Jane S. Sewell, the long-time Executive Director of the Union Mills Homestead Foundation, Inc., retires effective February 1, 2021. Jane Sewell became the Executive Director of the organization in 2000, responsible for operation and interpretation of the Union Mills Homestead for over 20 years. 20-Year Tenure Marked by Numerous Successes A retired educator, Jane took over as Executive Director after the retirement of her predecessor, Esther Shriver. Jane successfully managed
Author Archives: Sam Riley
A Christmas Eve poem written in 1886 has been brought to life by a video that highlights some of the evolving Christmas traditions of the families that lived at Union Mills in the nineteenth century. The author, Louis E. Shriver of Union Mills, dedicated the verses to his nieces Winnie and Catherine Shriver. Louis lived in the Union Mills Homestead. His nieces, daughters of Lou’s brother Wirt and his wife
The Maryland Microbrewery Festival, held each September at the Union Mills Homestead, will not be held in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Mark your calendars now for next year’s event, which will be on Saturday, September 25, 2021. Highly Anticipated Each Year The Maryland Microbrewery Festival is one of the most anticipated events each year in Carroll County. The event, which celebrates and promotes the best of Maryland craft
The Union Mills Homestead Foundation and the Silver Run-Union Mills Lions Club were preparing this year for the 50th Annual Corn Roast Festival, which was scheduled to be held on Saturday, August 1, 2020. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic intervened. After long discussions about what to do, the two organizations agreed cancellation was the best course of action for everyone involved. The decision turned out to be the right one, as
(Photo above: Stone Arch Bridge over Big Pipe Creek in Union Mills, circa 1890. The bridge was built 1807-08 and remained in use until washing out in a 1933 storm. Photo by Louis Shriver.) If you have even been to Union Mills, you have driven the route of the historic Baltimore-Reisterstown Turnpike. The road, with important ties to Union Mills, played a significant part in the early economic growth of
The Union Mills Homestead is now reopened after our COVID-19 closure. The site is open to tour Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. We are pleased to welcome you back to the Union Mills Homestead! We are following the CDC and other applicable requirements concerning COVID-19. We require face coverings and social distancing for all guests and staff. Hand sanitizers are available onsite. We appreciate your assistance in ensuring the health and
With the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 forcing cancellation of the Union Mills Homestead’s Flower and Plant Market for the first time in 51 years, we are reminded of a similar health crisis in 1918. That year, a wartime influenza epidemic ricocheted around the globe before finding its way to the far reaches of rural Carroll County. The 1918 flu outbreak took a heavy toll in the area. ‘Spanish Flu’ Outbreaks
April, 2020 Dear Members and Friends, So much has changed in the past month because of COVID-19, and I know how very difficult it is for everyone. The Coronavirus pandemic has forced Maryland Governor Larry Hogan to issue a Stay-at-Home order, all non-essential businesses to close, and events and festivals be cancelled or postponed. At Union Mills the health and well-being of our staff, volunteers and visitors is our top
With another election season upon us, attention once again is focused on the tone of political discourse in the United States. These concerns are not new, however, as politics has been almost a full-contact sport since our nation’s founding. The Shrivers who founded the Union Mills Homestead took center stage in some of the most brutal political battles of the early 19th century. This topic will be one of those
Just who is Belsnickel? To some the answer may come readily, but for others it is an unknown word. The Belsnickel and related Kris Kindle customs trace to the Palatinate area of Germany. During the early 1700s, these customs were brought to North America by early German immigrants. For many Pennsylvania German families, Kris Kindle or Christkindle was the St. Nick of the Santa Claus tradition, who slips down chimneys
In 1869, Benjamin Franklin Shriver (known to friends and family as “Frank”) started a cannery to preserve excess crops from his father’s farming and milling business. He set up a small canning operation in the cooper’s shop adjacent to the grist mill at Union Mills, owned by his father William Shriver. From this modest shop, where B.F. Shriver began packing corn and cherries, grew one of Maryland’s largest canning businesses.
The Maryland Microbrewery Festival was held Saturday, September 28, 2019 at the Union Mills Homestead. The event, held on a hot sunny day at the historic site, closed out Carroll County Beer Week on a high note. The Maryland Microbrewery Festival, now in its fourteenth year, dates back to 2006 when a group of board members at the Union Mills Homestead Foundation, Inc. were looking for a new event that