992142117_1_columbus-monuments-baltimore-county-columbus-day
Because the monument was on private property, it remained unknown to the public for decades. As the estate passed through several hands and lapsed into ruin, the obelisk eventually was forgotten. North Avenue became a public thoroughfare in 1876. Sometime later, a group of Johns Hopkins students exploring the woods stumbled across the obelisk. Its last previous known sighting had occurred in 1863 when Union soldiers at Belmont found it while cutting trees for firewood and fortifications. Woods reclaimed the area after the Civil War. In 1887, Belmont became the Samuel B. Ready School. It moved to West Baltimore in 1938 to make way for Sears Roebuck’s huge store, which is now the Eastside District Court. The obelisk, considered too fragile to be moved, was left behind on what became a Sears parking lot. In 1963, however, the city moved it to its present location in a grove of maples, pines and arbor vitae on Harford Road at Parkside Drive. It was the focus of traditional Columbus Day ceremonies until 1977, when the festivities were moved to East Baltimore and then to the Inner Harbor. The old monument drifted farther from public consciousness after October 1984, when President Ronald Reagan dedicated a new statue of the Great Explorer in a plaza at the edge of Little Italy. But the obelisk has refused to be ignored throughout its history. Now, it has bobbed up again during the 500th anniversary of Columbus’ achievements, say Mr. D’Alesandro and Mr. Culotta. And very appropriately, they add. After all, they say, the monument was North America’s first recognition of Columbus’ voyage, and another two centuries have elapsed since then.

Columbus001

The monument behind Sears.

Columbus009

Making way for a new parking lot.

Columbus018

After a short move, placing at its new location.

Columbus019

Right down the street from my house.

Columbus020

The Little Italy version.

Blogroll

  • Flouride Action Network
  • lulu
  • My Book
  • WordPress.com
  • WordPress.org

Recent Posts

  • In Search of The Skipjack Ada Mae
  • Trap Pond Kayak
  • Pusey Trail and Cemeteries
  • Chandler Tract (White Trail) 4 3 21
  • Oyster Fritters, Antiques, a Hike (and a bad sign)

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • Water and Me
    • Join 228 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Water and Me
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...