50 Years Ago (week of Nov. 23-29, 1941):
* A new American LaFrance fire engine was delivered to the county this week after undergoing both road tests and tests of pumping ability. The engine was acceptedby the board of directors of the Fire Department and put into activeservice. It had the capability of pumping 683 gallons of water per minute and carried a 100-gallon water reserve as well as 1,500 feet ofhose.
* It was announced this week that Maryland would open a new, 50-bed building at the Henryton Tuberculosis Sanatorium near Mariottsville. The new facility was scheduled to open in January 1942.
25 Years Ago (week of Nov. 20-26, 1966):
* A meeting took place at the offices of Howard Research and Development this week to discuss the possibility of establishing day-care centers in the county. The guest speaker was Mrs. Leon M. Ginsberg, president of the National Committee on Day Care. As a result of the meeting, it was agreed that the county would begin negotiating to be the site of one of the 12 new centersplanned for the state.
* Howard County participated in a nationwide civil defense drill this week. A state of war existed (on paper) in the county for a six-hour period. The scenario involved a "progressive readiness buildup" in an assumed international crisis that would culminate in a simulated nuclear attack. The National Civil Defense Agency had requested active participation in the exercise by police, general services, communications, finance and public information departments, among others. One of the exercises was the identification of roads to be used as designated escape routes from the county.
Information for this column was culled from the Howard County Historical Society's Library.