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
Author Archives: Sam Riley
(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
The gardens at the Union Mills Homestead have been graced the last few weeks by beautiful butterflies that flutter from plant to plant providing hours of entertainment for visitors to the site. Butterflies and other pollinators are certainly fun to watch, but also perform an important role in the garden. Early Planning Pays Later in the Season You may recall that the slogan for our Flower & Plant Market this
The 49th Annual Corn Roast Festival at the Union Mills Homestead successfully concluded on August 3, 2019, after feeding almost 1900 guests. For six hours, hungry patrons were served plates of roasted chicken, sliced tomatoes, apple sauce, and a roll, and all the roasted corn they could eat. Guests of All Ages By the time the event opened at 11 a.m., a long line had formed. Customers included many loyal
Look for a new entrance into the Corn Roast this year. The historic Bollman Bridge (the iron bridge over the tail race) is under construction so we can’t use it for our Corn Roast entrance as we have in the past. The event entrance will be through the picket fence by the gift shop. Please keep an eye out for vehicle traffic as you make your way into and out