Time to hit the Texts!!

I'm sorry for missing out on the Baybrook trip over the past weekend; unfortunately, I had to work after requesting the day off. However, I plan on taking a journey to this mysterious place this Friday and get a feel for the community. I did view some pictures of the area to make it seem like i experienced a virtual Baybrook. 

 
With regards to my documentation project i chose to research the history and effect of Guano Industry within the Baybrook area (mostly Curtis Bay). I have been supplied with one company by Prof. King and that is the Standard Guano Co. in Curtis Bay, MD. When looking up this company on online databases I was led to what looks like an list of all or many of the fertilizer companies within America (The American Fertilizer Handbook). I did find many within the Baltimore area and of course a company name in Curtis Bay (The United States Guano Co.). Although I have these names i have yet to determine if they are still open or the history behind them. It seems. In addition it seems as though these companies produce guano as a fertilizer for plant growth. Its main three essential nutrients are nitrogen, phosphate and potassium.

On another note, I really enjoyed reading the Oral Histories especially those pertaining to Baybrook history. Milton Breager described the Curtis Bay Athletic Club as being a sports-based organization that competitively challenged other clubs inside Maryland and encouraged youth leagues for children. Yet now since some of the first sponsors of club club have moved on, the club has converted into more of a social organization or a space used for community parties or festivities. The CBAC even accepts memberships from individuals who live outside Curtis Bay to help earn a revenue for the club. The club like the majority of Baybrook has lost its sentimental value and the older generation has nothing meaningful from their history with this place to embrace anymore.

Also Linda Shopes gave us a great presentation on the ethics of conducting an oral history interview. I learned several factors from her reading that would help a student willing to participate in these interviews. First, having a intended theme or topic in mind throughout the interview is beneficial to prevent more of a chronological type of timeline; however, chronology can be relevant if the information can lead you to a touchy subject or one that relates toward your topic. For example, in the reading Shopes's interviewees were failing to place their stories in a social context that was specific to her study. Secondly, the interviewers need historical background information of the place and an analytical framework to pursue their themes. Lastly, oral historians must appreciate the value of each member of the community in which they are studying. Unlike professional historians who tend to fail to give the street interviews the sensitive interpretation they demand and upon do not appreciate the interviews due to their