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This article on underwater archaeology on the Upper Elk River is reprinted from Stem to Stern the Newsletter of East Carolina University’s program in marine studies. Vol. 16, Winter 2001

by Mike Hughes

On April 28, 1813, British forces under Rear-Admiral George Cockburn ascended northern Maryland’s Elk River attempting to disrupt maritime commerce in the Chesapeake during the War of 1812. The British had instituted a blockade of the Chesapeake and hoped to force the United States out of the war and divert attention from the Great Lakes. During the incursion, Cockburn’s forces met with some resistance from local militia and were involved in minor skirmishes. For the people of Cecil County, these actions were dire. The British burned several vessels and destroyed buildings because of the resistance.

In August 2000, East Carolina University Maritime Studies Program student Michael Hughes and the Maryland Historical Trust and the National Park Service conducted a Phase I survey of the Upper Elk River, Elkton, Maryland. The survey was part of a statewide initiative regarding the War of 1812. This initiative targeted the discovery and documentation of material culture related to the War of 1812 in Maryland, both on land and water. Another aspect of the initiative was to involve the public in the archaeological process by explaining the benefits of protecting their cultural resources.

While researching primary source documents, the crew uncovered references to potential material remains from the War of 1812. These items included a chain boom, wrecks of two packet ships, and cannon  shot from Fort Defiance, Fort Hollingsworth, and Frenchtown, all located on the shores of the Elk River. The goal was to locate these artifacts, as well as any other relevant material because they would help (1) identify fort locations, (2) confirm the documentary evidence we had uncovered, and (3) add to the cultural history of Cecil County.

Working to get the public involved, Hughes, Maryland Historical Trust underwater archaeologist Steven Bilicki, and Tim Wallace from Macalester College in Minnesota, invited members of the local community to assist in the fieldwork. The volunteers were split into two groups, one to assist with the river survey, the other to assist with a land survey. The turnout was impressive and provided invaluable assistance to the archaeologists.

Hughes and the volunteers conducted the Phase I survey using a magnetometer to detect anomalies on the river bottom. Certain signatures from the magnetometer indicated possible locations for relevant material culture. The river geography proved both a boon and a curse, however. The Upper Elk River was narrow at some very key points, facilitating the magnetometer survey, yet the tidal flow left some areas un-navigable except at extreme high tides, and sometimes not even then.

The survey yielded mixed results.  There were a number of anomalies that looked promising, but when dived, were only junk thrown in the river, as with an old car engine. The process was to buoy possible hits, bounce dive on them, and conduct circle searches to find the detected anomaly. There were a few problems with a search of this type because the water was extremely murky and visibility was practically zero. Many times objects were buried due to the shifting of the sediment. There were many objects that set off the magnetometer – pipelines, metal refuse, etc.

Some artifacts of note were discovered, including concreted chain shot, used in its day to disable ships rigging. This was located in front of the possible Fort Defiance site. Some wrought iron chain was located, but it was not large enough to be considered as a chain boom. As for the vessels burned by the British, one had been located the previous October. This work is the subject of a thesis by ECU Maritime Studies student Michael Plakos. The other vessel is believed to be buried by sediment.Though on the last day of fieldwork, the team discovered some debris that may have been connected to the second vessel. Time prohibited confirmation, but more fieldwork will be conducted in the future.

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We want to thank all the volunteers who showed up, the American Battlefield Protection Program, the Maryland Tourism Development Board, the Maryland Historical Trust, State Underwater Archaeologist Susan Langley, the Susquehanna Museum of Havre de Grace, and Michael Dixon from the Cecil County Historical Society, who all gave us assistance during this project.

 – Mike Hughes

Star-Spangled Archaeology:  Commemorating the War of 1812 Through Maritime Archaeology, will be the final topic for the Historical Society of Cecil County’s winter speakers program, as we wrap up a series of popular talks.  Taking place on Saturday, April 13th at 2:00, the speaker, State Underwater Archaeologist Susan Langley, is sponsored by the Maryland Humanities Council and the Maryland War of 1812 Commission.

The waters of the Chesapeake conceal many hidden treasures, and Dr. Langley will help us dive into the subject of those submerged cultural resources.  She describes the fascinating process of researching and excavating these artifacts while investigating the sites of maritime battles.

Locally, her staff has worked on the Elk River several times, exploring the mysteries under the waters of the Elk River, over the years.  Those investigations, headed by then assistant state underwater archaeologist, Stephen R. Bilicki, have included a phase one survey of the Upper Elk River, which took place in 2003.  That broad survey focused on identifying the location of submerged cultural resources, including Elkton’s industrial harbor near Bridge Street, the boatyard at Elk Landing, War of 1812 artifacts at Frenchtown, and more.

During two more specific investigations, Bilicki, working with two students from the University of Eastern North Carolina, Michael Hughes and Mike Plakos, worked to pinpoint underwater War of 1812 relics at Frenchtown.

We will hear all about this in the final lecture for this season.

Do you remember 1963 in Cecil County?  It was an unforgettable period, though it’s been 50 years since so many memorable occurrences took place here.

The Interstate Highway (I-95) opened, week’s after an assassin killed the president of the United States a commercial airliner crashed at the edge of Elkton, Civil Rights activists were speaking up, progress was the order of the time, and the George Washington Carver Basketball Team was winning awards.

Since we are passing the half-century mark, the Historical Society will dig into our archives to share some of the memories from those 365-days with our readers.  Some of them were alarming, unforgettable incidents, others were pleasant memories that would last a life time, and just as many were recollections of the culture of the time.

We’ll kick off these periodic installments with a few photos from the county’s two newspapers, the Cecil Whig, and the Cecil Democrat.  Feel free to add your memories too and suggest items we might want to share with readers.

The year 1963 produced more than its share of memorable times and we are starting to share some of them here.

Which women hold one of the most visible and influential positions in American history? The First Ladies. Join author Ed Okonowicz as he explores the stories and lesser-known facts of this exclusive club.   “Meet the First Ladies” will be held Tuesday, March 5, 2013, at 6:30 pm at the Cecilton Branch Library, 215 East Main Street, Cecilton. Call 410-275-1091 to register.

 

Singerly Fire Company was the first department to provide ambulance service to Cecil County, the first responders having started providing emergency medical transport in 1942.  But to keep up with the growth the community experienced after World War II, a  Cadillac ambulance was purchased at a cost nearly $9,000 in 1952.  It had features not found in the old unit, including an inhalator and the capability to carry three passengers.

Here is the Whig coverage of the unit’s arrival in August 1952.

Forgotten Fair Hill – Part II, will be presented by Emily Kilby on March 9th, 2013, at 7 p.m.  at the Fair Hill NRMA.  Part I packed the house and the meeting room was filled to capacity, so if you plan to attend be sure to call and reserve your seat.

Come learn of the world that exited in the northeast corner of Cecil County, which is now contained within Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area.  Amateur historian Emily Kilby will share her ongoing discoveries about the homesites, industries and families whose traces remain hidden among the park’s natural beauties.  Old pictures, maps, and tales will bring them back to life.

Taking a scholarly approach to this in-depth exploration of this scenic region of Cecil County, Emily as spent many weeks pouring over original, largely untapped source materials to provide original insights on this unique Cecil County Story.

If you plan to attend, be sure to call and reserve your seat at 410-398-1246 in plenty of time, as the last program was full.

In an outstanding program this evening, the significant contributions of Cecil County Civil Rights pioneer McKinley Scott were recalled by his son, Michael Scott, for an engaged audience at the public library in Perryville.  The tireless crusader, struggling to create cracks in the walls of segregation and level the playing field, stood up against injustices while tackling tough issues despite threats of harm.   His local activism came during the tensest times of the nation’s Civil Rights movement.

Mr. Scott graduated from the “Elkton Colored School” in 1930, and when the attack on Pearl Harbor jolted everyone’s life, he joined the Navy.  There, the gifted musician from the George Washington Carver High School served in the Navy Band at the Great Lakes Naval Air Station.  He returned home to North East after World War II, bringing new energy and ideas learned from serving his country back to Cecil.

