Richard Friend

Richard Friend is a graphic designer and the creator of Lost Laurel, curating both the website and Facebook page that has over 6,600 followers. He also published a book of the same name, which earned a 2015 St. George’s Day Award—given annually by the Prince George’s County Historical Society to honor living individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the preservation of the County’s heritage. Rich served on the Laurel Historical Society Board of Directors and Executive Committee, and donated design work for five consecutive annual exhibits and other programs at the Laurel Museum. He also produced a Lost Laurel video series for Laurel TV, covering a number of themes. In 2019, he designed and published Postmark Laurel—a 280-page collection of historic picture postcards ranging from the early 1900s to the 1990s.

Shared here is a collection of articles he's written for both laurelhistory.com and Voices of Laurel.

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Dude, Where's My Library?

The changing character of the Laurel Branch—through the eyes of a former employee

This Was No Joyride

A 1958 carjacking took one Laurel couple on a strange and terrifying trip.

The Wellford Murder

A 1958 carjacking took one Laurel couple on a strange and terrifying trip.

Bandana Patty

A life of bars and cars in the heyday of Laurel's honkytonks

The Hargis Murders

A horrific event rocked the quiet, then-new neighborhood of Fox Rest Woods in 1965 when the estranged wife of a U.S. Representative took the lives of their four children.

The Body in the Blue Building

More than twenty years later, conspiracies linger in one of Laurel's most mysterious deaths.

The Murder of Audrey Blaisdell

In 1973, young Audrey Blaisdell disappeared during a family bowling night at Fair Lanes Laurel.

The Safeway Murder

The senseless 1973 robbery and murder of Safeway employee Edie Miles shocked the community.

The Empty Lot on Cokeland South

A violent act in 1978 left a mark on Maryland City, both literally and figuratively

Windy

In 2016, we were touched by the tragic loss of one of our favorite people—Tastee Diner waitress Windy Floyd.

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Where the Streets Have ... Names

Discovering the origins of Laurel's street names

History at the Boarding House

The old building at 41 B Street had 40 rooms, a bad reputation, and countless stories.

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The Unluckiest Street Corner
in Laurel?

Main Street has a few recurring themes of tragedy from block to block—namely fires and suicides through the years—but nothing comes close to the bizarre history of the corner of Sixth & Main.