Perry Point, Dec., 14, 2012 — The old 18th century mansion-house at Perry Point was aglow with holiday spirit Friday evening. Located on the attractive, waterfront Veterans Administration campus. the hospital was hosting a holiday open house.
Drawing visitors in from the December darkness, flickering light from the luminaries showed the pathway to the grand front entrance. As guests approached the entranceway, they were greeted by a period attired guide, and once inside people learned about the unique story of Perry Point and the centuries old property. Live Christmas music filled the chambers, while over in one room, Dan Coates, the President of the Archaeological Society of the Chesapeake talked about the Civil War era on the little Peninsula. During that conflict, the Federal Government used the spacious grounds as a camp and soldiers occupied the house. While touring the finely decorated home light refreshments were served.
It was built about 1750, according to the Veterans Administration. “During the Civil War, the United States Government took over Perry Point for the first time, using it as a training station for cavalry mules. The officers in charge of the project used the Mansion House for their headquarters, sharing it for a time with the Stump family. When the situation became too strained for comfort, John Stump II moved his family to Harford County to live with his sister. Upon their return, they found the Mansion House badly abused and the farm sadly neglected.”
If you missed the event Friday evening, it’s open again tonight (Dec. 15th, 2012), as the holiday opening continues from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m.
Elisabeth Wright, a researcher at the Society, searches through back copies of the Cecil Whig on one of the Society’s aging microfilm readers.
By Bruce Leith
The Historical Society of Cecil County is kicking off a new fundraiser which will help make the past more accessible. The Society has accumulated a vast microfilm collection containing most of the newspapers that have been printed in Cecil County since the 19th Century. Besides complete holdings of the Cecil Whig, this resource includes weeklies from such bygone titles as the Cecil Democrat, the Cecil Star, the Midland Journal, the Appeal, Cecil County News, the Perryville Record, the Rising Sun Journal, and the Elkton Press just to name a few.
But technology has improved as film and readers, research tools from an earlier era, are slowly being phased out. The technology now exists to digitize all of the serials so they can be read on a computer. To do this, the Society has received a quote of about $80 a roll to convert the film to a digital format.
To successfully create the e-products, the keepers of Cecil’s heritage have kicked off a new campaign called “Save our Newspapers – Save our History.” Individuals and businesses can donate funds for a single roll (which encompass issues for one or two years) or they can contribute a set amount to cover the entire run of the paper. The cost runs from $80 to do the Elkton Courier to $12,700 to donate to the entire series of the Cecil Democrat. For each digitized roll, the sponsor will be recognized as the underwriter preserving the valuable editions.
“This is a great way for businesses in the community to show support and also to receive credit every time the paper is accessed. It is also a great way to memorialize a loved one who may have passed away as well as a great gift for someone special,” said Bruce Leith who is coordinating the program. All donations are fully tax deductible as the Society is a registered 501c3. To get more information about the program, to make a pledge, or to see what newspapers are available contact the Historical Society either by email at newspaper@cecilhistory.org or stop in at 135 E. Main Street in Elkton.
A 1920 Pennsylvania State Highway marker for the Mason-Dixon Line.
Many people around Cecil County have heard about the Mason-Dixon Line, but few know much about its history. So as 2013 marks the 250th anniversary of the start of one of America’s most famous boundaries, the Historical Society will present a slide-illustrated Mason-Dixon Line talk.
To settle royal land grants for the proprietors of Maryland and Pennsylvania, two skilled English surveyors started measuring out the boundaries that had involved bitter quarreling and bloodshed. Four years later, the survey was done, but the line’s story was far from over as popular culture had it take on far different symbolism in the 19th century.
This program explores the story of the line, which runs through our land and our history, along with the perceptions that have developed around the boundary. Presented by historian Mike Dixon, this lively talk focuses on the line’s history throughout the centuries. It includes many dramatic, largely untold stories about these times.
This program is part of the Society’s winter speakers series. Each winter the Society bring fresh, new programs and applied, how-to lectures to Cecil County.
TIME: January 5, 2013, at 2:00 p.m.
LOCATION: Historical Society of Cecil County, 135 E. Main Street., Elkton, MD
COST: Free
The Old Post Road (Baltimore Pike) at the Mason Dixon LIne between Elkton and Iron Hill Delaware
Singerly Volunteer Fire Company, of Elkton MD, will present their twenty-sixth annual “Paper Americana Show” on Saturday January 26, 2013, from 10 AM to 4 PM.
The show will feature over thirty dealers from several states who are offering for sale, antique books, postcards, newspapers, art prints, advertising & regional collectibles, photographs, and general ephemera.
The Singerly Fire Hall is located at 300 Newark Avenue Elkton, MD, near the intersection of Routes 213 and 279. From I-95 take Exit# 109 (Rt. 279 Newark, DE/ Elkton, MD) interchange toward Elkton approx. 3 miles on right.
Admission is $3.00 per person ($2.00 with this ad) – children under 12 admitted free of charge. Refreshments will be available by the Singerly Fire Company Ladies Auxiliary. For additional information contact ayersj@zoominternet.net or call 410-398-7735 or 410-398-7300 during show hours.
Elkton, Saturday. Nov. 24, 2012 — Low, gray clouds filled the sky over Elkton’s Main Street on this late November day. This nippy scene, on an old pike that has seen the passage of centuries of frosty seasons, served as a reminder that “winter’s coming on” and we should anticipate a cyclical spell of freezing temperatures, cold rain, falling snow and howling winds in Cecil County during the winter of 2013.
Elkton, Dec. 1, 2012 — On this busy Saturday in December, one crammed with plenty of special holiday events, things were hopping at the Historical Society of Cecil County as a number of activities were underway. Our research volunteers, Darlene McCall and Beth Boulden-Moore, aided about a half-dozen patrons looking for information on auto dealerships, land records, and genealogy.
When it appeared that things were winding down for our history detectives in the library, a Civil War Soldier showed up to talk to another crowd assembled in the gallery. It was Private James Elbert of the United States Colored Troops (USCT), and he talked about the burdens for African-American soldiers during the Civil War. The 24-year old Polktown farmer enlisted with C Company of the 8th United States Colored Troops in September 1863. After leaving his home just outside Delaware City, he trained at Camp William Penn and fought in many battles during the conflict.
The attentive audience listening to this hour-long program felt as if they’d been transported back through time as the old soldier followed orders from his sergeant-major to carry out a mission. His narrative included comments about the fears, the courage, and the extraordinary achievement of the soldiers.
After the performance, a group gathered around Private Elbert peppering the military man with lots of questions about his amazing tales. This outstanding dramatic portrayal was presented by Willis Phelps, Jr. It’s an excellent program and we thank Mr. Phelps for sharing a powerful performance about the USCT with the crowd. Mr. Phelps works as a historical interpreter at Fort Delaware and presents his programs in many venues including colleges and universities. Presented for the first time in Cecil County, this program is part of the Society’s annual speaker’s series.
As the nation commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, Cecil Community College is offering a continuing education course that examines the conflict from a Cecil County perspective. Taught by Eric Mease, a scholar who focuses on studying the contributions of local African-Americans during those troubled years, the course is available this spring. It starts on April 3, 2013.
Here is the course description: “Cecil County holds a unique geographical and political position as the only Maryland County that has the Mason Dixon line as both its northern and eastern border which left the county politically divided. Learn what the newspapers were saying, what soldiers were writing about it, and the African American contribution to the Union war effort.” Click here for additional information.
Elkton Town Hall, Nov. 14, 2012 – Home Partnership, Inc., was back before the commissioners to submit a new concept plan for a 50-unit elderly housing project on the old jail property on North Street. The revised proposal addresses feedback that was given to the developer by the town’s historic architectural review committee.
In a split decision, the board responsible for protecting historic resources rejected a plan last July that called for demolishing most of the old jail while saving the front facade. “We’ve actually preserved the entire jail facility, which addresses one of the major concerns the committee had,” Mr. Hodges, the company representative remarked.
“This is an important project because of how it will impact the town’s revitalization plans,” the developer noted as he asked for a resolution of support from the commissioners for the affordable housing nonprofit. The town administrator was instructed to draft the documents for consideration at an upcoming board meeting.
Commissioner Jablonski also noted the value of the project for downtown. “I love the project. It’s beautiful. They are keeping the historic jail. It’s going to be great for downtown, especially because there is a waiting list at the senior apartments we have now of about 25 people so it’s needed. I think it’s a great project.”
At the 81st annual meeting of the Historical Society of Cecil County, a packed house was on hand as Cecil’s heritage keepers presented George Reynolds with the Ernest A. Howard Award. This prestigious honor is given to individuals who have made a significant contribution to the preservation of the county’s historic resources and have faced huge challenges in trying to protect the built environment, preserve folkways, or save scarce relics.