Recalling life while growing up in the 1950s and 1960s, Michael said he would hear his family discussing what was happening in the South.  His father was anxious to see improvements here. When a local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was formed in 1962, he became active in the organization, leading it during its formative years.  As Mr. Scott jumped into the midst of politics and the civil rights movement, Michael started attending Charlestown Elementary School, as the option plan had been implemented.

In the early 1960s, a segregated system for public accommodations prevailed here.  Going to the movies in North East, he asked why he and his older brother had to sit upstairs.  “That’s just the way it is,” was the shrug.  At the Conowingo Diner, a restaurant on the highly traveled Route One, just south of the Mason Dixon Line, his father was involved in attempting to integrate the eatery.  There were other efforts related to voting and an unsuccessful campaign for election as a state delegate in 1968.

Events of 1968 hit close to home for the Scotts.  The campaign for a seat in the House of Delegates was underway, headline-grabbing news about violence, riots, and assassinations alarmed the family, and there were personal threats.   When President Johnson, the chief executive who pushed through important public accommodation and voting laws, announced his surprise decision not to seek reelection, it was a subject of concern for the advocate.

But darker days were ahead.  An assassin’s bullet killed the Civil Rights Crusader, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in Memphis, TN, creating some of the nation’s most troubling times.  As Mr. Scott entered his family home that spring so long ago, his wife said, have you heard the news?  But the violence of this unsettled, troubling year was far from finished.

One dark July night on a rural road outside North East, an explosion suddenly rocked the family home.  As everyone scrambled to safety on that unforgettable summer, police cars converged on the home in the country.  The Ku Klux Klan had tossed an explosive device at the home of the president of the local NAACP.  This resulted in a major investigation by the FBI and Maryland State Police, and the law enforcement agencies infiltrated the local KKK, the Cecil Whig reported.

About a month later, the police suddenly appeared at the door and said you have to get out of here now, as we have information that another attempt is going to be made to bomb the house.  Michael, a 15-year-old, grabbed his precious valuables: a Bible, a savings account book, a little change, and a small box he had made in the woodshop.  The family spent that tense night at the Maryland State Police Barrack as a large squad of officers surrounded the house.  Neighbors were also evacuated, and three State Troopers from the Bel Air Barrack were assigned to cover the local patrols here as county law enforcement geared up for a long all-night vigil.

In the wee, quiet hours of that weary Sunday, the surveillance team observed a vehicle creeping up on the house.  When the police staked out on each side of the property swooped in to arrest the men, they fled.  But an outer perimeter detail blocked the road, capturing the driver, although a second person in the car jumped out and fled into the woods.  The arrested man had 15 sticks of dynamite on him, so an Edgewood Army Arsenal explosive team, a part of the well-organized detail, defused the bombs.

Days later, the leader of the Cecil County NAACP was offered a major promotion on the railroad, working out of Northern New Jersey.   Over the next few decades, Mr. Scott rose through the ranks of the Pennsylvania Railroad and Amtrak, eventually retiring as the chief engineer in charge of the road between New York and Washington, D.C.

He returned to the family home in 1992.  The aging crusader who was willing to stand up to injustices and was not afraid to tackle tough issues despite threats of harm died in July 2012 at 89.  “This country has come a long way and Cecil County has come a long way,” Michael observed as he concluded an insightful program about the Civil Rights era at the top of the Chesapeake.

This was a valuable library program that explored some new areas of history.  Thank you Cecil County Public Library and Michael Scott for sharing Mr. Scott’s powerful story.  Here’s a link to a recording of the talk.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jam8ZfJNS5o&t=558s

In June 1952, ten Port Deposit firefighters, members of the Water Witch Fire Company, completed a 60-hour basic course of instruction provided by the University of Maryland Fire Extension Service.  As county growth soared in those post World War II years, made sure they were fully trained to serve the community.  This is a Cecil Democrat photo.

 

 

In a popular 1952 column in Cecil County’s paper of record, the Cecil Whig published a picture from the pa, and asked subscribers if they remembered when.  In one 60 year old issue from October of that year, they featured the Rising Sun champion baseball team from 1904.