Dundalk Cadets

The cannons of the American Civil War had been silent only 22 years when another boom, somewhat milder and more melodic in tone, reverberated through the streets of Baltimore.
This was the beat of the newly organized Independent fife and drum corps of Baltimore. The year was 1887. Truly independent, the corps supported itself, chose its own turnouts, and was a closed society, drawing all of its members from St. James parish of the Catholic church.

As the Independent corps declined after several years, another group, also based in St. James Parish, arose. Led by drum major Fred Sparer, this was the Volunteer drum corps and their first turnout was in 1897. This early corps eventually became known as the St. James Cadets fife and drum corps, circa 1908, and built themselves a reputation within Maryland. The corps eventually converted to a full drum and bugle corps, circa 1938, participating in the 1939 MD American Legion (AL) state convention, placing 2^nd and 4^th in 1941.

The St. James unit competed in the annual Maryland Junior Open contest, winning the title four times, 1944 and 1946 to 1948, and twice taking the C. Maryland Kelly Jr. Memorial Trophy. They closed out the decade with a 2^nd place finish in the 1949 MD AL state championships, remaining active in 1950 before going idle over the next 2 years, returning to the field in the 1953 MD Junior Open tournament, placing 7^th. The St. James Cadets participated in their first National championship in 1954, finishing 21^st in the prelims of the AL Nationals.

Over the next 2 years, the corps once again saw limited action, returning to the 1957 AL Nationals, sporting a black satin blouse, white pants and red-plumed hats and qualified for the finals, earning a 10^th position finish. They went on to become the MD AL state champions in 1958 and 1959, while also competing in the 1958 Eastern States circuit championships, finishing in 4^th position. In 1958, the corps received support from the Dundalk AL Post 38 and when the St. James Cadets left the church in 1960, they became the Dundalk Cadets under official sponsorship by the Post 38.

The corps continued their streak of state titles, winning both in 1960 and 1961 and added a 3^rd place finish in the 1960 Eastern States round-robin. The next few years saw the corps remain active with 3^rd place finishes in the 1964 and 1965 AL state conventions, appearing in the 1966 AL Nationals, placing 30^thin the preliminary round. The group won the 1967 state championships along with a 2^nd place finish in the Eastern States circuit championship and improved to an impressive 18^th place in the prelims of the AL Nationals. The 1968 season got off to a rough start when, due to pressure from Post 38, the director and entire staff were forced to resign. One-third of the corps membership quit as the first 2 months of the summer were very tumultuous.

At the end of July, William Poorbaugh was appointed corps director and within 6 weeks, the corps went on to win the Eastern States circuit championships. In what would be their final season of competition, the Dundalk Cadets placed 2^nd in the 1969 state convention and 4^th in the Eastern States circuit contest. At the end of the 1969 season, the Dundalk Post 38 once again fired the staff that led to more defection, when 85% of the membership joined the Hamilton White Knights.

They disbanded in 1970.

Tim Downey; DCW, 6/22/90, p.14; Paul Legault (DCX)