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On a terrible December night fifty years ago Pan-American World Airways Flight 214 exploded in the dark Cecil County sky. On that unsettling cold, rainy Sunday, as lightning periodically illuminated Elkton, eighty-one people perished when the big plane broke apart in flight and debris rained down on a cornfield at the edge of the county seat.  Hours later, while Chief Edgar Slaughter steadily coordinated the tri-state response to Maryland’s largest loss of life accident and rescuers combed the wreckage, a first responder, Steward W. Godwin of the North East Volunteer Fire Company, suddenly collapsed and died.

Sunday, Dec 8th, 2013, the Historical Society of Cecil County and the Singerly Fire Company will host the “Flight 214 Remembrance Program,” honoring the memory of those on the flight and the emergency personnel who answered the call that stormy night. The program takes place at the firehouse at 300 Newark Avenue in Elkton at 2 p.m. and is open to the public.

Retired school superintendent Henry Shaffer will moderate the program. Henry, a 16-year-old rookie firefighter in 1963, was on the first fire engine to reach the disaster site.  Following greetings from Don Hicks, the fire company president, and Paula Newton, the Historical Society president, there will be a number of speakers. The afternoon includes the sharing of memories, reflections of loved ones, the Singerly story, and remembering a fallen comrade. There will be outtakes from the Society’s oral history collection and displays of material from the history group’s library, such as newspapers, the emergency radio communication tape, photographs, and television and radio news broadcasts.

For well over a year, as part of the Society’s mission to chronicle the past, volunteers have been busy creating a remembrance archive.  A major part of this involves interviewing witnesses, residents of the area, and family members and it also involves collecting research materials. The group has already done a lot of work and has found that with the greatest clarity, this searing incident is clearly imprinted on a generation of Cecil County residents and first responders.

In continuing with this initiative the event hosts will open up the Flight 214 listening station on Saturday, Dec. 7th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. During half-hour appointments, people will be invited to privately share their stories about the tragedy as oral historians working at recording booths, listen to people, ask a few questions, and record the conversation. If you are interested in an interview email the Society at remembrance@cecilhistory.org.

On this weekend for remembering the fire company will focus on interviewing its members who answered the call that December so long ago, according to President Hicks.  “While we pause and reflect on the painful tragedy that altered so many lives and is forever seared into the county’s history, we also want to recall the dedication of the emergency workers who rushed out into the threatening, stormy darkness to try to help.”

Although half a century has passed, “the memories are crystal to clear to those who lived in Elkton in 1963 or had family members on Flight 214,” Paula Newtown, remarked. “Over the years we have heard many personal stories about what people were doing at the time or what they witnessed. We felt it was our obligation as the county’s heritage keepers to preserve these memories so that this day is never forgotten.”

On November 14, 1963, Cecil County hummed with excitement as the President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, came to Cecil County to dedicate the Northeastern Expressway. This important public works project shaped the future of this corner of Maryland, and as planning for the massive highway got underway local economic development experts talked excitedly about the opportunities presented by I-95.

It would yield major dividends by spurring business growth, as commercial, industrial and residential development clustered near the interchanges, they anticipated.  By 1962, big earth moving machines scooped up earth, cutting a 300-foot wide path through heavily wooded, uncultivated areas, as workers rushed to build the highway across the top of the Chesapeake.

Exactly on the 50^th anniversary of this significant milestone, one that changed the area’s landscape, the Historical Society of Cecil County was asked to examine that unforgettable period for community business leaders at the monthly meeting of the Cecil County Chamber of Commerce.  Drawing on a large collection of resources, including photographs, newspaper accounts, governmental documents, oral histories, and economic development reports from a half-century ago, the Society discussed how what became the John F. Kennedy Highway shaped the growth and development of the area.

The Historical Society of Cecil County’s Winter Speakers Series continues on Dec 7, 2013, with a talk by Sean Moir. The speaker applies modern research methods to an old topic, the Philadelphia Campaign in the Revolutionary War and he approaches his subject from the perspective of a cartographer. Using historical temporal GIS mapping, Sean animates the story of the enemy invasion and the route through Cecil County.

As a professional mapmaker, he has worked with archaeologists to investigate the movements and engagements of General Howe during the campaign to capture Philadelphia and created evidence based interpretations. Detailed, computer-generated maps show how the troops moved, where they camped, and the engagement they were caught up in, during the first weeks of the famous Philadelphia campaign. This scholarly, fact based approach to inquiry into earlier times has resulted in a modern-age, animated map that allows the audience to closely follow along with events in 1777.

During the presentation, he will outline how on August 25, 1777, a fleet of 260 ships landed in the vicinity of Cecil Courthouse and Cecil Ferry on the Elk River. The army was low on supplies so General William Howe sent a division under General Wilhelm von Knyphausen into southern New Castle County to forage for supplies. That route brought the division ashore at the courthouse south of Chesapeake City and had units lodge near St. Augustine Church in Cecil County as the companies prepared to explore the territory north of present day Middletown. General Howe took the main British Army to Elkton or Head of Elk to rest and prepare for the advance toward Philadelphia.

On Sept. 3rd, the enemy army of 15,000 men broke camp and headed toward Aiken’s Tavern (today’s Glasgow). There advance units encountered a detachment of continental troops, Maxwell’s Light Infantry. As fighting continued, combatants fell back toward Cooch’s Bridge and Iron Hill, where the bulk of the action took place. Eventually Washington’s army was pushed back toward Wilmington and in time the fighting moved into Pennsylvania as Howe continued to advance on his objective, Philadelphia.

The free event takes place on Saturday, Dec. 7th at 2 p.m. the Society’s library at 135 E. Main Street in Elkton. Look for additional topics on the first Saturday of each month during the cooler weather months.

 

Firefighters respond to dozens of emergencies every day in Cecil County, rushing into burning buildings, extracting people trapped in automobiles, and providing pre-hospital medical care.  Mostly these calls are routine for the emergency responders.  But on what seems to be the most ordinary of runs these dedicated men and women face great danger while ensuring the safety of the community and sometimes these public servants give everything, falling in the line of duty.  The Service was reminded of this last Saturday as Captain David R. Barr was laid to rest.

Three Cecil County Firefighters have fallen in the line of duty while working incidents and it is important we make sure their ultimate sacrifice is never forgotten.  Perhaps someday there can be a Cecil County memorial, a place to carve their names in granite as a permanent memorial to honor the memory of these heroes who gave everything protecting the community.

• Captain David R. Barr, Jr., 64, a veteran Cecil County Firefighter, lost his life in the line of duty while on a call with the Community Fire Company of Perryville.  The Captain was on-the-job at an accident on Route 40 in Perryville on October 25, 2013, when he was struck by an automobile.  He succumbed to his injuries on November 7, 2013.  The career firefighter devoted his life to the fire service and to serving the citizens of Cecil County.  Whenever there was an emergency or something needed to be done in the firehouse, he was one of the first to volunteer and was often tapped to lead important functions.  He joined the Water Witch Fire Company of Port Deposit when he was 16 years old in 1966.  Professionally he worked as a federal firefighter, serving 34 years at the Perry Point Veterans Hospital, retiring from government service with the rank of Lieutenant.  In 2000 he joined the Community Fire Company of Perryville and was serving there as a Captain when he answered the final call.

• 

  Steward W. Godwin, 56 — On December 8, 1963, as lightning periodically illuminated the cold rainy night, five airliners flew in a holding pattern above Cecil County, awaiting clearance to land in Philadelphia.  Just before 9 p.m. Pam American Airways Flight 214, carrying 81 passengers and crew was struck by lightning and exploded.  A general alarm was sounded for all available ambulances. From the North East Fire Company, a unit rushed toward the cornfield just east of Elkton.  On that dark stormy Sunday night, as fire company search lights illuminated the field, emergency responders searched the scene, looking for survivors.  About 1:30 a.m. Steward W. Godwin, 56, of North East suddenly collapsed into the arms of Andrew Scarborough, another North East member, the News Journal reported.  He passed away at Union Hospital, the death being attributed to a heart attack.  He had been a member of the fire company for 18 months, according to the newspaper.

• Richard L. Loller, 37  – On May 18, 1956, the Chesapeake City Fire Company responded to an urgent call to assist Galena with a fire at the Kent Oil Company.  While battling the dangerous blaze, several explosions rocked the tank farm, the final one coming about 8:30 that Friday morning.  That last death-dealing explosion of a 6,000-gallon tank filled with gasoline sent part of the huge vessel soaring through the air.  Flying debris killed two firefighters and the extreme heat from the flash burned a dozen or more people close to the scene.  Richard  L. Loller, 37, of Chesapeake City and Robert Harry Brice, 24, of Betterton were killed after being hit by limbs falling from a tree.

For more on Cecil County’s Fallen Firefighters see the earlier article.

November, 16, 2013, Perryville, MD.  — On this sad day Cecil County emergency responders mourned the loss of one of their own, as David R. Barr, Jr. was laid to rest.  Answering an alarm with the Community Fire Company of Perryville on October 25th Captain Barr was directing traffic around a crash scene on Route 40 near the Susquehanna River Bridge when he was struck by an automobile.

The veteran firefighter was rushed to Christiana Hospital in Wilmington where he passed away eight days later on Thursday, November 7.  That Thursday afternoon a line of fire engines, ambulances, and rescue vehicles honored the memory of the Cecil County hero who laid down his life serving the public.   In a heartfelt tribute, units from all over the county escorted the Patterson Funeral Home hearse returning the body of the Captain home as the service sadly prepared to say a final goodbye to one of their own.   Police Officers stopped traffic along the route.

Hundreds of people attended the viewing Friday, November 15th, honoring the memory of the dedicated public servant and paying respects to the family.  Firefighters flanked the casket, standing watch and changing guard with military precision and slow salutes to their fallen brother, as family, friends, and emergency services personnel crowded into Station 6.

Saturday the first responder who made the ultimate sacrifice was laid to rest at the West Nottingham Presbyterian Cemetery with full fire department honors.  Over 600 friends, relatives, and colleagues attended as emergency workers from as far away Chincoteague Virginia said goodbye to a fallen brother.

To the mournful strains of bagpipes the flag-covered casket was lifted onto a fire engine for the trip to the cemetery.  At 12:57 p.m. a dispatcher’s voice crackled over the emergency radio network, but the transmission was unanswered.  After a few moments of silence the dispatch went out, Captain Barr had answered his last alarm and as the signal faded a siren broke the silence.

David dedicated his life to the fire service and to serving the citizens of Cecil County.  Whenever there was an emergency or something needed to be done in the firehouse, he was one of the first to volunteer and was often tapped to lead important functions. In 1966, at the age of 16, he joined the Water Witch Fire Company of Port Deposit, where he served in many capacities.  Professionally he worked as a federal fire fighter, serving 34 years at the Perry Point Veterans Hospital.  When he retired from government service he had worked his way through the, ranks, serving as a watch commander holding the rank of Lieutenant.  In 2000 he joined the Community Fire Company of Perryville and was serving there as a Captain when he answered the final call.

The Captain, who will be remembered as a man who loved his work, the fire service, and the community, is the third Cecil County firefighter to die in the line of duty.  Steward W. Godwin, 56, of the North East Volunteer Fire Company collapsed and died at the scene of an airplane crash in Elkton on Dec. 7, 1963.  Richard Loller, 37, of the Volunteer Fire Company of Chesapeake City died on May 18, 1956 at a fire call at an oil company in Galena.

End of Watch:  Captain David R. Barr, Jr.

It was a sad day in Cecil County as first responders from all over Maryland and the region came to Station 6 in Perryville to pay respects to Captain David R Barr, Jr., 64, a veteran Cecil County firefighter who lost his life in the line of duty.

The career firefighter devoted himself to the fire service and to serving the citizens of Cecil County. Whenever there was an emergency or something needed to be done at the firehouse, he was one of the first to volunteer and was often tapped to lead important functions.  He joined the Water Witch Fire Company of Port Deposit as a teenager, where he served in many capacities.  Professionally he worked as a federal fire fighter, serving 34 years at the Perry Point Veterans Hospital, retiring from government service with the rank of Lieutenant.  In 2000 he joined the Community Fire Company of Perryville, serving there as a Captain when he answered the final call.

On his final alarm on October 25, 2013, he was on-the-job at an accident on Route 40 in Perryville when he was struck by an automobile.  He succumbed to his injuries on Nov. 7, 2013.

This afternoon firefighters flanked the casket, standing watch and changing guard with military precision and slow salutes to their fallen brother, as family, friends, and emergency services personnel crowded into the Minker Banquet Hall to honor the memory of Captain Barr.

The public servant, who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving the citizens of Cecil County will be laid to rest Saturday.

For the full story on the 2013 annual meeting click here. 

AUTUMN IN CECIL COUNTY– Here are more photos of autumn’s beauty in Cecil County, as the colors of fall are near their height for the season.   Click here to see earlier photos.

Today was a perfect day for getting out an enjoying some of the beauty of Cecil County, historic and natural.  The leaves are bright with fall’s color in many areas, especially when the sun is shining.   So with the color near its most brilliant for the season, I decided to head up to the northeastern corner of the county, to travel to some out-of-the-way spots near the Mason Dixon Line, which established the boundaries for Pennsylvania and Delaware.

 

 

 

 

 

On this fine autumn Saturday members of the Historical Society of Cecil County gathered for the organizations 82^rd annual meeting.  The crowd socialized, heard annual reports, elected officers, talked about the past, enjoyed dessert, and participated in some excellent historical programming, during the afternoon.

President Paula Newton opened the assembly with remarks about activities this past year.  After the reports and election of new officers President Newton honored Lucia G. Demond with the presentation of the Ernest A. Howard Award.  The Society presents this prestigious recognition to individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the preservation of Cecil’s heritage, working in significant ways to promote, protect and preserve the built environment, folkways or relics of earlier times

Lucia, the sixth recipient, teamed up with her husband, Nick (a former president), contributing countless volunteers hours to benefit the county and the society.  Constantly working to shed light on the area’s past they broadened the work of the Society, which included increasing hours of operation and contributing numerous historic manuscripts with great research value.  In addition the couple was active in heritage preservation with other local organizations such as the Upper Bay Museum.  “We thank Lucia for her tireless lifelong effort to protect and preserve our historic resources and for serving as an ambassador, promoting the County’s heritage,” President Paula Newton remarked.

About the time the last photos had been snapped two youngsters from the 1860s burst into the meeting, excitedly shouting that the Civil War Chaplain, the Rev. Joseph T. Brown, was coming.  Rev. Brown served as a chaplain to the Maryland 6th Volunteer Regiment, and he was returning home to Cherry Hill, fresh from Libby Prison and the all too vivid memories of major battles.

It was now time for the audience to get involved as the excited youngsters urged them to hurry up and greet the returning veteran.  So as members spilled outside on this beautiful Saturday afternoon, they heard a voice off in the distance signing an old Methodist Hymn.  As the man walked toward the assembly, everyone soon saw that it was the Civil War Chaplin returning from Libby Prison.

Following greetings and handshakes from old friends who had been separated for some time, the tired veteran of major battles lead the crowd into the Cherry Hill United Methodist Church, where he took the pulpit to share first hand stories.  The account, mixed with great emotion, was from a man who had survived the great conflict and he told about selecting prisoners to be executed, hearing about the assassination of President Lincoln, and the experiences of terrible battles.  Periodically the Methodist preacher led the assembled audience in the signing of old hymns and those beautiful sounds filled the sanctuary.

Once Rev. Brown finished telling his Civil War story and interacting with the crowd, the Libby Prison Minstrels, a group of Civil War musicians, shared songs of the Civil War, using instruments of yesterday and today.  It had been a fine afternoon of inspirational true stories, participatory history, and special music as the members peeked into the daily life of a chaplain during the war.

Notes:  The Civil War Chaplain was played by Rev. Hubert Jicha of North East United Methodist Church.  The two youngsters from the 1860s were Riley and William Graham; and the script for the living history program was written by Eric Mease.