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FOMH Members Free

Space limited, RSVP early

Pre-registration requested

Contact info@mountharmon.org; or call 410-275-8819.

Join the Historical Society of Cecil County for the annual meeting at its headquarters, 135 E. Main Street, Elkton on Saturday, Nov. 10^th at 3 p.m.   While mingling with history-minded friends during a free wine and cheese reception, you will hear about the busy year for the keepers of Cecil’s heritage and listen to a talk by Bruce Leith.  Leith was instrumental in establishing a group that reenacts 19th-century baseball.

George Reynolds, a local historian and archaeologist, will be presented with the Ernest A. Howard Award.  This prestigious recognition honors individuals who have made a significant contribution to the preservation of historic resources, while facing huge challenges protecting the built environment, saving scarce relics, or recording folkways.

Reynolds set out to document the rich and unstudied archaeological resources in Cecil in the 1950s and provided leadership in the formation of the Archaeological Society of Maryland.  Prior to construction of I-95 he led a dig documenting pre-historic artifacts in that corridor before all traces of early culture were obliterated.

His interest in archaeology and local history never diminished.  Over the decades he has been involved in all of the major digs in the county, including the one at the Detention Center site, which unearthed a Native-American burial site.  He helped reveal much of what had been lost to centuries of time by being an advocate for archaeology and history.

The award is named after Ernest A. Howard a man who was especially instrumental in helping build the strong Society that serves as the county’s heritage-keeper. Born in 1885, this benefactor was deeply involved in the successful revival of the nonprofit in the 1950s.  While working tirelessly to preserve local heritage, he was active in the restoration of historic structures.  Howard was also a central figure in the establishment of a modern headquarters for the Cecil County library in 1955, and he donated a wing to the library in part to provide a home for the Historical Society. He passed away in 1973.

Reynolds becomes the fourth recipient to receive this selective honor, which is only given to someone who has overcome significant obstacles to preserve Cecil’s past.  Other honorees are Earl Simmers for his heroic work in preserving the Gilpin Falls Covered Bridge, Ed Belote, the publisher of Cecil Soil, and Dr. Davy McCall, who donated a major collection of Civil War & 19th century era manuscripts.

Please join us for this special afternoon at the Historical Society headquarters.

Most everyone in Cecil County has settled in on this last Sunday evening in October to see what Hurricane Sandy has in store for us as she wobbles her way up the Atlantic Seaboard and closes in on the mid-Atlantic coast.  Normally this time of year, we’d be busy anticipating the tricks and treats of Halloween, but instead the television weather forecasters have grabbed out attention by talking about this “Frankenstorm.” They coined that term in light of the unique conditions that are coming together at the end of Oct. as Sandy on her inland journey from the coast merges with a winter cold front that is pushing eastward.  Well, with most people having finished preparations for the big blast, we’ll have to wait it out now and see how Sandy is going to treat us with this Halloween surprise.

However it’s not the first time the area has been near the center of a major Atlantic Ocean storm.  In fact, a check of the historical record shows plenty of times when we’ve had brushes with these damaging weather events.  Back in the 1950s, it seems those meteorologist had to constantly eye the Chesapeake during the hurricane season.

When Hazel roared through the county in October 1954, it was described as the storm of the century.  Violent, sustained winds of 60 to 70 mph snapped trees, severed electric and telephone lines, tore apart buildings, and inflicted extensive damage along the county’s waterfront.

A Conowingo Power Company lineman was killed near Rising Sun.  George Henckel, 30, a six-year employee of the utility was electrocuted while repairing a line at Camp Horseshoe.

Less than a year later Cecil was in store for a double punch.  In mid-August  Hurricanes Connie, quickly followed by Diane, dumped 8 inches of rain on the county in a few days, according to the Elkton weatherman H. Wirt Bouchelle.  Connie came right up the Chesapeake Bay.  The flooding caused extensive damage as river and creeks overflowed, winds toppled trees and lights flickered off and phones went dead.

The night Connie tore through Cecil County, Elkton Police Chief White patrolled the county seat, watching the rising water and answering emergency calls.  Just after 2:00 a.m., he wrote in the police blotter, “quite – raining heavy – no calls.”   Officer Edgar Startt summarized it, “Bad night . . . off duty,” as he penned his last entry for the evening tour of duty at 11:00 p.m. in the police blotter.

Connie wasn’t so windy as far as the county was concerned, but people could say “she was all wet,” the Cecil Democrat reported.  Practically all parts of the county felt the effects of gales ranging from 35 to 45 miles an hour and the eight inches of rain thrown on the area in less than a week.  Phone and power customers were also hard hit, although there was no comparison with Hurricane Hazel, the paper added.

Of course, there are many others, including Agnes and Irene.  Lots of people today recall those bruising clashes with mother nature, but for a longer synopsis of Maryland Hurricanes check out these links.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Maryland_hurricanes_(1950%E2%80%931979)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Maryland_hurricanes

With World War II casting a dark, threatening shadow over the nation, the urgent need for additional fire protection in Cecil County suddenly emerged.  Until those troubling days in the early 1940s, seven volunteer fire companies provided all the security needed for safeguarding life and property against the threat of a blaze.

But after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor an Elkton fireworks manufacturer, Triumph Industries, grew into a massive wartime production complex employing 11,500 workers.  That large scale industry in a quiet, tranquil town of 3,500 people completely transformed the area.  Before the war, the manufacturer of Chinese firecrackers, employed 211 people, but as war expanded around the globe Triumph stated filling orders for signal flares, detonators, and land-mines.  After Pearl Harbor incendiary bombs and antiaircraft shells rolled off those hazardous production lines in Elkton.

That large complex of over 1,000 small buildings generously spaced throughout many acres helped contain the risk of explosions as workers performed extremely hazardous tasks, but it still required a dedicated fire department with specialized training.  So the government hastily assembled a paid unit, purchasing apparatus, hiring firefighters and providing training.    As munitions production expanded the Triumph Fire Department grew from a force of four on duty responders a shift in June 1942 to twelve by 1943.  It started with a Navy fire pumper and an ambulance, but additional units were soon assigned by the U.S. Government.

Several times during the war years, devastating explosions rocked Triumph.  One blast in 1943 took at least 15 lives and injured approximately 100 people.  It was dangerous work and rapid, on-site emergency response by the Triumph Fire Department was critical for containing the emergency.

Cemeteries are a link to the past and a careful study of old burial grounds often provides greater insights into history and genealogy.  As a result, the Historical Society Cecil County will examine this aspect of our past in a talk called “Tales the Tombstones Whisper” on Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012, at 9 a.m.  The free lecture takes place at the Society’s library at 135 E. Main Street in Elkton.

The presentation by historian Mike Dixon traces the evolution of graveyards, explores some fascinating tales tombstones whisper, considers interesting epitaphs, and discusses changing practices and customs.  The program includes suggestions for using a visit to an old burial ground to understand and trace local and family history.

For those pursing elusive clues to the past, there is a great deal of information waiting to be discovered in these final resting places so, weather permitting, the group will stroll over to a local cemetery after the talk to search for history in stone.

Anyone who is curious about old graveyards or is involved in searching out insights to the past will find this engaging program to be of interest.

This program kicks off the Society’s 2012-13 lecture season.  Beginning in the middle of fall and stretching all the way through the cold months of winter, the Society hosts a series of lively, engaging speakers on topics ranging from practical research methods to fresh lectures that have broad appeal.  The programs take place on the first Saturday of each month.

All talks are designed to be informative and enjoyable while concentrating on fresh, broadly engaging topics or applied sessions to help you with your research.  Visit the Society’s website at www.cecilhistory.org for additional information.

If you are just getting started on  your family history research, Cecil College has a basic how-to course beginning on Nov. 3 at the Elkton Campus.  Get step-by-step instructions for a research project focused on your family history.  Essential research techniques are introduced, genealogical records are discussed, and research facilities are identified.  The goal of the course is to enable you to have a basic understanding of research concepts and methods so your may start digging up your family roots.

Click here for additional information

On this Wednesday evening, a crowd of over 50 people packed the Historical Society to hear Dr. Jim Gibb’s report about an archaeological investigation focused on discovering Fort Hollingsworth, a War of 1812 redoubt that protected Elkton against the British.  Over the summer, Dr. Gibb served as the lead investigator for a field-school that focused on this question.  The property is located at Elk Landing, at the top of the Elk River.