Soon after George returned home from Navy duty in the Pacific during World War II, he became interested in regional Indian culture and archeology. That curiosity soon turned into a lifetime pursuit involving 60 years of extensive fact-finding, searching for artifacts that showed how people lived in the past. In the coming decade, the young combat veteran helped organize the Archaeological Society of Maryland and start the first local chapter.
When the state began talking about building an expressway across northeastern Maryland in the early 1960s, the proposal alarmed George. It wasn’t that he was against moving ahead, as he has always been a forward-looking person. He worried that once construction on the massive highway got underway, the big earth-moving machines, cutting a 300-foot wide path across Harford and Cecil counties, would destroy all evidence of prehistoric civilizations buried in the soil long before the European contact period.
So the Northeastern Chapter of the Archaeological Society of Maryland, led by George, set out to ensure the corridor was documented before progress obliterated all traces of earlier inhabitants. This involved building support with transportation planners, state officials, politicians, and residents, as well as raising money to support the project. George was successful, for he raised $500 from private sources, and with the help of a matching $500 grant from the governor, the group hired a Temple University professor to help them investigate the route.
This experience pointed out the need for the state to have an archaeologist. “We started a fight for a Maryland position,” George remarked. “It took two years of working with our delegates and senators, but we succeeded.” Tyler Bastain became Maryland’s first state archaeologist in 1964, as George served in leadership positions with the Archaeological Society of Maryland
There were plenty of other advocacy projects as his work was just beginning. In 1976, he helped organize the Elk Creek Preservation Society and was its president for the first ten years. The preservationist was involved similarly when the Cecil Historical Trust was formed and worked on the most current book on county history, “The Head of the Bay.”
The World War II sailor remarked on his strong passion for the past. “I went into Hiroshima, where they dropped the Atomic Bomb. We were riding on a Japanese truck as the ground was too radioactive to walk. The things I saw on that first observation round by the U.S. Navy were so unsettling. . . . I was uncertain about what the future held for the world, so I immersed myself in studying the past.”
George’s interest never diminished. Over the decades, he’s been involved in all of the major digs in the county, including the one at Elk Landing when the county detention center was being built. A Native-American burial site was discovered there. He has helped reveal much of what had been lost to centuries of time by being an advocate for archaeology and history in Cecil County. He also worked on the frontline, out there digging and studying the secrets of the soil.
The award is named after Ernest A. Howard, who was especially instrumental in helping build the strong Historical Society of 1,000 members, which serves the county today. Born in Childs in 1885, this organization’s benefactor was deeply involved in the successful revival of the nonprofit in the 1950s. He worked tirelessly to preserve local heritage and restored several old churches and buildings. In 1955, he was a central figure in establishing a modern headquarters for the Cecil County library and donated a wing to the library to provide a home for the Historical Society. Howard passed away in 1973.
George Reynolds, the energetic 90-year-old, becomes the fourth recipient of this honor.
Society President David Healey presents award to George Reynolds
The North East United Methodist Church was destroyed by a massive fire in May of 1911, the blaze threatening to engulf the entire town. In the middle of the night, the pastor was awakened by crackling and a glow and when he looked out his window he noticed flames spreading through a nearby dwelling.
North East faced a terrorizing sight that night over a hundred years ago as swiftly spreading flames hoped from structure to structure. Soon the largest building in North East, the church, was in flames as residents tried to stand their ground. Buckets in hand, feeling the hot flames of the fire consuming the doomed structures, they flung pail after pail of water onto the inferno while the mayor telegraphed to nearby towns with fire departments, urgently asking for help.
This coming weekend (Nov. 16 – 18), the church is hosting a number of activities that recall this difficult time in the congregation’s history. There will be activities stretching over the entire weekend, with things getting underway Friday evening as the Historical Society helps with part of the observance. At 6:00 p.m. the church will host a homemade soup supper with bread and desert and at 7:00 p.m. historian Mike Dixon will present a program about the 1911 fire and its impact on the community. Sunday will be a day for special services.
Church officials are inviting the public, and especially past members, to join events over the weekend.
Perry Point, Dec., 14, 2012 — The old 18th century mansion-house at Perry Point was aglow with holiday spirit Friday evening. Located on the attractive, waterfront Veterans Administration campus. the hospital was hosting a holiday open house.
