In the middle third of the 20th century, many Cecil County towns had moviehouses. One of those enjoyable places was the Cecil Theatre in Cecilton, where nightly shows (except Sunday) were offered in air-conditioned comfort on a beautiful, wide-screen. “The Naked Dawn” starring Arthur Kennedy and Bella St. John, was playing in Technicolor, along with “A Twinkle in God’s Eye” starring Mickey Rooney and Hugh O’Brian, according to an advertisement in the Middletown Transcript on May 24, 1956. There were also cartoons, news and sports shorts.
Playing at the Cecil Theatre in Cecilton in May 1956
For more on the history on the history of the Cecil Theatre see this blog post
Johnston’s History of Cecil County, an important reference for anyone doing genealogy or local history is available from several sources.
When the researcher needed to work with an out-of-print book for some purpose a decade ago, there were a limited number of options. The investigator could purchase the title through an out-of-print book dealer or arrange to visit a special collections library or historical society where the volume was safely stored away. But these days many of those old titles are readily available on the Internet as they have been digitized.
Some of the best digital libraries include:
Hathi Trust Digital Library — A partnership of major research institutions and libraries working to ensure that the cultural record is preserved and accessible long into the future. There are more than 80 partners in Hathi Trust, and membership is open to institutions worldwide.
Digital Public Library — The Digital Public Library of America brings together the riches of America’s libraries, archives, and museums, and makes them freely available to the world. It strives to contain the full breadth of human expression, from the written word, to works of art and culture, to records of America’s heritage, to the efforts and data of science. The DPLA aims to expand this crucial realm of openly available materials, and make those riches more easily discovered and more widely usable and used, through its three main elements:
Internet Archive — The Internet Archive was founded to build an Internet library. Its purposes include offering permanent access for researchers, historians, scholars, people with disabilities, and the general public to historical collections that exist in digital format.
Google Books — If the book is out of copyright, or the publisher has given permission, you will be able to see a preview of the book, and in some cases the entire text. If it’s in the public domain, you are free to download a PDF copy
Here are some examples of helpful genealogy and local history titles available on the web:
When the cool autumn weather arrives it will once again be time for the Historical Society of Cecil County to kick-off its popular speakers’ series for the 2013-14 season. Beginning in the middle of autumn and stretching all the way through the cold months of winter, the Society hosts a series of lively, engaging speakers on fresh topics that have popular appeal, introduce new research or provide practical, how-to instruction. The programs take place on the first Saturday of each month at 2:00 p.m. at the Cecil County History and Genealogy Library at 135 E. Main Street, Elkton, MD.
Now that the 1960s are history and not just nostalgia the Society is opening an exhibit this fall that celebrates and studies the happenings of that era locally so the monthly lectures kick-off with a program delving into the period. On October 5thMilford Sprecher examines “Elkton in the 1960s.” This first-time lecture captures the spirit of those years locally and provides the perspective of someone who came of age during that pivotal time.
There will be practical, how-to research subjects also. Emily Kilby’s “Reconstructing 100 Ruins,” delves into exploring the past that is nearby and all around us in Fair Hill and we will have a workshop on researching the history of your old house.
Sean Moir applies modern methods to an old topic, “The Philadelphia Campaign in the Revolutionary War.” He approaches the session from the cartographer’s perspective and uses historical temporal GIS mapping to animate the story and the route through Cecil County.
Once a hint of spring arrives again in Cecil, it will be time to wrap up the series, but we are planning a particularly exciting theme to end a great season. The last event takes place in April as the Society brings you “Pass the Rum: the Rise and Fall of Temperance and Prohibition in Cecil County.” Following the fun-filled discussion guests are invited to attend the First Annual Bootlegger’s Ball. You will have to stay tuned for details as our Bootlegger’s Ball sponsor, Beth Boulden-Moore, lines things up for our guests.
Watch for an announcement outlining the 2013-14 schedule and for detailed announcements about each individual program as the particular months roll around. The place to stay up-to-date with the latest news is the Society’s History blog at www.cecilhistory.org/blog. Also be sure to check for regular updates and any last-minute changes, such as weather cancellations.
The volunteers at Cecil County’s History and Genealogy Library are excited about the engaging free humanities programs of county-wide interest that we have lined up for our popular series. Look for the full calendar on this history news blog shortly and be sure to hold the first Saturday of each month on your calendar for these new events.
Emily Kilby doing some research with the colonial era road books in preparation for her talk on “Reconstructing 100 Ruins” the story about the past that is all around us at Fair Hill.
