January 8
The Shop keeps rolling along. Confectionery companies need their kettles replaced and repaired. There are several condensers being manufactured for Horsey Distilling. A cold, but busy month to start the year.
February 20
The Kavanagh crew is working on a repair for Weissner’s Brewery. Young Joe phones a Mr. White at Hannis Distilling to quote some work. A pipe they want fabricated to connect to Baltimore Distilling’s storage tank. Martin and several gents are in Cleveland for an installation. Patrick, Uncle Joe’s brother, suffers a stroke. He is at home at 233 Albemarle Street. Joe and his nephews(except for Martin) rush home. Patrick is in and out of consciousness. After several days, he slips into a coma. His wife, Katherine, stays by his side tending to him. The family prays for Patrick, but there seems to be little hope of a recovery.
March 17
Patrick Kavanagh dies. On St. Patrick’s Day, by coincidence. The family mourns deeply for him. Joe is the last surviving sibling of his generation. Both brothers and his sister have passed on. Patrick was a hard working man. A carpenter who worked primarily in ship building. Though he never worked at the Shop, he was Joe’s closest confidante. They were as close as brothers could be. Patrick and Katherine had nine children. Seven boys, two of whom, died in childhood. All five of the other boys work for Joe. As I said, Patrick never worked at the Shop, but having five sons who did is pretty close to working here. His passing was very painful for the Kavanaghs. He is my great-great grandfather. He traveled to America as a teen. The eldest of Alice’s children. He went to work at an early age to help support his family. He was the one that Alice leaned on the most when they arrived here. He married and raised a large family. By now, his descendants must be very close to one hundred people. Joe becomes the patriarch of the Kavanaghs. A heavy burden made heavier by employing the five nephews. Joe is fine with this and gladly takes on any additional responsibility. Mostly, he misses his brother. Patrick is buried in New Cathedral Cemetery with his mother. Many more Kavanaghs will follow.
April 19
The Orioles open up their season today in Boston. Losing to the Americans, 7-6. Joe and his boys are still saddened by Patrick’s passing. They still chat about the Orioles at work as this season begins. Perhaps, a bit less passionately, but they are always fans. The younger Joe seems to be getting better and better at bringing in work, balancing the Shop’s schedule and making sure they get paid. He is a good manager and a terrific salesman. Eugene and Frank are working at Bauernschmidt’s Brewery. Martin and James are installing the condensers at Horsey’s.
May 12
Baltimore’s own, Joe Gans, wins the light heavyweight championship of the world in Toronto.
June 27
Today the Shop receives a shipment of copper block and sheet. The raw materials they use to make the things they make. Most of the day is spent unloading and placing the copper in the back of the building where it is stored. The crew has plenty to do as the steamer work has returned. Also, Martin and James are taking some measurements at Sherwood Distilling. The topic of discussion is baseball.
The Orioles are off to a rough start. John McGraw will be suspended then fired for his on field antics. The aggressive play that his team has used in the past is frowned upon in the new American League. McGraw is replaced by Wilbert Robinson. He won’t be able to save this team from a dismal last place finish.
August 14
A humid day finds most of the Kavanaghs out of the Shop. Eugene is in NY taking measurements for a job. Martin and James are in PA doing the same. Frank and several boys are repairing some beer vats at White Brewery. The rest of the employees are working on some steamship parts and the usual cooking vessels. The two Joes speak as they eat their lunch. The elder Joe passing along some details about their work. In particular, they talk about distilling and rye whiskey. The younger Joe takes note of all he can. His uncle is a font of knowledge if the subject is copper and whiskey.
October 9
The Orioles do, in fact, finish in last place. A terrible year for the team. It will get worse. The Shop works on a repair for Globe Brewery. Plus, they have a fair amount of commercial cookers to make for the growing number of restaurants and eateries in Baltimore. At the end of the day, Martin fills twelve bottles with their homemade rye. Unbeknownst to his uncle or his brothers, Martin has been making a few bucks selling the rye to small pubs. Presented in unmarked bottles. It is a cheap bar whiskey for the less discerning customer.
December 16
The Shop hums along quite busily. Today they work on a repair for Gunther’s Brewery and a decorative copper fountain. Martin and Frank are at Monticello Distilling on a repair job. It’s been a good year, but not their best. Joe is content that they are making money and the volume of work is plentiful. His thoughts are often with his brother now. Patrick is the father of the next generation of his business. While Joe has provided jobs and security for them. They provide a future for his business, for the Shop. Without the nephews, Uncle Joe would know that his business will disappear when he dies. Because of Patrick’s boys, he is able to begin a tradition. A legacy. When the Shop passes to the next generation, it will be merely the first inter-generational step in preserving this old place. It will continue for five generations. The sixth generation works here now. I am their Uncle Joe.
Teddy Roosevelt is the President of the United States. The first Rose Bowl is played between Michigan and Stanford. Two senators from South Carolina have a fistfight while Congress is in session. Texaco is founded. Air conditioning is invented. The Philippine-American War ends. Roosevelt becomes the first president to ride in an automobile. John Steinbeck, Thomas Dewey and Strom Thurmond are born.
There remain 45 states in the Union.
The Shop - A History of the Joseph Kavanagh Company 