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…
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PowerPoint: Pan Am Flight 214 Memorial Presentation
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…
Centuries Old Houses Wait on Winter at the top of the Elk River
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…
Flowers, Notes and Wreaths Placed at Crash Site
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…
The Holly Tree by the Tracks, A Maryland Christmas Tradition
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…
Singerly Remembers the Family Members of Flight 214
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….
Flight 214 Remembrance Program Goes on at Fire Station Despite Surprise Wintry Blast of Snow and Ice
An early, wintry blast of ice and snow hit Cecil County just before noon this Sunday, a couple of hours before the Flight 214 Remembrance Program started. The intensity of the storm caught weather forecasters off guard and by afternoon heavy snow was falling and at 7:45 p.m. Mt. Holly Weather reported that nearly 8-inches of snow…
Historical Society & Singerly Fire Company Greet the Families of Flight 214
Activities continue this Sunday for the “Community Remembrance” as Cecil County pauses to reflect on a tragic event a half-century ago when Pan AM World Airways Flight 214 crashed at the edge of Elkton. It was Dec. 8, 1963, that the big jet broke apart in fight and crashed at the edge of town. The community remembrance, hosted by the Singerly Fire…
Morning Call: “Remembering the Souls of Flight 214”
By Dan Sheehan, the Morning Call On a stormy Sunday night 50 years ago, an explosion over Elkton, Md., created a fireball so bright it caused street lamps in the rural town to shut off. Residents who had been readying for bed ran into the streets, scared and confused. Times were tense: The president had…
NBC 10 News: Plane Crash Half A Century Ago
As the Historical Society of Cecil County and the Singerly Fire Company prepare to pause and mark 50 years since the crash of Pan American World Airways Flight 214 at the edge of Elkton, NBC 10 News was in town today to discuss preparations for the “Remembrance Program.” The program takes places at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday…