Because of Cecil’s advantageous location on the northeast corridor, the county sometimes came in contact with protest movements. Mostly they were sign-waving college age students passing through, on their way to demonstrate in Washington D.C., New York, or some other place of assembly where their anti-establishment passions would be heard. During the tumultuous 1960s and…
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Taking a Stand for Equal Treatment on the Mason Dixon Line in 1904
Nearly sixty years before Freedom Riders started a campaign to open restaurants, motels, bars, and other public places to all travelers on Route 40, Cecil County found itself in the middle of another Civil Rights divide. The Maryland Legislature decided the State needed a Jim Crow law in 1904 that required steamship lines and railroads…
Conowingo — A Susquehanna River Village That Vanished
If you are the type who likes to find lost villages, we have a little journey you might enjoy. To start, ask someone for directions to old Conowingo. But be watchful for that accommodating person might send you to a stretch of highway near U.S. 1 and Route 222. That commercial area is lined with a…
Perryville Railroad Site Accepted Into the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom
From the Amtrak History Blog Black History Month provides additional opportunities to highlight contributions by African-Americans to our national history and culture. Throughout the month, Amtrak is celebrating with various events and exhibitions at locations across the country. Amtrak is proud that in October 2014, a site on railroad property near Perryville, Md., was accepted…
Sharing the Story — Remembering World War II, a Program at the Cecilton Library
Seventy years have passed by since World War II ended. Over those rapidly passing decades, many of the stories of the warriors on the frontline and the families and communities on the home front have been told while some remained untold. But far too many are now being lost to the passage of time as…
On the Railroad to Providence
On the railroad to Providence, you didn’t go far and you didn’t go fast. But the twisting, rambling route brought railcars to the doors of manufacturers along the Little Elk Creek. The companies–grinding flour, making paper, processing wool, and producing other goods–were clustered along the valley stream over time. Before the railroad arrived, teamsters hauled…
Meet Rosie the Riveter as History Comes Alive at Chesapeake City Library, Jan. 12
Event Type: History Program at the Chesapeake City Branch, Cecil County Public Library Date: 1/12/2015 Start Time: 6:00 PM End Time: 7:30 PM Description: Join award-winning actress and Smithsonian scholar, Mary Ann Jung as she brings to life the fascinating story of Rosie the Riveter through the eyes of Rose Leigh Monroe who worked at…
Chang Woo Opens Chinese Laundry in Rising Sun
Earlier this year, a post on the Delmar Dustpan about “the Chinese on Lower Delmarva in 1900” caught my attention. As I read the informative article, I remembered an old Elkton businessman from the 1960s, Rodney Frazier, talking about meeting the first Chinese resident of Elkton as a youngster, when the laundry opened here. The…
Charlestown Volunteer Fire Company Deployed Two Boats in 1958
In the post-World War II era, Cecil’s fire departments ramped up services, reacting to the rapid growth in the county and the changing nature of emergencies. The Charlestown Volunteer Fire Company was one of those units, working to strengthen public safety. As the river community saw increased use of beaches and the inevitable water emergencies,…
It was a “once in a life-time” scene in Port Deposit – four Navy aircraft coming down the street.
On a Thursday just before Christmas 1956, residents of Port Deposit witnessed a “once in a life-time” scene, the “Harford Democrat and Aberdeen Observer” reported. Easing slowly down the narrow main street in the town nestled between granite cliffs and the Susquehanna River were four World War II aircraft. The planes, three fighters and a…