As the region gears up to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the British attack on the Upper Chesapeake some old-timers that have been around Cecil since the early 1800s are going to be roaming around Charlestown on August 12. Meandering streets and gathering in small clusters in the beautiful river town, these centuries’ old residents, played by performers from the Heritage Troupe, will share thrilling stories about what it was like to face the threat of pillaging, burning and looting by English invaders.
Dusk will be descending on the charming community nestled on the shore of the Northeast River as the visitors head back to the starting point at the Wellwood Club so lanterns will help chase away the lengthening shadows.
This program, “Footsteps from the Past: Cecil County during the War of 1812” is brought to the community by several volunteer heritage groups and supporting partners. The Historical Society of Cecil County, Colonial Charlestown, and the Heritage Troupe, along with Cecil County Tourism, the Town of Charlestown, and the Wellwood Club are collaborating to produce the evening walking tour. Space is limited so visit the Wellwood soon to purchase your advance tickets or call 410-287-6666
WHERE: Starts & ends at the Wellwood Club, 523 Water Street, Charlestown
WHEN: August 12, 2012 at 7 p.m. (storm date: August 19)
The first Monday in May was always a burdensome one for Charlestown property owners. On that day in spring, citizens traditionally came forward to pay the annual tax levy. But in 1813 there was a worrisome feeling in the county’s oldest municipality that had nothing to do with forking over a little hard-earned cash for the public treasury.
The designated date for the collection was May 3, 1813, and the minutes of the President and Commissioners note that this state-of-affairs was occasioned by an alarm the British gave the people. Hours earlier English Marines had stormed into Havre de Grace. After taking possession of the place and plundering the stores of all worth taking they set fire to the town, “The British have laid in ashes the beautiful village of Havre-de Grace! The war has now come to our own doors,” a newspaper headline declared.
Having heard the news and seen the flames in the western sky as the enemy destroyed another waterfront town, most residents departed, while only two commissioners remained. Those officials, John N. Black and George Benjamin, finding no one wanting to settle debt and lacking a quorum agreed to reconvene at a safer time. Here’s the way it’s recorded in the official minutes: “The appointed day happened to be in the time of the alarm by the British ships in our bay, it therefore thought proper to appoint another day for said debtors to appear and settled said debts.:
The visit by the enemy is explained in the “Early History of Charlestown,” by Darlene McCall. “Since a fort existed in Charles Town the British sailed to the harbor. A storm had washed down the fort earthworks and most of the people had fled to remote places out-of-town. The British troops searched Charles Town but reportedly there was no resistance or confrontation. . . . The day that the British came to Charles Town was the designated time for residents to pay their taxes. When the taxpayers did not appear to pay their debts, the commissioners concluded that it was probably attributed to the British ships in our bay and altered the due date.”
The preserved Talbot County Jail serves as an office.
The question of what do you do with an old jail was before the Elkton Historic Architectural Review Committee (HARC) the other evening. While the panel grappled with that and whether they should change a town regulation that would allow a proposed senior apartment complex to be built on the parcel, some on the panel argued that no one is interested in saving buildings like that. So we thought we’d make a quick check around Maryland to see if other 21st century uses have been made of these structures.
One acclaimed project that has received awards took place in Princess Anne, MD. There the “Grey Eagle” confined notorious types in the Somerset County from 1857 to 1987. Standing vacant for over a decade after it was replaced, the Town of Princess Anne considered demolishing the building in 1999 because of “its increasing decrepit state.”
That community saw economic development value in adaptive reuse however, so the political leadership decided to restore the structure with the help of the Maryland Historical Trust, Preservation Maryland, and other stakeholders. Today, this finely restored prison, built of Port Deposit Granite, adds great value from a practical and preservation standpoint as it’s the headquarters for the Princess Anne Police Department. It is a strong contributor to the historic district and, according to the town is
a “symbol of pride.”
