Hagerstown in Washington County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Bloom Park
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, August 22, 2017
1. Bloom Park Marker
Inscription.
Bloom Park was one of the very first monuments erected in the United States to honor the veterans of the Spanish-American War (1898-99). It was dedicated on July 4, 1900. The keynote speaker at the ceremony was Henry Kyd Douglas a former Adjutant General of the Maryland National Guard who was a Confederate officer during the Civil War. The monument was unveiled by two small boys, one of whom was William P. Lane, Jr., who grew up to serve as Governor of Maryland (1947-51). The cannon, a relic captured from Fort Morro at Santiago, Cuba was obtained from the War Department through the efforts of Senator Louis McComas. The land for this memorial was donated by S. Martin Bloom (Mayor, 1884-86), who lived across North Potomac Street. Mayor Bloom also absorbed all of the cost of transporting the cannon to Hagerstown and the expense of grading the park and constructing the base. In 2002 the Mayor and City Council officially named this site “Bloom Park” in recognition of Mayor Bloom's generosity.
Bloom Park was one of the very first monuments erected in the United States to honor the veterans of the Spanish-American War (1898-99). It was dedicated on July 4, 1900. The keynote speaker at the ceremony was Henry Kyd Douglas a former Adjutant General of the Maryland National Guard who was a Confederate officer during the Civil War. The monument was unveiled by two small boys, one of whom was William P. Lane, Jr., who grew up to serve as Governor of Maryland (1947-51). The cannon, a relic captured from Fort Morro at Santiago, Cuba was obtained from the War Department through the efforts of Senator Louis McComas. The land for this memorial was donated by S. Martin Bloom (Mayor, 1884-86), who lived across North Potomac Street. Mayor Bloom also absorbed all of the cost of transporting the cannon to Hagerstown and the expense of grading the park and constructing the base. In 2002 the Mayor and City Council officially named this site “Bloom Park” in recognition of Mayor Bloom's generosity.
Location. 39° 38.815′ N, 77° 42.978′ W. Marker is in Hagerstown, Maryland, in Washington County. Marker can be reached from the intersection of
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North Potomac Street and East North Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 342 North Potomac Street, Hagerstown MD 21740, United States of America. Touch for directions.
In 1949, Maryland's Spanish-American War veterans held their annual convention in Hagerstown. Here, several of those veterans pose for a photo in Bloom Park.
Close-up of photo on marker
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, August 22, 2017
4. Co. B, 1st Maryland Infantry
Members of Hagerstown's National Guard unit, Company B, 1st Maryland Infantry at Camp MacKenzie, GA in February, 1899, the day after they learned they would be demobilized and return home to Hagerstown.
Close-up of photo on marker
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, August 22, 2017
5. Samuel Strite
Hagerstonian Samuel Strite (top row, far right) served as a Lieutenant aboard USS Olympia, which served as Admiral Dewey's flagship in the 1898 Battle of Manila Bay in the Philippines. Dewey opened the battle with his famous statement to the ship's captain “You may fire when you are ready, Gridley.”
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, August 22, 2017
6. Edward B. Suman
On February 15, 1898, the battleship USS Maine exploded in the harbor of Havana, Cuba, killing most of her crew. This tragedy was erroneously blamed on a Spanish mine and in reaction, Congress declared war on Spain in April. “Remember the Maine!” was the rallying cry. This grainy newspaper image is the only known photograph of Private Edward. B. Suman, USMC; a Hagerstown area native who died in the blast.
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, August 22, 2017
7. Captured Cannon
This 18th century French cannon, captured in the Spanish American War dominates Bloom Park.
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, August 22, 2017
8. Captured Cannon
Credits. This page was last revised on September 1, 2017. It was originally submitted on August 24, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 548 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on August 24, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 7, 8. submitted on August 27, 2017, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.