CAB Investigation Report for Eastern Airlines Crash in 1947 near Bainbridge, MD.
The National Transportation Library of the Department of Transportation has digitized numerous collections to provide easy access for DOT library customers and researchers. In that array of valuable research materials are the investigations of aircraft accidents from 1934 – 1965, the investigations of railroad accidents 1911 – 1993, and much more. Here is the link to the DOT library’s digital collections.
Of particular interest to researchers are two commercial airplane crashes in Cecil County. One involved an Eastern Air Lines Flight that took place near Bainbridge Naval Training Center on May 30, 1947. The other involved Pan American World Airways, which occurred at the edge of Elkton on December 8, 1963.
We had previously linked to those materials at the digital library but since readers often report trouble with the links, we are providing copies of the official Civil Aeronautics Board investigations here.
The Singerly Listening Station was open on July 12, 2014, and many of the most senior members of the fire department stopped by the company museum to share stories about serving the community decades ago. In this session we listened to past Chief John Turnbull talk about joining the ranks in 1963, some of the unforgettable incidents he was involved in, his time in charge of the department, and the changes he has seen.
Thank you Chief Turnbull for your service and for helping document the Singerly Story. This is a brief outtake of about 11 minutes, from a much longer interview. The longer recordings will be archived for research purposes, while we are streaming this segment.
Fifteen members participated in this initial oral history session, and we will be sharing more of those installments in the weeks ahead. We will also be doing additional interviews as we finish processing this initial batch of material.
Past Chiefs, John Turnbull (right) and Rodney Founds at the Station 13 dedication in 2013.
Hampton Scott talks to the Singerly Listening Station.
Elkton, July 24, 2014 — Today, a veteran firefighter, Leroy Hampton Scott, III (Scotty), sat down to help fill in Singerly Fire Company’s past at the department’s listening station. With over a half-a-century under his belt, the former assistant chief shared stories that are part of a structured initiative called the Singerly Listening Station, an oral history project documenting the public safety agency’s heritage and honoring the memories of those who served.
The teenager joined the ranks as a rookie in 1958. After that, he contributed countless hours to the service, fighting blazes, hanging onto the back of rushing fire engines, fundraising, and helping keep the organization running. He reached the rank of deputy chief before retiring from active duty.
Scotty had many recollections, but some stood out more than others. When the senior fire service leader was asked about an extraordinary thing etched in his memory, he quickly mentioned an event that took place 51 years ago this autumn, something he still vividly recalls.
“The things you got to do, but you’ll never get a chance to do again,” he explained. “As near as I am to you (about 5 feet away),” he motioned with a sweeping hand gesture, “I was that close to the president.” The Singerly junior officer was part of a November 14, 1963, detail, helping protect President Kennedy during his 62-minute visit to dedicate the new interstate highway.
Long before the chief executive touched down on Cecil County soil, security, crowd control, and safety arrangements had carefully been pinned down. Elite secret service men guarded JFK, Maryland and Delaware State Police established secure perimeters, and the fire department stood by at the landing site.
When Marine 1 came into view, newspapers estimated 5,000 people stood on the Mason-Dixon Line. That helicopter eased down to the ground, bringing the nation’s leader to the famous old Line where a speaker’s stand was set up for the ceremony. The Delaware National Guard “played Hail to the Chief” while the president walked to the stand to offer remarks.
The large, enthusiastic crowd greeted the energetic leader warmly on that memorable day in mid-autumn. As JFK, the governors and other dignitaries delivered speeches, an engine and rescue truck stood by in case they were needed. “I recall that Aetna Hose Hook and Ladder of Newark, Delaware, was there too since it was on the state line, and I believe we had an ambulance,” he noted.
“We were right up front. They wanted us nearby in case something happened, as it did eight days later.” Chief Edgar (Spec) Slaughter commanded the operation that day: “I was on 27, the old rescue. The rescue got placed closer in,” Scotty recalled.
After snipping the ribbon and unveiling a marker on the state line, the president shook hands while returning to the helicopter. At the door of the craft, he waved to the crowd before disappearing inside. “While the bird faded into the eastern horizon, the area was bathed in a dramatic sunset as people headed back to their cars on this chilly Thursday afternoon,” the Morning News reported.
Scotty was also a rural mail carrier in 1963, and when he came back to the post office on November 22, 1963, he learned about the death of the president. Everyone in Cecil County recalled that it was only eight days earlier that the president had visited Cecil to open the Northeastern Express, which was soon renamed the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway.
While many here had seen John F. Kennedy on that historic day, Scotty’s work as a rookie volunteer firefighter had allowed him to see the energetic, youthful man up close, making the entire sequence of events mean that much more to him, he concluded.
While most people settled down to listen to news flashes out of Dallas and to deal with the shock, Scotty wasn’t done. “I also worked with my dad in construction after finishing the mail. We had just poured concrete at the First National Bank of North East. I had to stay and finish the concrete, and everybody in the world was coming by to tell us what had happened.
This was just one of Scotty’s many stories, a moment when a volunteer fire department assignment brought him to the dedication of the new expressway, where he stood feet away from the President of the United States. His encounter with Kennedy was thrilling and was something he shared 51 years later. Since it is a unique Singerly story, we decided to share it now. A video summary of Scotty’s full interview will be posted in the next few weeks.
Residents hold signs greeting President Kennedy. Source: The Cheeseman Collection at the Historical Society of Cecil County
Singerly Fire Company officially kicked off an oral history initiative, the Singerly Listening Station, on July 12, 2014. Part of a larger process that is preserving and documenting the history of the department, the recordings will be archived in the company museum. Longer, raw footage is retained for research and future use. A shorter edited video production of about 10 minutes will feature highlights from each interview.
For the first session, fifteen of the most senior members gathered to reminisce and share memories, speaking from first hand knowledge and experiences.
In this interview, a past president and assistant chief, Walt Morgan, shares the story about over a half-century of volunteer service, having joined in 1961.
Look for additional screenings of interviews in the weeks ahead, as we archive and edit over 9 hours of recordings.
This is an ongoing process and a data collection strategy has been devised. The company started with the oldest members and in the months ahead more interviews will be done. In addition as command officers (administrative and line) retire from positions, they will be interviewed.
As we continue our work, here is Walt sharing the narrative about over a half-century of volunteer service in Elkton and Cecil County.
Cecil County’s GIS Map is a helpful product for family and local history research, as well as everyday use. This video provides a brief overview of some of the system’s capabilities and demonstrates some of the navigation options.
In the early 20th century, Port Herman was the place to be during the hot, humid summer months. The small waterfront community on the Elk River shore attracted city folks seeking to lighten the oppressiveness of the season by catching fresh breezes and enjoying the cooling water.
Elk River House
It all started in 1843 when Robert H. Thomas, an entrepreneur from Philadelphia, purchased a large tract along the Elk River from John Rawlings. He planned to develop the land that had been part of Augustine Herman’s vast Bohemia Manor estate and, in short order, improved his holding. Streets, such as Cherry, Front, and Second, were laid out, and the land was subdivided into building lots.
The Cecil Whig reported that the businessman also built a steam saw and plaster mill and began a large steam-driven cotton factory. Mr. Thomas’s involvement with steam and the capabilities provided by his sawmill must have created an interest in boat construction, for in August 1852, the Whig noted that he was having a steamboat built.
Port Herman’s “little steamer,” the John C. Groome, was launched that year. The vessel needed no pier because it was only 21 feet wide, and with a shallow draft, it was designed to run to Elkton, the Head of Sassafras, the Head of Bohemia, and other narrow tributaries inaccessible to larger steamers.
Working out of Port Herman, the vessel was running up the waterways at the head of the Chesapeake when the next sailing season arrived. An auxiliary boat, she connected with the Philadelphia and Baltimore boat, the Lady Wilmer, at Port Herman.
In the 1850s, Mr. Thomas sold his building lots to Thomas Marshall, James Van Horne (a steamboat captain), G. A. Thompson, and others. During his time, he built a few more boats. When the executors settled his estate in the late 1850s, one unfinished vessel was on his Port Herman property.
Area farmers used Port Herman and its facilities to ship crops to city markets. There was a wharf, warehouses, and a store on the 1877 Atlas of Cecil County.
The year the steamboat launched was a time for big happenings in Port Herman. A few months after that important event, the Postmaster General gave villagers a place to post and pick up mail. “Seventy inhabitants and fifty families living within two miles of Port Herman now had regular mail facilities, the Cecil Democrat observed.
