Middletown Daily Photo: Friends of the Library

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Friends of the Library

This building does have a use, at least once a year ... the annual Used Book Sale put on by the Friends of the Library.

Here is another shot of this building I posted a couple of months ago.

2 comments:

Andrew said...: Hi Bernie,
Well you found the great secret of Middletown. This is called the Memorial Hall. I was constructed after World War I as a memorial to the people of Middletown who fought in Europe. It was also the town movie theatre. Since the theatre has closed it was a appliance warehouse, and a few other things, but never again to achieve its past glory. Enjoy Heritage Days.; September 25, 2008 at 8:08 AM
Bernie said...: Thanks for the info, Andrew! I thought it might have been a movie theatre at some point in it's life.

I'm looking forward to Heritage Days. Hope the weather forecast changes between now and Saturday!!; September 25, 2008 at 9:41 AM

Post a Comment

About Middletown

Middletown, Maryland was founded in 1767 and is said to be named either for its position midway between South Mountain and the Catoctin Mountains or its central location between the larger Maryland cities of Frederick and Hagerstown. A few years earlier, a visiting surveyor and future “Father of our Country” George Washington referred to Middletown Valley as one of the most beautiful places he had ever seen.

The town was incorporated in 1833. After the Civil War battles of South Mountain and Antietam, Middletown churches served as hospitals for both Union and Confederate soldiers.

Today Middletown boasts a delicate balance of old and new. Instead of a Mayor, the town leader is a Burgess. Some of the buildings were built in the 1700s and 1800s. There are large Victorian homes as well as the typical cookie-cutter subdivisions that dot the edge of the Washington DC commuter exurbs.

The only franchise restaurant in town is a Subway; the only Starbucks is inside the Safeway.

If you really want to understand what small-town America feels like, visit Middletown during the Independence Day festivities and fireworks at Middletown Park, the Volunteer Fire Department’s annual mid-July Carnival or the Middletown Heritage Festival held in the fall.