I’ve collected postcards since I was a kid. Friends and family gave me postcards, I scrutinized every card , then organized them in myriad ways. They were a glimpse at a world beyond my own.
On a rainy day, it’s a wonderful pastime to explore the world in my postcards. Today they show history. Here are some cards of familiar Baltimore sites, from a souvenir portfolio from Union News Company.
Continue reading You know these Baltimore sites — in postcards from about 1912
The Korean War began June 25, 1950 in response to North Korea’s launch of a full-scale invasion across the 38th Parallel into South Korea. My father, William Harry Schwarz of Baltimore MD, had just graduated on June 10th from Virginia Polytechnic Institute with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. He married my mother (Jane Frances Imbach) on June 17th.
On August 14, 1950, Dad was called to active duty as a 2nd Lieutenant and assigned to the 376th Engineer Construction Battalion, 2nd Army, Ft. Meade MD.
The Baltimore Sun – July 25, 1950
The 376th Engineer Construction Battalion Reserve, Maryland’s first army unit to be called to the colors, will report for active duty on August 14, the Military District headquarters announced yesterday. The 376th Reserve Battalion, consisting of Negro enlisted men and white officers, returned to Baltimore last night from Fort Belvoir VA where it had gone only the day before to begin two-week summer maneuvers. Continue reading Lt. William H. Schwarz served in Korean War battalion of black enlisted men and white officers
My grandparents, John and Marie Schwarz, were Baltimore antique dealers from at least 1925, until my grandmother liquidated the business in 1985. John took over the family business when he was about 25, located on Antique Row, 827 N. Howard Street, and moved it some years later to 2013/2015 North Charles Street. My grandfather was known throughout the Mid Atlantic and New England as a leading expert in the decorative arts and assisted in the development of that portion of the American collection at the Baltimore Museum of Art.
Papa John and Dede brought together all of our extended family, and I grew up having great times hanging at their antique store. So many magical and fascinating googahs and places to hide for small people. I honored my grandparents for their business savvy and was counted on to help with accounting at times. I delivered holiday orders one December when I was 20, learned my way around Baltimore, and was introduced to some of its wealthiest neighborhoods. I was even with them at times as they traveled New England, buying antiques at small shops and auctions.
My grandmother continued managing the business after Papa John died in 1966, with the help of their daughter, Ann Keene. Antique furniture has infused all of our family. It enriches my artistic sense.
SANDTOWN-WINCHESTER, BALTIMORE CITY
Sandtown is located in a historically African American area of West Baltimore neighboring the once affluent Upton. In the second half of the 20th century, Sandtown experienced economic depression, housing abandonment, crime, and racial rioting. Whereas in the 1950s and 1960s famous African American performers such as Billie Holiday and Diana Ross performed there Continue reading Columbia, Md has deep connections to Freddie Gray’s Sandtown-Winchester ‘hood
Correspondence and Collaboration for a better Howard County, Md.
Correspondence and Collaboration for a better Howard County, Md.
Correspondence and Collaboration for a better Howard County, Md.
A CDR Production
Correspondence and Collaboration for a better Howard County, Md.
Correspondence and Collaboration for a better Howard County, Md.
Correspondence and Collaboration for a better Howard County, Md.
Correspondence and Collaboration for a better Howard County, Md.
Correspondence and Collaboration for a better Howard County, Md.
HoCoMDcc 