Thompson, Blanchard, Edelmann, Kraemer, Sparenberg, & Serbe:Information about Harry Leroy Thompson

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Harry Leroy Thompson (b. April 17, 1911, d. December 05, 1974)

Iceman

Harry Leroy Thompson (son of John Thompson and Mary Louise Blanchard) was born April 17, 1911 in 730 E. Fort Ave. Baltimore, and died December 05, 1974 in Baltimore. He married Audrey Eileen Thomas on August 24, 1935 in Church of the Advent, Baltimore, MD, daughter of William Plummer Thomas and Anne Catherine Edelmann.

Notes for Harry Leroy Thompson:
Harry Leroy Thomspon worked with his father as an iceman when he was young. Before the invention of refrigerators, everyone had ice boxes. The ice box required emptying the drip pan. The iceman didn't’ have to knock on doors, a 10 x 10 card placed in the window would tell him what size piece of ice to deliver. Kids would wait for him to make a delivery, and then jump on the truck to get slivers of ice.

Harry had an ulcer. Thoughts of Harry take me back to a Baltimore landmark, The Bromo Seltzer Tower. It was named for a Javanese volcano, Mt. Bromo. The maker of Bromo Seltzer build a copy of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence Italy. On the top was a fifty one foot tall reproduction of a blue Bromo Seltzer bottle that rotated twice a minute. When it was lit up at night, the bottle could be seen all the way to the Eastern Shore. It spun from 1911 to 1936 when the company moved to Pennsylvania. But the four clock faces still remains to this day, where instead of numbers, it says B_R_O_M_O_S_E_L_T_Z_E_R.

Harry LeRoy Thompson attended Francis Scott Key School. He was enrolled there in September 1918.

FRANCIS SCOTT KEY SCHOOL #76

The first school was erected at Towson and Cuba Streets.

Later the school moved to Hull and Clement Streets. Dr. Esther Loring Richards, in writing of the school in this period, describes it as a dilapidated building on the edge of a barren waste, with several classes meeting in an abandoned building across the street.

About 1919, this building was wrecked by fire, and the school was finally moved to its present location. During its final months of location at Hull and Clement Streets, the school was studied by Dr. Richards, who published her findings in a paper "Some Adaptive Difficulties Found in School Children", which was published by the National Committee for Mental Hygiene, Inc., in 1920. Dr. Richards commented on the fact that while she received every cooperation from the Principal, Miss Persis K. Miller, who possessed "creative genius and common-sense understanding of human beings", and from the faculty. Nature, however, conspired to make her work more difficult, for there were three enforced school holidays, of from 2 to 8 weeks each, brought about by epidemics of influenza, the freezing and bursting of the school pipes, and finally the burn of the school itself.

In the school year 1919-20, the school boasted 1 kindergarten class, with 50 children, 1 teacher, and 1 assistant teacher. There were 44 pupils in the 5th grade; 140 in the 6th grade, 16 in the 7th grade, and 9 in the 8th grade. There were also special classes.

Dr. Richards praised the school for its school bank, its classes for backward, defective, and tubercular children, the penny lunches, the very active Parent-Teacher Association, and for the way the school identified itself so completely with the community it served. Not only were academic subjects offered, but so were lessons in art, music, and vocational training, and attempts were made to help the parents solve some of their out-of-school problems.

When time came for the new school to be built, the effort of the parents of Locust Point to obtain the best possible school and faculty were led by Miss Miller, the principal, and Mrs. William Brauernschmidt secretary of the Public School Association.

The present school property embraces part of the land originally included in the estate known as The Vineyard, the mansion house of which stood on the south side of Fort Avenue, opposite Andre Street. Local residents believed a mysterious foreigner about built it. Little is known about him. In 1924, part of the Garden Wall was still standing.

In 1924, when Locust Point and Fort Avenue were the subject of a two part article in the Sun of 1 June and 8 June1 by Emily Emerson Lantz, the school was known as the Industrial School #76. There were 1000 pupils enrolled. Such was the fame of the school that it had attracted visitors, educators, from all over the United States, South America and from other foreign countries.
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At this time (1924), the school offered vocational subjects such as the kitchen, the school bank, the electric shop, the wood shop, the metal shop, the machine and automotive shop, and a mathematics drawing room. Americanization classes, mathematics as it pertained to shops, home making, the social sciences, English, and physical education were also offered. The school was also noted for its open-air classes for consumptive classes, which it originated. The auditorium was used then, as now, for school assemblies, and also for meetings of the Locust Point Community. The Locust Point Athletic Club held its meetings in the schoolhouse.

By 192h, the Board of School Commissioners had acquired additional property on Port Avenue, extending 231 feet back to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.

The names of some of the former teachers at the school called from minutes and
proceedings of the Board of School Commissioners are: Miss Lamb, Kdg., 1929; Miss
Bar, Kdg., 1929; Miss Rosie, Elem, 1929; Miss Hattie, Elem., 1931; Mrs. Fulton, Jr.
High, 7th and 9th grades; Miss Reba, Elem., 1931; Miss Tazmebaum, Elem, 1931; Miss
Denton, 7th grade, 1937; Mrs. Jacobson, Jr. High, 1937; Miss Agnes M. Lake, 1929;
Miss Grace Guarino; Miss Mary E. Combs, 1929; Mrs. Mildred P. Cowles, 1929; Miss
Cornelia Deal, 1929; Miss Linda H. Harding, 1929; Mrs. Elizabeth (Evans) Wilkerson,
Elem., 1935; Mr. Francis Grill, 1929; Mr. White, shop. 1935; Mr. Healy shop, 1935;
Mr. Wilson, shop, 1935; Miss Iglehart, grades 1-9, 193~; Miss Tuschell, Jr. High,
1938; Miss Norden, music, 1-9; Mr. Gill, Jr. High, 1938; Miss Pyffe, Jr. High, 1937;
Miss Stinchoomb, Jr. High, 1937.

In the early 1960's, the school was remodeled, with a cafeteria and lunch room added.

Once Harry was driving to West Virgina and witnessed a car accident. The people were trapped inside as the car began to smoder. Harry used his box cutter from the grocery store to free them from their seat belts. The people were able to get out of the car in time. After that Harry and Audrey would never wear seat belts in the car.

Harry had friends out at the end of Route 40 who had jumping horses ( Jefferson)

Owned these horses: Stabled them at his brother Willie's Farm in AA co.
Sonny Boy Porter
Dainty Vision
[Broderbund Family Archive #110, Vol. 2 M-Z, Ed. 6, Social Security Death Index: U.S., Date of Import: Apr 6, 1999, Internal Ref. #1.112.6.99060.110]

Individual: Thompson, Harry
Social Security #: 212-26-4105
Issued in: Maryland

Birth date: Apr 17, 1911
Death date: Dec 1974

History of Francis Scott Key School
In 1851, an unknown person laid the foundation of Francis Scott Key School. It is likely that this person used her living room to teach the children of Locust Point. The city school records do not mention how many children or what they were taught. But it is apparent that most of the children taught were girls. In 1866, this local school was named the Female Grammar School, #16. In that same year the school was incorporated into the Baltimore City public School System. Commissioners of Public Schools report that two classes were housed within one apartment. A divider separated the learning areas so that the two teachers could effectively instruct the children. The report stated, "A hard task is that which these teachers have assumed. To perform it well was worthy of their ambition." The commission highlighted the hard work of these dedicated teachers by the notation "no supplies assigned to the school."

The year 1869 provides additional statistics. The Female Grammar School, #16, consisted of 82 students and 2 teachers. The principal, Georgia A. Duvall, earned $900.00 per year. Sallie E. Moore, her assistant earned $648.00 annually. In 1870, the school still showed an enrollment of 81 students. The staff consisted of Ms. Duvall and two teachers. Mary Callendar became the new assistant to the principal. By 1876, the school had grown to 114 students. But, there were still only two teachers. Ms. Callendar had become the principal.

In 1877, the Board of School Commissioners rented a building for $150.00 to house the school that had outgrown its two rooms. In 1881, the City Council gave permission to lease a lot for a new school house in Locust Point. The original site was on the corner of Hull and Clement Streets. Construction of a new building cost $10,000.00 Students moved into the building in 1882. The school was co-educational and became the first "Francis Scott Key School."

School Song
Key forever, Key forever,
Sing it loud and strong,
Here we find both love and learning
All the way along

Key forever, Key forever,
We will shout her name
Her loyal sons and daughters
Bring her fame

Rah, Rah, Rah!!!

More About Harry Leroy Thompson:
Burial: December 1974, Lakeview Memorial Park.
Issued in: Issued in: Maryland.¹⁵⁸
Occupation: 1961, Clerk at Schreiber Bros..
Social Security Number: Social Security #: 212-26-4105.¹⁵⁸

More About Harry Leroy Thompson and Audrey Eileen Thomas:
Marriage: August 24, 1935, Church of the Advent, Baltimore, MD.

Children of Harry Leroy Thompson and Audrey Eileen Thomas are: