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The sold-out “Footsteps in History Walking Tour,” a living history interpretation of the Upper Chesapeake’s War of 1812 history, continues to receive lots of positive feedback.  Patrons on the popular stroll into the past have offered many positive comments.  Some were introduced to a new chapter in Cecil’s past, while for others the theatrical approach captivated them.  And a good number have talked about how pleased they were to be introduced to a beautiful Cecil County town and historic district and it’s tourism destination spots.

Since next year marks the 200th anniversary of the British attack on Cecil and Harford counties, the event partners are discussing arrangements to offer the program regularly next year.  We’ll keep reader informed.

Meanwhile, Dr. Ralph Eshelman, a War of 1812 scholar and consulting historian for the National Park Service, shared some additional photos from Sunday evenings walk that found over 100 people prowling Charlestown Streets.  We thought you might want to see a few of these.

Charlestown, August 12, 2012  — On a beautiful August evening on the Chesapeake Bay a walking tour, stepped off from the Wellwood Club to stroll through the past.  For over an hour the crowd that exceeded 100-people roamed old colonial streets, listening to characters from the War of 1812 dramatically share thrilling tales about when the enemy was on our shores.

Those strong voices from long ago, echoing through the growing 21st century twilight on the Northeast River, had tales about attackers forcefully occupying places in Cecil and Harford counties.  Here and there, the crowd paused to meet these time travelers who eagerly shared the accounts of fright, intrigue, and brave defense against overwhelming odds.  Muskets blasted out, cannons roared, flames erupted and women and children fled to safety in the first-hand accounts of these old timers.  Escorting the group from spot-to-spot in the attractive historic district, Historian Mike Dixon, delved into the stories a little deeper, from a modern perspective.

It was a fascinating and fun way to learn the history of this era, while roaming around a quaint community.  As patrons headed back into the Wellwood Cub to relax for a while, people from all over came up to the performers to let them know how much they’d enjoyed the unique evening.  Some added that this was the first time they’d been to Charlestown.  It also brought officials connected with the War of 1812 Bicentennnial, at the state and national level, to Cecil County.

Several partners produced the event.  Those were the Historical Society, Colonial Charlestown, the Heritage Troupe, Cecil County Tourism, the Town of Charlestown, and the Wellwood Club.  Money raised by this program supports two nonprofits, the Historical Society and Colonial Charlestown.

As the popular event sold out, look for more of these opportunities as Cecil County begins to celebrate the 200^th anniversary of this conflict.

Charlestown, August 9, 2012 — Since we are three days away from the Footsteps in History Walking Tour, the event partners were attending to last-minute preparations on this hot August evening.  Strolling the quaint streets of Charlestown, volunteer historical interpreters practiced their parts and attended to final details for the first time event that shares stories of the War of 1812 on the Upper Chesapeake.

Come this Sunday at 7 p.m. a crowd will depart from the Wellwood Club for a leisurely trip along the attractive waterfront and streets in the carefully preserved historic district.  As evening descends on the Chesapeake, individual who resided here 200-years-ago are going to step from the shadows to dramatically tell the audience about the thrill and fright of the time when the county was on the war’s frontline.  In between the skits, Historian Mike Dixon will delve into the narrative, explaining the details and connecting local events to the larger story.  Once summer darkness grips the old municipality, lanterns will help chase away the shadows as costumed performers prowl the pathways and escort everyone back to the Wellwood Club.

Be sure not to miss this fun and informative tour.  Click here for more information.  The volunteer sponsored walk is a partnership with the Historical Society, Colonial Charlestown, The town, Cecil County Tourism and the Wellwood Club.

If you’re looking for a used fire engine, we might have found the right thing for you.  On this hot summer day, as we headed down to Chestertown, a shiny red pumper sitting at the four corners in Cecilton caught our attention. It had a sign letting passersby know that it was for sale.  It looks like a fine, powerful piece of equipment so check it out in you’re in the marketing for a unit.

The fall catalog containing courses at Cecil College is out and it contains a large selection of credit and non-credit history, genealogy, and humanities courses.  One of the newest programs is the History of the Civil War by Eric Mease, the Rising Sun Herald reported.  It’s a timely offering for 2012 so check out this week’s edition for the full story.

The August 2, 2012 issue of the Cecil Guardian carried an excellent piece written by Drewe Phinny on the War of 1812 walking tour taking place in Charlestown on August 12, 2012.  On that day, people will hear fascinating stories of the area’s experience during the conflict.  While the walk draws on tales from all over Cecil, its situated in the attractive colonial setting of Charlestown’s historic district.

We’re going to hear thrilling tales of the time the enemy came to our rivers, our shores and our towns, creating some frightening and thrilling times as the local militia hastily responded to the call to defend the county.  Living history interpreters will dramatically present these first hand accounts of such an alarming time.  In between, Historian Mike Dixon will delve more deeply into the local accounts, while also connecting the area with what was happening on the Chesapeake and in the nation.  Once the sky begins to darken, lanterns will be on hand to light the way as we continuing meeting characters from the past and make our way through old colonial streets.

Check out this week’s guardian for the full story.  Thanks Drewe and Cecil Guardian.

The August 2, 2012 issue of the Cecil Guardian carried an excellent piece written by Drewe Phinny on the War of 1812 walking tour taking place in Charlestown on August 12, 2012.  On that day, we’ll share fascinating stories of the area’s experience during the conflict.

While the walk draws on tales from all over Cecil, its situated in the attractive colonial setting of Charlestown’s historic district.   We’re going to hear thrilling tales of the time the enemy came to our rivers, our shores and our towns, creating some frightening and thrilling times as the local militia responded to the call to defend the county.  Living history interpreters will dramatically present these first hand accounts of such an alarming time.  In between, Historian Mike Dixon will delve more deeply into the stories and connect the area’s experience with what was happening on the Chesapeake and in the nation.  Once the sky begins to darken, lanterns will be on hand to light the way as we continuing meeting characters from the past and make our way through old colonial streets.

Check out this week’s guardian for the full story.  Thanks Drewe and Cecil Guardian.

The Historical Society of Cecil County has dozens of collections that are valuable to genealogists and local history researchers.  One of those that greatly helps those delving into the past is the Holt Collection.  Consisting of a six-volume unpublished history and twelve archival storage boxes of supporting materials, it has many notebooks with newspaper clippings, pamphlets, photos, booklets, and correspondence.

The author of the manuscript was J. Frank Holt, who’d been born about 1893 on a farm near Union Church.  He moved to Seattle, WA in 1935 and became a co-founder of the Arden Farms Company.  When the growing business acquired a number of dairies in California, he moved to Los Angeles, serving as the president of the enterprise from 1951 until his retirement in 1963.  He died on September 2, 1964, at the age of 71 in Glendale, CA.

In the midst of the Great Depression, the successful businessman decided he wanted to publish an updated history of Cecil County.  As it had been fifty years since George Johnston produced the last comprehensive title many changes had transformed the area.  It was going to be a detailed look at the area, with lots of supporting source materials as Mr. Holt had collected his data for decades and enlisted the aid of a genealogist back in the county.

But the nearly complete manuscript was never finished.  A few years after Mr. Holt passed away, his son, Joseph Holt of Van Nuys, California, who’d served in the U.S. House of Representatives, donated the many cartons of material to the Society in the late 1960s.

There is a wealth of material to be found in these pages and the abundance of source materials he collected.  While it traces local history in Cecil from the earliest days to the 1940s, it has great strength for those researching the last decades of the 19^th century and the first half of the 20^th century, a period in the writer’s life.   It also broadens the earlier works on Cecil, providing a modern perspective to their interpretations and adding subjects that were unexamined by earlier writers.  As an example, Johnston’s History of Cecil County published in 1880 doesn’t include a chapter on the Civil War or the critical dilemmas before or after those bitter, divisive years.  It also contains a considerable amount of information on old families in Cecil.  There is also a considerable amount of material relating to World War II.

While we’re sharing photos of Charlestown, here are a few more.  The attractive, well-preserved, colonial-era historic district, creates an ideal setting as we delve into the past, strolling around to meet characters from an important era in our history.  During the War of 1812 British sailing ships-of-the-line were plying the waters of the Northeast River and the Upper Chesapeake, creating great alarm and we will dramatically share those narratives.

In preparing for a trip back into time to explore the War of 1812 on the Upper Chesapeake, we’ve spent time in Charlestown. The quaint little pre-Revolutionary War village on the Northeast River, the county’s oldest municipality, is an ideal place for strolling around with a camera in hand while working with a number of partners to map things out for the living history performances that’s going to bring history to life through a number of dramatic presentations . It will step off from our host site, the Wellwood Yacht Club, on August 12. Meanwhile as the Heritage Troupe gets ready and we work out the performance details, we’ll share some photos from a well-preserved historic district with beautiful natural vistas.