Kara Mae at Unicorn Meat sent us a copy of this record put out by The News American, “Baltimore’s first and oldest newspaper,” which ceased publication in 1986.
A two LP set, the first LP is a narrative compiled from stories (and weird classified ads). The second record “presents for you selections from America’s prolific musical heritage,” such as “Shenandoah,” “Semper Fidelis,” “The Charleston,” “The Twist,” “Aquarius,” (yes, from “Hair” – Kara) and “God Bless America.” And it’s hosted by Eddie Albert, of “Green Acres” fame!
Baltimore Diary 1773-1973
“We searched through two centuries of behind-the-scenes stories, human interest material and old advertisements.. and from all this we selected the best to recreate for you the drama, the comedy.. the very lifeblood feeling of the time. Listen now, as we take you back 200 years and let you ramble around behind the hard facts of history…
This then, is the BALTIMORE DIARY – a picture in sound, music and words of what the average Baltimorean experienced during that 200 year span of history – history you never heard in school.
And here are just a few highlights…
- You’ll hear an excerpt from a public notice written by George Washington for the first issue of our newspaper – seeking settlers for land Mr. Washington surveyed near Fort Pitt in Pennsylvania.
- Stand on the harbor’s shore as a mob forces a merchant to burn his ship because of the cargo it carried.
- View the conditions of Baltimore’s marketplace, which inspired and indignant letter to the editor.
- Watch in amazement from a crowd witnessing America’s first balloon ascension – right here in Baltimore.
- Hear about the first publication of a poem by Francis Scott Key that later became the National Anthem.
- Join the celebration honoring the beginning of America’s first railroad – the Baltimore and Ohio.
- Journey on a stagecoach and see how the fear of cholera so frightens the passengers that they take drastic action to avoid the disease.
- Keep one jump ahead of the police in the search for a safe place to hold America’s first heavyweight championship title fight.
- See the sights of destruction following one of the many floods from Jones Falls.
- Ride our country’s first commercial electric streetcar as it clangs out to Hampden.
- Stand inside in the Catonsville High School gym as casualties come in from a World War II air raid.
There’s more… lots more!
It’s history repeated – brought to life for you by the only Baltimore newspaper that was here when our country was born.”
For the better part of a decade, the boarded-up Congress Hotel has loomed over the 300 block of West Franklin street like a shabby ghost. It’s the seven-story equivalent of Miss Havisham’s moldy wedding cake, a heap of decorative curlicues and flourishes mired in neglect and lorded over by rats. A long-shuttered nightspot lies in the basement of this 97-year-old hostelry, eight granite steps beneath Franklin Street. Descend those steps, pass through a rusty metal door, and you’re in a dim, cavernous room punctuated by 10 stout columns.