An undercover detective risks exposure to help his family during a coal strike
One of the more violent coal strikes in Western Maryland occurred in 1922 as the union made an all-out attempt to unionize the coal mines in the area. Because the union didn’t want to give up Maryland, the strike lasted months longer here than in other areas of the country. Strike the Fuse, a new novel by James Rada, Jr., captures this tumultuous period in the county’s history. Strike the Fuse is the second book in the Black Fire Trilogy. The first book, Smoldering Betrayal, was released in 2018. The story follows Matt Ansaro, a WWI veteran who is a now a Pinkerton detective. He returns to his hometown of Eckhart in 1922 after being away for five years. His family doesn’t know his current profession or that he has been sent to Eckhart to spy out union activity for Read more…
COMING SOON: Strike the Fuse (The Black Fire Triology, Book 2)
My new historical novel, Strike the Fuse, will release later this month. It is the second book in the Black Fire Trilogy set in Western Maryland during the 1922 coal strike. The cover is still being finalized, but I will post about that when it is complete. You can also expect some special promotions with the first book, Smoldering Betrayal, as the release date for the new book approaches. Until then, here’s a synopsis of the new book. As coal strike violence escalates, Matt Ansaro’s undercover identity is thrown into jeopardy. Having survived a mine cave-in, undercover Pinkerton detective Matt Ansaro is recovering from a broken leg. However, the union has called a coal strike and Matt needs to be at his best. The 1922 national coal strike is even more violent in the Western Maryland coal fields as the Read more…
Wild Frostburg, MD, During Prohibition
Although the United States government banned the sale, production and transportation of alcohol in 1920, it made no difference to the residents of Frostburg. Liquor and beer flowed so freely in the Mountain City that drunks staggered through the streets with little fear of consequences. Once the U.S. Congress ratified nationwide Prohibition in January 1919, the Volstead Act, passed later that year, provided the means to enforce liquor and beer sales and manufacture. Prohibition went into effect on midnight January 17, 1920, and the first arrest under the Volstead Act was made less than an hour later (in Chicago). The first arrest in Frostburg of someone violating the Volstead Act didn’t happen until October 21, 1922, nearly three years after Prohibition started. By then, the city had a statewide reputation for out-of-control drunkenness and not enforcement of Prohibition. A 1921 Read more…
The music never dies
For longer than anyone has been alive today, Frostburg has always had the Arion Band. Before Alexander Graham Bell said, “Mr. Watson, come here I need you,” Watson could listen to the band playing a march or other popular piece of music. Through the Great Depression and victory at war, the Arion Band brought joy to Western Marylanders and celebrated with them whether it was a holiday or victory at war. Even as music styles changed, the Arion Band kept up with them and adapted. “The Arion Band is believed to be the oldest, continually operating band in the country,” says Blair Knouse, president of the band. You might find bands that have been around longer, they have gaps in their history where most likely they weren’t performing for a time. While the Arion Band’s membership fluctuates from season to Read more…
Where was the casket that went with the handle?
In 1896, Frostburg residents seemed to be worried that a grave robber was on the loose in Frostburg. The Frostburg Mining Journal ran an article on April 30 under the headline: “A Suspicious Find” that explained that a silver-plated casket handle had been found on Maple Street in front of former Justice L. J. Parker’s home. “It is slightly rusted but otherwise well preserved, indicating that it had not been long underground. Evidences that it had very lately been wrenched from a casket are seen in the fresh breaks,” the newspaper reported. Members of the Parker family had heard a wagon and team of horses pass by the house around 2 a.m., which was unusual, “and now believed to have some connection with a grave robbing somewhere,” according to the Frostburg Mining Journal. The handle had been shown to all Read more…
Coming in June!
I thought I would let everyone have a peek at the cover art for my next book, which should be out just in time for the Heritage Days Festival in Cumberland in June. I think Stephanie E. J. Long did a great job with it. I definitely looks like it is part of the series. This volume is 150 pages and 47 stories from Western Maryland along with 33 black-and-white photos. It contains stories of lost treasure, train wrecks and successful residents. You’ll also find out where Albert Einstein liked to get away in the summer and the story of Allegany County’s lost automobile manufacturing industry. Looking Back II: More True Stories of Mountain Maryland will retail for $14.95.
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