The meeting was hosted by the archaeological Society of the Northern Chesapeake.  Here is a link to Dr. Gibb’s report, which is posted on the Elk Landing website.

With the approach of cool autumn weather, it’s time to announce the return of the Society’s 2012-13 speakers’ series.  Beginning in the middle of fall and stretching all the way through the cold months of winter, the Society hosts a series of lively, engaging speakers on topics ranging from practical research methods to fresh lectures that have broad appeal.  The programs take place on the first Saturday of each month at 2:00 p.m. at the Society’s library at 135 E. Main Street in Elkton.

This year, we will finish off 2012 with two subjects, Tales the Tombstones Whisper and a living history presentation by Private James H. Elbert of the United States Colored Troops.

Tales the Tombstones Whisper, a lecture by Mike Dixon, takes place on Nov. 3 at 2:00 p.m.  It traces the evolution of graveyards, explores fascinating tales tombstones whisper, considers interesting epitaphs, and discusses changing practices and customs.  Throughout this lecture tips on how to use a visit to an old burial ground to understand and trace local and family history is considered.  Weather permitting the group will stroll over to a local cemetery after the talk for some outdoor, applied learning.

The living history presentation by Willis Phelps, Jr. portrays Private James H. Elbert of the United States Colored Troops (USCT).  It takes place on Dec. 2 at 2:00 p.m.  The Civil War soldier will share the story of African-Americans rallying to the colors as they fought for freedom.  It will all be told through the eyes of Private James H. Elbert, one of the soldiers, as we hear stories about the struggles.  If you haven’t seen the performance before, you won’t want to miss this lively program.  Willis does living history interpretations at Fort Delaware, for the Delaware Humanities Forum and he has lectured at local universities.

All talks are designed to be informative and enjoyable while concentrating on fresh, broadly engaging topics or subjects that help with their research.  Watch for upcoming announcements for the first part of 2013 associated with topics such as Vietnam Mailbag and more.

Today Fair Hill NRMA’s 5,600-plus acres of managed forests, farmland and riparian wetlands, are open for public use and enjoyment. You can hike it, bike it, ride it, fish it, hunt it and love it. Prior to 1973, it was William duPont’s private estate, used for fox hunting and cattle raising. But what came before? Who owned the almost 100 properties that duPont acquired parcel by parcel, starting in 1929? What sort of people leading what kinds of lives inhabited this corner of Maryland before its small communities vanished and the public roads and commercial establishments serving them disappeared?

Reminders of Fair Hill’s past are visible in the occupied buildings near the covered bridge. But, nature has obliterated most of the pre-du Pont properties. Still, traces of the forgotten home sites, farmyards and commercial enterprises are out there, recognizable if you know where and how to look for them.

Join Emily Kilby, park lover and amateur historian, on November 10 , 2012, at 7 p.m. at the Edward L. Walls Activity Hall for a preliminary presentation of her findings about the forgotten communities that once thrived within the park boundaries. old maps, local-history resources, land transactions, census data, William du Pont’s business papers and, especially, precious old photographs that all help bring Fair Hill’s nineteenth and early twentieth century worlds back to life.

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Date:        Nov. 10, 2012 at 7 p.m.

Where:   Edward l. Walls Activity Hall, Fair Hill NRMA Fairgrounds, 4680 Telegraph Road, Elkton, MD 21921

Reservations: 410-398-1246 to reserve your seat

This past June the Archaeological Society of Maryland and the Archaeological Society of the Northern Chesapeake spent a week investigating the matter of where Fort Hollingsworth was situated in the forks of the Elk creeks.  It was one of series of hastily arranged defense put up in the spring of 1813 to protect the upper reach of the Elk River.  Archival research and a few early digs yielded some preliminary data, but this was the most comprehensive study done thus far at Elk Landing, one that concentrated on the question of the precise placement of the redoubt.

Dr. Jim Gibb, the lead investigator, will present the results of the field-school in a presentation at the Historical Society, 135 E. Main Street, Elkton, on Oct. 10th 2012.  While we await the presentation, we’ll share some of the photos from the summer dig.  Thank you Archaeological Society of Maryland, the Maryland Historical Trust, and the Archaeological Society of the Northern Chesapeake for helping unearth Cecil’s past.