Havre de Grace, MD (1/5/2024)

Friday, January 5, 2024

Taking a couple days to go to Metro DC to see Erich & Laura, Arya, Pete and Dylan.

Lock House (1840) is located near the mouth
of the Susquehanna River at the Chesapeake Bay

A pivot bridge over the remains of the last lock (1839)
of the Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal (1836-1840)

We followed the Joe K Loop Trail, first following along
the Susquehanna River, with the US-40
Thomas J Hatem Bridge (1938-1940)

Passing below the US-40 bridge

There were many and varied pedestrian bridges
crossing runs and streams

The trail and the river

Equisetum hyemale affine/
Common Scouring Rush

Next the trail followed a portion of the
railroad tracks that lead to Conowingo Dam,
a temporary line so that the Susquehanna
Power Company could transport heavy
equipment for building the dam, from its
connection to the Pennsylvania Railroad

Trees are growing over the track

Frank's Pond has ice on the surface

A bridge crossing Fountain Run

Bahoukas Antique Mall (in c 1880 house)

PEZ collection (yes, there are prices, but it
seemed to be more of a museum)

Having recently seen the movie Barbie,
we do not remember 'unicef Barbie'

Beer tap handles are upstairs in the Beer MuZeum

Beer (and other alcohol-related) bottles and cans

Back downstairs for lunch boxes

Color Craft aluminum pitcher and tumblers

Uranium-oxide in vintage green glass reacts to the black light

Concord Point Park with Big Fish, School of Fish
(2019, by Thomas Sterner) is a big fish made up of little fish

License-free fishing pier with sculptures of the
Birds of the Chesapeake (2022, by Joseph E Stebbing, Jr) (KSS)

Gold Star Families Memorial (2017) is
dedicated to families that have lost a loved one
serving in the United States Armed Forces

The central feature of Concord Point Park
is the lighthouse (1827, by John Donahoo),
the oldest publicly accessible
lighthouse on Chesapeake Bay

Across the street is the Keeper's House (1827, by John Donahoo)

Havre de Grace Maritime Museum (1987-1988)

The Bayou (1918-1919 as Hotel Bayou for those who came
to hunt ducks or attend races at the Havre de Grace
horse track) is now condominiums

The Hotel Bayou Baths (swimming pool and
heating plant) is now the Decoy Museum (est 1986)

Flaps Down, Flats Bound (2021, by Matthew Harris Studio)

The Decoy Museum has hundreds of decoys,
enough to pile in a jumble

Reed decoy (1997, by Joey Allan in American indigenous style)

Canvas decoy (by Nick Sapone in NC) of a swan

Standing decoy (c 1915, by Dave Watson)
of a Lesser Yellowlegs

Live decoys were also used, but were outlawed in 1935.

The preeminent decoy maker in Havre de Grace
was R Madison Mitchell, seen here in wax-
figure form with several of his products

Decorative decoy, Loon with Babies (by Jeanne Hiss)

Display of Redhead drake decoys, this one
by S Paul Gibson of Havre de Grace

Redhead drake decoy by R Madison Mitchell

Redhead drake decoy by Robert F McGaw,
also of Havre de Grace

Life-size model of a sink box, a type of
duck hunting raft with decoys attached;
which was federally outlawed in 1935
and outlawed by states beginning in 1839

Bushwhack boat was also used for duck hunting,
surrounded by hundreds of floating decoys

Stained glass representations of decoys in the museum

Upstairs was the bulk of the permanent collection of decoys,
displayed according to the maker

Several of the decoy makers were represented
by wax figures; this is Captain Harry Jobes

This turns out to be the rear of the Havre de Grace
Colored School Museum in a 1912 building used as a
grammar school for African-American children;
the brick addition (1930-1936) became the first
high school in Havre de Grace for African-Americans

Next: Baltimore and the Reginald F Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture.