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Just before Christmas, I paused for a few minutes in the quiet Union Bethel Cemetery in Cecilton.  A chilling December breeze gently swept over this old burial ground, and as I gazed at monuments for soldiers, ministers, teachers, mothers, fathers, working people, and children, one particularly caught my attention.  It was a regulation tombstone issued to soldiers by the United States Government, and etched permanently into this memorial was the name George Douglass, Co., E., 24^th United States Colored Infantry.

I paused for a few moments to remember this man’s service in a long-ago war. While I lingered, nothing in this tranquil spot—noise, automobiles, or people—distracted me as I thought about this young soldier’s era. Curious about the private’s service to the country, I decided I would get some information after Christmas.

On February 23, 1865, George Douglass, the 19-year-old from Cecil County, volunteered to enlist in Co. E of the 24th regiment in Philadelphia, PA. After putting his mark, an X, on the muster forms, he was transferred to Camp William Penn. According to the enlistment papers, for serving the nation for one year, he was entitled to a $100 bounty.

Private George Douglass died on March 25, 1926.  The headstone was shipped to his son Linwood Douglass of Cecilton in August 1940.

 

As a new year gets underway, the Historical Society of Cecil County’s winter speakers series continues on January 4, 2014, when Emily Kilby talks about “Reconstructing 100 Ruins.”

Several years ago the retired magazine editor’s curiosity was aroused by clusters of crumbling stone ruins and walls in the Fair Hill Nature Resources Management Area.  What was their story?  Who were the people living here?  What sorts of lives did residents of this corner of northeastern Maryland live before the small settlements vanished and the public roads and commercial establishments serving them disappeared.  The more she wondered about these historical curiosities the more convinced she became that she needed to look into this matter.

So the writer took a systematic, scholarly approach, an in-depth exploration of a previously unstudied subject in a scenic region of Cecil County.  Emily spent many weeks pouring over original, largely untapped sources materials, such as old pictures, maps, court documents, census registers, and family papers, and these provided original insights, revealing the lost histories of abandoned properties within the Fair Hill Natural Resources Management area.

Join Emily Kilby on January 4, at 2:00 p.m. at the Historical Society of Cecil County, 135 E. Main St., in Elkton for this free program that brings Fair Hill’s 19^th and early 20^th century world black to life.  As she presents her findings about home-sites, industries, and families whose traces remain hidden in the park, the writer will also share stories about the conventional and serendipitous research methods she used to discover the histories of some 100 forgotten properties.

 

As the day slipped quickly away and twilight settled on Cecil County on this busy last weekend before Christmas, the lights of the Conowingo Dam flickered to life.  In contrast to the frenzied day of last-minute shopping in downtowns and malls, the scene on the Susquehanna was quiet and settled this Saturday evening at this old river crossing.  Reflecting from the lake, a colorful array of lights glowed softly in the gathering darkness as people settled in for the longest night of the year.  The northwestern crossing from Cecil to Harford counties has always been an important one and earlier bridges made way for the Conowingo Dam, which opened in 1928.

Click here for a blog post on the long lost village of Conowingo

Port Deposit, Dec. 21, 2013 — Soon after twilight on this weekend before Christmas, the firefighters at Cecil County’s oldest company, Water Witch, had  Station 7 sparkling with holiday lights.

After the Civil War retail trade boomed in the United States and every community of almost any size had a lively business district where a range of retailers competed for business.  To help promote commerce, merchants passed out colorful trade cards to potential customers.  These attractively illustrated, brightly colored pieces of advertising were similar to today’s business card.  By the 1880s the items and heavy paper-stock were a major advertising method for merchants and they were popular.   Collectors of Cecil County ephemera are able to find a number of these eye-catching printed pieces.  Here were two that were issued in Elkton.  Many more were distributed throughout the county.

To honor the memory of those on Flight 214, JoAnn & Alan Gardner, volunteers at the Historical Society of Cecil County, developed this memorial presentation.  It was to be shown on the 50th anniversary of the crash at the Remembrance Program at Singerly Fire Station, but a sudden snow storm prevented many people from attending the program.  Since many people were unable to attend as travel conditions were dangerous, we are sharing the program on the Net.

Although we are still waiting for autumn to officially end in Elkton it seems as if Old Man Winter has sailed in for an early visit, getting in some practice with a few good blasts of ice and snow.  For the third time in a week, frozen precipitation fell this afternoon.

Most people were out getting ready for Christmas on this damp, frigid Saturday.  But I decided to check out a quiet spots in the old colonial town to see if the early arrival of the season enhanced the view at a historic place.  At Elk Landing, where the Big and Little Elk creeks meet the river, the ground was snow-covered and the scene was tranquil.  These centuries old homes have survived blizzards, howling winds, ice storms, and the blasts of frigid temperatures for centuries.  On the snow-covered ground, the relics of an earlier era presented an attractive scene as autumn draws to a close.

A surprise late autumn snow storm disrupted parts of Sunday’s Remembrance Program.  But since over 100 family members made it to the fire station the occasion continued, although the commemorative tribute at Delancy Road was cancelled.

Earlier this week, committee volunteers took the flowers, wreaths, and notes out to the crash site for the families unable to visit the memorial monument.  The fresh flowers, roses, and evergreens stood out nicely on the small snow-covered strip of frozen land.

Many community and family members were unable to make the trip to the program due to the road conditions.  Families trying to get across the Delaware Memorial Bridge phoned to say it was closed and similar reports came in about conditions elsewhere.

One of our objectives was to create a Flight 214 Archives so we taped many of the activities.  As we were anticipating an additional 50 family members and a large community turnout we will share portions of the recordings online, but it is going to take a few weeks to process the material.

One tradition for kicking off the Christmas Season in Cecil County was the annual lighting of the “Holly Tree by the tracks.”  The Baltimore & Ohio held its first public ceremony in 1948 when thousands of people gathered to ring in the season as lights from thousands of bulbs on the evergreen softly illuminated the Jackson, MD hillside. For many years the company dispatched a special train from Mount Royal Station for the occasion. After 1971, the B & O Holly Tree was dark for a time until a group of volunteers started making sure the tree festively blazed for the holiday season.

The magic of the 1954 lighting ceremony was captured on a 33 1/3 long-playing record. It included carols by the B & O Glee Club and the B & O Women’s Music Choir. That old vinyl, a long unheard broadcast, has sat silently on a shelf, but recently the audio was digitized so readers could enjoy the snap, crackle and pop of a vinyl recording from a long time ago.

Musical selections directed by Dr. James Allan Dash, a narration by the master of ceremonies Walter Linthicum, gasps of delight and loud applause, and much were captured on the record. So you may enjoy a portion of that festive occasion that took place over a half-century ago, we are posting side one of the vinyl audio here on the blog.  Click here to go to sound’s page and click the start button.  (note: it may take a few seconds for the MP3 file to start, so be patient.)

 

Sunday, as a surprise late autumn snowstorm caused major traffic difficulties in the area, the Singerly Fire Company of Elkton remembered those who lost their lives on the evening of December 8, 1963. 

Despite the dangerous conditions on area roadways, about 100 family members were able to make their way to the fire station on Newark Avenue. After the formal program, which went on as planned, the station was filled with conversation for a long time as departing families talked to each other, firefighters, and paramedics. 

Thank you Singerly for hosting this part of the weekend series of events as Cecil County remembered Pan Am Flight 214.