IN RETROSPECT
Pictured is an abandoned bus along old Route 40 just west of Boonsboro in the aftermath of a sudden snowstorm that struck Western Maryland on Easter Sunday, March 27, 1932. photo courtesy of Frank Kelley Photo by Frank Woodring, Maryland Cracker Barrel Magazine
Washington County residents had just witnessed what had been the warmest winter in the past 114 years when a heavy snowstorm accompanied by high winds struck the
East Coast from Virginia to New York on March 6 – 7 in 1932. An ensuing cold spell killed fruit blossoms and turned winter grain crops brown. The Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company reported more than $ 1,000,000 in damages to replace 21,400 poles, 10,000 miles of open wire lines, and 60 miles of cable in the Tri-State area of Maryland,
Virginia and West Virginia. To add insult to injury, a second March snowstorm that dumped up to 32 inches in Garrett County hit Washington County on Easter Sunday, March 27. Severe northwest winds followed on the heels of the Easter snow, bringing damage from the two March storms to more than $ 2,000,000.
“ In Retrospect” is courtesy of the Maryland Cracker Barrel magazine, the“ Sentinel of Washington County’ s Heritage.” Since June 1971, the quarterly publication has focused on local history and may be purchased at any of the more than 30 sites in Maryland and Pennsylvania or by subscription. Subscriptions($ 13.78 annually) may be obtained by calling 301-582-3885 or writing to: Maryland Cracker Barrel, 7749 Fairplay Road, Boonsboro, MD 21713.
132 March / April 2013 Hagerstown: The Best of Life in Washington County & Beyond