Historic Publications
Explore the following historic publications
For the occasion of the Bicentennial in 1976, Cabin John asked resident Elizabeth Kytle, who wrote the classic “Home on the Canal” with lockkeeper oral histories, to collect oral histories of longstanding neighbors. She wrote the booklet “Time Was: A Cabin John Memory Book,” chronicling memories of 18 Old-Timers – individuals in their 70’s and 80’s looking back in time. In the interviews you can find CJ residents telling first-hand stories about the Cabin John Bridge Hotel, life on canal boats, and details about CJ life in the 1920’s-1940’s. This publication was one of many sources used by Judith Welles in her book “Cabin John: Legends and Life of an Uncommon Place.”
In 1976 CJ hosted “Chautauqua ’76: The Bicentennial in Cabin John.” As background, the Chautauqua movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries provided popular education combined with entertainment in the form of lectures, concerts, and plays. The CJ Chautauqua consisted of many such events on June 5, 1976: bike parade, batting contest, softball game, slide shows, mini-lectures, gospel sing, drama, old-time games, concert, puppet show, box supper, craft displays, photo exhibits, Cabin John Bridge Hotel silver and china display, volleyball, horseshoes, food and a beer garden, and a 2-hour program, “Old-Timers Night,” at the Clara Barton School All-Purpose Room. The “Souvenir Program” for the event was published as a booklet. In addition to the schedule of events the booklet includes three stories titled “A Pride in Diversity – 3 Perspectives on Cabin John: The Non-Suburban Suburb” by current resident, Janet Dence, and Morris Fradin; “The Story of Cabin John Gardens” by Dagny Newman, and “Black Schools in Cabin John” by Nina H. Clarke and Frank McKinney.
The full schedule of events held on June 5, 1976 from 11 am to 9 pm to celebrate Chautauqua ’76 can be found in the souvenir program on pages 1-3. This page describes the events of “Old-Timer’s Night” that started at 7 pm, including introduction of participants in the Cabin John Memory Book, “Time Was.”