The Library Company of Philadelphia (LCP), an independent research library focused on American Society and Culture, has an extensive collection of non-circulating rare books, manuscripts, broadsides, ephemera, prints, photographs, and works of art. Building on those strong resources, this repository, America’s oldest cultural institution, has been busy creating digital products to share with a broader audience of scholars and public investigators.
Today, we were using Google, a valuable tool for studying the past, to search for seldom-seen photos of some of the old B & O Railroad stations along the company line in Cecil County. The search engine immediately took us to the LCP’s online exhibit of the railroad’s Philadelphia Division images.
In March 1891, a group of B & O employees set out from Baltimore riding on a railroad hand cart to inspect and photograph bridges and stations along the recently completed 111-mile Philadelphia Division linking Baltimore and Philadelphia. Along the right-of-way, the group photographed 78 bridges, culverts, and 37 of the nearly 70 stations on the line.
We were delighted to find many seldom-seen photos of stations and railroad properties in Delaware and northeastern Maryland and thought our readers might have an interest in this resource. There are also other digital collections.
Thank you Library Company of Philadelphia for helping to make these materials readily available.
B & O Railroad Station, Aiken, MD. 1891. Source: Library Company of Philadelphia.
B & O Railroad Station, Aiken, MD. 1891. Source: Library Company of Philadelphia.
Every four years, voters turn out to elect a sheriff in Cecil County. The race for that position has historically drawn some of the greatest interest and as elections near politicking often becomes intense. Here is a picture from a campaign of some fifty years ago. In the undated photo, Nathan “Juicy” Kaplan, a former Maryland State Trooper, is out working to get votes. He was first elected to the top law enforcement post in 1950, serving for 8 years. He is apparently once again seeking the office as a political advertisement ask voters to return experienced law enforcement to Cecil County. He is with Marvin Mandel, who served as the Governor of Maryland beginning in 1969. Before that Mandel served in the legislature as the speaker of the house.
A stream along the Mason Dixon Line in the Fair Hill NRMA.
Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area, August 17, 2013 — Saturday evening we attending the “Howl Prowl” at the Fair Hill NRMA. As part of the 250th anniversary of the Mason Dixon Line, the park sponsored the over 3-mile hike, examining the history of the boundary and the natural terrain on the border of Pennsylvania and Maryland.
Accompanied by a crowd of people and dogs, the walk got underway at 6:30 p.m. Saturday evening as Ranger JoAnn Kricker and the park naturalist took us on an informative and enjoyable walk. Through the deep woods, up and down steep hills and rocky inclines, and over small streams we went, while learning about history and nature here on the state line. Along the way we visited original markers, while pausing here and there to consider the natural landscape and how that affected the work of surveying the line.
By the time we returned to our starting point, walking past the old Center Schoolhouse, dusk was setting on Cecil County on this comfortable evening for strolling in mid-August. It was an enjoyable and informative walk. Thank you Fair Hill NRMA and staff for a delightful program.
It was dusk as the “howl prowl” returned to its starting point at the Fair Hill NRMA.
Historical Society Curator Lisa Dolor, and her staff, are working on an exhibit about the 1960s in Cecil County. As a result, they have been digging through the old newspapers looking for appropriate material, photographs, and advertisements. This one from 1960 for the Milk Bar caught our attention.
At the Milk Bar in Cecil County. Cecil Whig Advertisement, 1960
Helen Orr works the new switchboard at the Cecil Farmers Telephone Company in March 1952. Source: Cecil Whig, March 27, 1952.
In the post World War II era, the Cecil Farmers Telephone Company of Rising Sun was growing To accommodate the addition of subscribers, the company added a new switchboard (manufactured by Stromberg-Carlson Company of Rochester, NY) in March 1952. The Rising Sun company was serving 850 subscribers at that time, but a new board added positions for 200 more. In 1940, the company was serving 423 subscribers. Helen Orr worked the new board on the day the photograph was snapped.
Officials with the Cecil County Board of Education were excited as the new school year got underway in 1951. The system had eight new school buses ready to relieve overcrowding in the pupil transport system. The vehicles were going to be used in the Perryville, Rising Sun, North East and Calvert areas, according to Edwin Barnes, supervisor of pupil personnel.
Eight new school buses for Cecil County in 1951. Source: Cecil Democrat, Sept. 13, 1951
Singerly Fire Company’s oldest and newest firefighting apparatus in 1966. Source: Cecil Whig, April 20, 1966
In 1966, the Singerly Fire Company proudly arranged its newest piece of firefighting equipment, a snorkel, alongside one of its 19th century firefighting relics.