According to government records, Thomas C. Mashall served as the postmaster. In his first half-year of business, the postmaster collected $3.17 and received $3.28 in compensation. Somehow, about two months before the pivotal, bloody Civil War battle at Gettysburg, the federal bureaucracy found time to shut down the little station (April 7, 1863).
A school, the Town Point School, opened in 1877, just outside the village. Located where the road branches off to Town Point, it was adjacent to the store of W. S. Way, Esq, on land previously owned by Col. Joshua Clayton. It superseded an earlier one listed in county records as being in Port Herman. The building was sold for $166 in 1938, according to “Cecil County, Maryland Public Schools 1850-1958.
A large boarding house or summer hotel, the Elk River House, opened in September 1888. Having rooms for 50 boarders, Thomas Griffin built it for Wm. J. Fears. Two years after the hotel opened, the Elkton Appeal editorialized that the number of city residents who could afford to spend summertime in the country was increasing. “This is seen in the numbers of people who have visited the few boarding places open the past summer along our rivers.”
A postcard of the Elk River House in 1907. (source: personal collection)
Port Herman’s hotel capitalized on the growing vacation trend, becoming an annual gathering place for long vacations. A July 1919 advertisement said, “Elk River House Now Open – boarding by meal, day or week. Automobile and yachting parties taken care of – WM. FEARS.”
The year before World War I was a progressive one. Citizens formed the Town Point Improvement Association, which had better roads for the area as its chief goal. Everyone residing in Town Point Neck was invited to join.
On the Fourth of July 1916, the Improvement Association hosted the “first celebration” on the banks of the Elk River, surrounding the hotel.” Celebration-goers were favored with the finest weather, as several hundred visitors in automobiles and boats attended.
Port Herman
It was a great day in the village. In the morning, there was a parade, a patriotic speech, songs, and refreshments. After lunch, boat and tub races and a ball game were featured. Illuminations, fireworks, and a phonograph concert in the evening finished off a perfect day.
During a fierce wind and rain storm, ground was broken for the new Town Point. M.E. Church in February 1916. By September, residents were invited to participate in the “most important event in the history” of the village, laying a cornerstone of the new Methodist Church. Previously the church had met in a building that was either a vinegar mill or a blacksmith shop, old postcards indicate.
They wouldn’t miss a summer holiday that year before the Great War disrupted life. On Labor Day, the American Mechanics raised a flag and conducted a patriotic program at the school, which had been enlarged to accommodate the area’s increasing population. After the celebration everyone marched over to the church where a lawn party was held.
Today the Elk River House is on the market, according to a sign on Front Street. But in 1998, I had the pleasure of speaking with the elderly owner, Franconia Johnson. She recalled hearing older residents talk about the summer hotel. “The Ericsson steamer would bring vacations down from Philadelphia each Saturday during the summer, and the hotel would send its wagon down to the pier to pick up the guests.
After World War II, Mrs. Johnson recalled that Bob Fears had a public beach along the shore. He built a concession stand, a bathhouse, and summer cottages to accommodate guests. The cottages were rented for the season, she remarked. And each year, when the summer months rolled around, the village freshened up as guests looked forward to a vacation here. Dips in the river, crabbing, canoeing, rowing, and launching, all the favorite water sports were on the schedule. Of course, there were walks on the beach, dances, enjoyable meals, camping, music, picnicking, and much more at this breezy spot on the Elk River.
This picturesque, little riverside community preserves a unique part of Cecil County’s history.
A birds-eye view of the Perry Point Village, from a postcard, circa 1922. Source: personal collection
As the United States advanced plans to support combat in World War I, the federal government purchased some of Cecil County’s most scenic property, the Perry Point estate. This expansive 516-acre tract at the head of the Chesapeake Bay was leased to the Atlas Powder Company early in 1918, and by March the erection of the huge explosives plant was underway.
Along with the production facilities, the company also built a village for the workers. This community contained over 200 houses for workers. Also there was a school, parks, stores, motion picture theatre, church, fire house, everything a modern 20th century town needed, according to the Architectural Review of January 1919.
The 6,500 construction men advanced the work rapidly, but the war ended quickly. So the government converted the plant into a medical facility for the treatment of veterans in 1919. The U.S. Public Health Service managed this hospital, and the Veterans Bureau took over the campus in 1922.
Beginning with the powder plant there was a fire department, which adjusted over time as the purpose of Perry Point evolved. By the late 1920s The Perry Point VAH Fire Department protected the hospital, dwellings in the village, nurses’ quarters, schoolhouse, theatre, club, stores, warehouses, and other structures.
To carry out this protective service, one fire marshal and thirteen firefighters were detailed to the station, four men working a shift, in the late 1920s. The department operated an “American La France pumper, one White Chemical Truck and one American-La France combination chemical and pumping machine, with a Ford light truck” to carry equipment, according to the Perry Point Bulletin, June 1929.
To call out this modern force, 33-pull boxes were distributed around the campus. Pulling the handle caused a large gong to ring out the number of the activated box. While the calls sounded on a bell, a permanent tape punch machine recorded the call box number, too. Test runs revealed a rapid response, as it took 59-seconds to answer the average call, the Bulletin reported.
Another aspect of the Federal protective services was the police department. In the late 1920s, the force consisted of a chief and ten patrolmen. Officers were on duty around the clock. Someone was continuously assigned to the gate, while other men made patrol rounds.
The Perry Point Fire Department, From the Perry Point Bulletin, Feb. 1930 in the collection of the Historical Society of Cecil County.
A postcard dated April 1922, with the following message: “Our fire engine house, U.S. Veterans Hospital # 42, Perry Point, MD. : Source: Personal Collection
Another image of the Perry Point Fire Department from a postcard. Circa: 1920s. Source: Personal Collection.
A USCT Reenactor at the dedication of the Charles Sumner GAR Post in Chestertown.
While attending an excellent event hosted by the Kent County Arts Council to mark the reopening of the Charles Sumner GAR Post # 25, we listened to an informative and engaging talk by Dr. Clara Small. The retired Salisbury University professor sketched out the history of the post, the United States Colored Troops in Maryland, and life before the modern-era Civil Rights movement. As we listened to her remarks, we thought about a little title from the days of slavery in Cecil County, the “Unwritten History” by Bishop Levi J. Coppin.
The Bishop was born in Fredericktown, Maryland thirteen years before the Civil War started. His mother, Jane Lilly, taught the youngster to read and write, and at 17, he began to study scriptures. After moving to Wilmington when he was 17, he joined the Bethel AME Church. In 1877, Levi became a minister, becoming the 30th Bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. During his lifetime, he also served as an editor, educator, and missionary. Coppin University is named after his wife, Fanny Jackson Coppin. She was a noted educator.
The Bishop published his autobiography in 1919. “Intermingled with this ‘Unwritten History’ is the story of my life. . . Those who are fond of reading novels about men who never lived, and things that never did and never will happen, may enjoy a change to something that is historic and real,” the foreword notes. Of the nine chapters the first five concentrate on Cecil and Kent counties and his life here. The fifth chapter is entitled “Farewell to Cecilton.” He passed away in 1924.
This book is a helpful, seldom-used local source for anyone studying the antebellum, Civil War, and Reconstruction eras on the Delmarva Peninsula. In the antebellum period, many landowners in the lower part of the county relied on slave labor to harvest crops and perform plantation work. This valuable title provides information on the families in the area, slavery, some insight on the Underground Railroad, the arrival of Union Troops in the town, news of Emancipation in Lower Cecil, and life in general for African-Americans during the slave era in Cecil County.
“Imagine the feeling of our people at the first sight of colored men in soldier’s uniform,” the Bishop writes. “When the call was made, generally, many responded. When, later on, a recruiting office opened in Cecilton by Lieutenant Brown, some of our boys who had joined the army were selected to come, now as soldiers, to their own homes and induce others to enlist. Under shoulder arms, they would march through the little village, “as proud as Lucifer and without fear. While Lt. Brown and his men remained, many volunteered. Some slaves, whose masters still held them in bondage, came to the recruiting office, enlisted and placed themselves under the protection of the flag. When the colored soldier came, it left no doubt as to whether or not freedom had some.”
In another section, he talks about news of the Emancipation Proclamation. “Father Jones was promptly on hand with Lincoln’s proclamation, but there was no one present with authority to say to the slave, “You are free, so all were in suspense . . . .”