In Talbot County, the 1881 Sheriff’s House and Jail, a high Victorian Gothic building stands restored and renewed on the courthouse square, adding value to the downtown business district. After many argued that it should be torn down, the community that is particularly proud of its past and works to protect cultural resources, saved the 19th century lockup. Providing an excellent case study for “adaptive reuse,” the original structure was restored, and a new addition, in keeping with the architectural style of the original lockup, was added in the rear. It now serves as the offices for the States Attorney in Talbot County.
A casual survey of other Maryland communities will find additional examples. In Denton, Leonardtown, Westminster, and elsewhere, you will also find them serving as offices, museums, and jails as the community’s applied the concept of “adaptive reuse.” In a larger sphere beyond Maryland, they’ve been turned into restaurants and bed and breakfasts.
The developer appearing before the HARC committee recognized that there could be options beyond his initial proposal. More than once, he reminded the officials that he was appearing before the committee to present an initial idea, get their reaction to the draft proposal, and see what other ideas might exist to leverage the value of the historic structure.
A recent photo of the Talbot County Jail. A modern addition to provide addtional office space for the State’s Attorney was attached to the rear of this award winning historic preservation project. Photo Credit: Jimmy Emerson on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/auvet/5632517709/The restored Princess Anne Jail in Somerset County, MD. Photo Credit: jimmywayne’s photostream http://www.flickr.com/photos/auvet/
The prison portion of the 1870s jail, sheriff’s office and home.
Elkton Town Hall, July 12, 2012 – The Elkton Historic Architectural Review Committee (HARC) tangled with the matter of whether the board responsible for protecting historic properties should approve a change to municipal regulations Thursday evening. The debate centered on whether a rule stipulating that new construction in the district can’t increase the size of an existing building by more than 25% should be eliminated.This matter came up as the Home Partnership, a nonprofit developer of affordable housing, wants to take the vacant jail and turn it into a 48 unit senior’s apartment complex. That plan, aired before the mayor and commissioners a day earlier, preserves about 10 percent of the 1870s structure and increases the size of the original work by 75%. To eliminate that legal barrier, the nonprofit submitted wording for a rule change that eliminates the size restriction but still requires additions to be minimally disruptive and in keeping with the original style.
Grappling with the rule change, two HARC members expressed concerns about “arbitrary changes in regulations.” Paula Newton emphasized this as she told colleages, “First, I have problems with changing ordinances because an ordinance is in place to protect people and property. Second, that’s the only historic structure on this block.””There’s never going to be a jail there anymore,” Mark Clark replied. “This building is obsolte. It would be wonderful if someone would bring it to it’s former glory, but in this case no one is going to bring it to it’s former glory. And it’s not what we’d want. ”
As that discussion continued for over an hour Chairperson Newton remarked, “We’re not getting off dead center here. We can’t proceed with the other requested exceptions unless we change this ordinance.” So Clark moved to approve the developer’s rewrite of the Elkton code, but the motion failed as there was a tie vote. Newton and Josh Brown opposed the motion, while Clark and Steve Leonard voted for it.
So the dialogue continued as Clark suggested other considerations and eventually asked “can we entertain another motion on the subject?” Building an argument for a second motion, Clark advised that he’d taken a survey of selected people about whether the 19th century building should be preserved. “No one is interested in saving a building like that. . . It’s a jail. It’s obsolete.” Clark has made similar arguments before.
The committee is charged with protecting architectural resources and it operates under the Secretary of the Interior Standards, Newton countered. “This project violates eight out of ten of those standards. . . . More of it needs to be preserved,” she added as she went through the national preservation guidelines.
Over the next three-quarters of an hour Clark introduced two more motions, modifying the developer’s language as he tried to pick up one additional vote. Again Clark made the point — no one is interested in saving a building like that. “Part of a loaf of bread is better than no loaf of bread at all. We think someday this guy is going to appear and we’ll save the whole building.”
