NEWS

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February 23, 2018

WCHS on TV! Check Us Out on Fireball Run

In 2016, the Washington County Historical Society was given the wonderful opportunity to participate in a reality series entitled “Fireball Run!” The series, which takes teams on a scavenger hunt-style journey across the United States, featured the Miller House Museum in a segment that highlights some of the special pieces located in our collection. You can watch it below!    
February 15, 2018

By-laws Revision

To the Members of the Washington County Historical Society, Please review the revisions made to the By-laws approved by the membership and Board of Directors in 2014. We will be holding a Special Meeting for members at 1:30 pm on Sunday, March 25, to vote on the new changes. Please join us to cast your vote and to enjoy the last concert in our Winter Concert Series, Jumpin’ Jazz with the Shepherd Jazz Combo.   THE BY-LAWS OF THE WASHINGTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY, INCORPORATED             Preamble:  The by-laws (By-laws) are adopted pursuant to the authority granted by the Articles of Incorporation of the Washington County Historical Society, Incorporated (the “Society”) dated August 31, 1911, which were approved by the Honorable Martin L. Keedy, one of the Judges of the Fourth Judicial Circuit on 14 September 1911 and which is recorded in Corporate Liber 2, folio 229, one of the corporate records maintained by the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Washington County (the “Articles”).  The Articles were thereafter amended by (1) Articles of Amendment dated 16 March 1967 (the “First Amendment”)) which were approved by the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (“SDAT”) on 27 March 1967 and which are […]
January 9, 2018

The World’s Smallest Wedding Becomes a Hagerstown Tradition

Until the late 1960s, Hagerstown was home to an unusual sight: lavish wedding ceremonies where the heads of the participants barely reached above the tops of the pews. In a popular fundraising tradition that would span most of the 20th century, Hagerstown was the site of many mock marriages between children, colloquially called “Tom Thumb weddings.” The earliest records of local Tom Thumb weddings date back to the early 1910s, when a small advertisement appeared in the Morning Herald inviting the public to Trinity Lutheran for the wedding of Mr. Tom Thumb to Miss Jennie June. Other groups continued the tradition until the 1960s, and the weddings helped to raise funds for everything from the Y.M.C.A. Camp at Big Pool to the purchase of choir robes for St. Mark’s Young People’s Choir. These were not simple ceremonies, either, but lavish fetes with dozens of young participants. The brides and grooms were attended by large wedding parties, and often another child was dressed up as a miniature minister. The earlier weddings included elaborate handmade costumes for each child, including full tiny tuxedos for each of the boys, and long gowns and veils for the girls which highlighted the wedding fashions of […]