Speaking of the Underground Railroad, he writes: “The talk of war so absorbed the thought of the people and controlled public sentiment that the colored people were no longer the sole objects of attention. The fact is no one was buying slaves, for it began to look like they would be set free. This put the Georgia Trader out of business. The slaves were not watched so closely. Some masters boldly said if their slaves ran away, they would not try to find them. Under the influence of this changing sentiment, quite a number made their escape, some going no farther than Pennsylvania but even more, going to New Jersey. But many concluded to stand still and see the salvation of God. . . “
This digitized e-book, available on the Internet Archive, will help local and family history researchers investigate this era.
The Unwritten history by Bishop Levi J. Coppin available on the Internet Archive
On a side street in Warwick stands a red brick building. This structure, the “Warwick Academy,” was built just before the Civil War swept over the nation, the exact year of erection being recorded in a date stone in the south gable, which reads: “Warwick Academy Institute built A.D. 1859.”
it served as the community’s schoolhouse for decades. During those days, the village on the Mason Dixon Line was a thriving crossroads community, located between Middleton, Delaware and Eastern Shore town. About 400 people lived there in 1880, a place that had abundant crops and fruits, according to the Maryland Directory of 1880. Once a new frame building with two-classrooms was erected by Levi Patterson on Main Street in 1890, the older facility was turned into an institution of learning for African-Americans living in the area of the state line.
At some point in the 20th century, the old Warwick School became a private residence.
Many of Cecil County’s rural communities once had small schools. As late as 1928, there were forty-two one-room schools and seven were for African-Americans, according to the School Board annual report in 1965.
The modern two-room school was built in 1890, according to Ernest Howard’s history of Cecil County Schools.
The Warwick Academy once served as the town’s African-American School.
ELKTON, June 6, 2014 — The Town of Elkton announced that the 13th officer to command the Elkton Police Department was appointed Chief of Police on June 6. The former second in command, Matthew J. Donnelly, assumed leadership of the force with 42-sworn personnel on that date, but he had been acting as the executive since July 2013, when Chief William Ryan, Jr. retired. Holding practically every job with the agency, he joined the department in October 1989.
As the leadership is handed over to a new commander to guide the department in the early 21st century, it’s a good time for a historical list, a register of the Chiefs who led the agency for over 100 years. The town has had some form of law enforcement since the 19th century, the officer being called a bailiff in those formative years. This official preserved the peace, took care of streets, impounded wild animals, collected taxes, carried messages for the council, and served as the lamplighter.
In 1908, George M. Potts was appointed to a two-year term as bailiff. Gradually during his time the essentials of a modern police department slowly emerged and the bailiff was regularly called Chief Potts by Elkton’s press corps. And in time the town started conferring that designtion on the officer, and he became the first person to answer to the title of chief.
After faithfully serving the municipality for 27-years, Chief Potts retired in 1935. Here is a list of the commanders.
1908 – 1935 . . . George M. Potts 1936 – 1938 . . . W. Coudon Reynolds 1945 – 1948 . . . W. Coudon Reynolds 1948 – 1962 . . . William H. White 1962 – 1980 . . . Thomas N. McIntire, Jr. 1981 – 1983 . . . Frederick Nebrauer 1984 – 1993 . . . Calvin Krammes 1993 – 1995 . . . J.D. Ervin 1995 – 1998 . . . Bruce Speck 1998 – 2000 . . .Charles Jagoe (Acting Chief) 2000 – 2003 . . . Daniel Mahan 2004 – 2005 . . . Richard Pounsberry, Jr. 2005 – 2013 . . . William E. Ryan, Sr. 2013 – 2014 . . . Matthew J. Donnelly (Acting Chief) 2014 – 2020 . . . Matthew J. Donnelly
2020 – Pres . . . Carolyn Rogers
Acknowledgment: Assistance with this list provided by Michelle Henson, Town of Elkton Administration, and Tracy Holter, of EPD, Chief Donnelly’s secretary.
The Elkton Police Department acquired this patrol car, in the late 1930s. (L to R Mayor Taylor McKenney, the night officer, and Chief Potts). This was the first county or municipal police vehicle in Cecil.
Note:
Updated Aug. 2022 to reflect appointment of Chief Rogers