Clark and Brown exchanged points of view about a number of technicalities related to historic districts and preservation. “I’m always nervous when you are left with vague language. . . Even if you strike out the size requirement, the change won’t be minimal,” Brown observed. “You are asking me to decide whether that’s minimal?”
With the discussion between the two getting really tangled up about responsibilities of a historic district commission, Clark inquired, “Are you a Democrat or Republican? Democrats want a bunch of rules and laws passed to save society and Republicans want individuals to make the decisions.” Since this discussion was bogged down, Newton stepped in remarking, “I keep thinking of Mr. Simmers and everyone told him you can’t save that bridge. You can’t save that bridge. And he saved that bridge.” “I don’t even know what that’s about,” Clark responded.
The debate about the mission, purpose, and role of HARC continued as Newton advised that “all we’ve done is settle” with the applicants when something is requested. “We’ve demolished two houses. Why do we have a historic commission?”
With three failed attempts now on the record during nearly two hours of deliberations, the effort was finally abandoned and the committee moved on to other items on the agenda. The committee also agreed there was no need to consider the developer’s other waivers for the code as it stood didn’t permit those changes. But they were alerted to the fact that the Mayor and Commissioners could intervene and hold a public hearing to change the law.
Concept plan for new senior citizen housing project presented to the mayor and commissioners.
Two journalists from the “Back Story with the American History Guys,” a public radio show, were in Elkton a few weeks ago working on an hour long installment for the weekly production titled “Committed: Marriage in America.” The Virginia Foundation for the Humanities and University of Virginia sponsor the shows, which bring “historical perspective to the events happening around us today. On each show, renowned U.S. historians . . . tear a topic from the headlines and plumb its historical depths.” As they explore the roots of what’s going on today, they seek to reveal connections or disconnections between the past and the present.
For this week’s airing the headline under the magnifying glass concerned marriage in America. From the colonial era to the present, they included segments on a range of issues and one involved “the town that was Vegas before Vegas was Vegas.” According to the historians “eloping to Elkton had entered the nation’s lexicon” by the 1930s. While they were here they visited the Historical Society to get background insight, attended a ceremony at the Little Wedding Chapel and talked to local people at restaurants out on Route 40.
“The melting pot,” a grand gala hosted by the Cecil County Arts Council, kicked off the arrival of the Smithsonian’s traveling exhibit, “Journey Stories” in Cecil County yesterday. As the evening got underway, downtown Elkton shops remained open to celebrate the occasion.
For July, it was a comfortable evening as those doors opened to greet a gathering of over 300. Enjoying the professionally curated exhibit, along with performances by the Heritage Troupe, this crowd filled the cultural center on E. Main Street. Out in the street, enjoyable original music flowed while people strolled along, stopping at businesses to sample fine foods and browse the merchandise.
It was delightful to see the business area filled with strollers, enjoying the ambiance of the evening, the entertainment and the display, while sampling local delights offered by seven restaurants. Strollers paused, as they passed from shop-to-shop, enjoying an old Main Street.
This was a wonderful demonstration project for the community. Hundreds of patrons made the county seat a destination and were introduced to an old Maryland community’s town center. After the show, a number of the older businesspeople remarked about how surprised they were with the turnout and how they too enjoyed the evening. It reminded them of a time long ago when Main Street was bustling place on shopping nights.
Thank you Cecil County Arts Council for sponsoring this fine gala opening. Now look forward to a full calendar of events sponsored by all the collaborating groups, including the Cecil County Public Library and the Historical Society.
Cecil County Arts Council Directory, Heather Morrissey, prepares to welcome hundreds for the “melting pot” gala.Members of the Cecil County Heritage Troupe performed for guests.
The old Cecil County jail has always been a place for some good ghost stories. And this evening was no exception, as the Elkton Historic District Commission held a long hearing on whether a developer could demolish most of the building while preserving the front facade. As motion after motion failed to get enough votes to pass and the commissioners debated weighty legal and procedural matters, an old sheriff’s deputy lightened things up a little by sharing some accounts of strange late-night occurrences.
Back in the 1960s, in the middle of a long Cecil County winter night when one elderly jailer, Elwood Racine, guarded seven prisoners while the one deputy working the graveyard shift patrolled the county, the road man would get a radio call to come back to the office to help the turnkey. While all the prisoners were securely locked down and sound asleep on this quiet night footsteps were echoing through the cell blocks, as if someone was aggressively running around. Both of them clearly heard the noise so they were sure a prisoner was outside the cell.
The two grabbed those big jailhouse keys and carefully opened that heavy door, the one that secured the prisoners in the 1870s lockup in case an offender was attempting a jailbreak. A careful search found nothing on those quiet 1960s nights as a handful of detainees slept soundly. But back at booking, those heavy footsteps would start again as if someone was descending the metal steps going down to the main cell block.
At other times they’d hear those heavy iron-barred doors slam shut. These sorts of things occurred periodically, but those two lawmen never found anyone in the block on those dark, lonely nights so long ago.
The officers eventually got used to things going bump in the night so they’d shrug it off, assuming it was the jail ghost. an inmate who’d breathed his last in the old prison as he met the hangman’s noose or that it was some other unsettled spectral type of thing.
While the Historic District Commissioners continued mulling over the technicalities of changing ordinances so the project could move forward and debated whether the old jail had any historical and architectural value, one thing was obvious. It’s still good for stories.
1912 Sanborn Map shows the old jail and the prison yard.
A day before a nonprofit affordable housing group is scheduled to appear before the Elkton Historical and Architectural Review Committee (HARC) to present plans for the old jail at 214 North Street, the developer met with the Mayor and Commissioners. Frank Hodgetts, representing Home Partnership, outlined plans to build a 50-unit age restricted multi-family housing apartments on the 1.12 acre parcel.
To allow the project to go forward, he asked the town to modify its historic district zoning regulation, which stipulates that a project can’t increase the size of an old structure by more than 25%. Suggested language for the code revision was submitted, which apparently eliminates the size restriction but says that the work must be in keeping with the architectural nature of the project. “You’ve pulled out the stinger so to speak, but you are still giving them some claws,” Lewis George, the town administrator remarked.
Home Partnership also noted that they are going to ask for financial considerations. Specifically, they will seek relief from about half of the property taxes for ten years. It was estimated that the property would generated $18,250 in revenue for local government. And they will ask that various permit and inspection fees be waived.
The concept plan calls for keeping the front façade and building the 50 unit modern structure in the the rear of that. When an official asked about the history of the building, Hodgetts replied “We don’t know exactly what’s historic yet.”
The 1871 structure has two sections. In front, the two story pressed brick wing facing North Street contained the sheriff’s house, office and the dining room. In back, the portion with thick, solid granite walls was where the prisoners were securely detailed. Somehow the post-Civil War lockup managed to outlive its usefulness to the county in a mere 128 years so in 1984 inmates moved to the new detention center on Landing Lane.
Town Administrator George wrapped things up by noting the process required to change a zoning ordinance. HARC, the board charged with protecting Elkton’s architectural and cultural resources, will get their first chance to formally hear the proposal at a meeting Thursday evening at 6:00 p.m. at the town hall.
Image from PowerPoint presented to the commissioners. It shows the developer’s preliminary concept.
Samuel Hollingsworth, a wealthy plantation owner in the early 1800s, will share his thrilling stories about the attack on the county. Gordy Johnson plays Samuel
As the region gears up to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the British attack on the Upper Chesapeake some old-timers that have been around Cecil for centuries are going to be roaming around Charlestown, one August evening. While they meander streets and gather in small clusters in the beautiful river town, these centuries old residents will share stories about what it was like to face the all too real threat of pillaging, burning and looting by the English.People on this walking tour will amble along the attractive pathways of the well-preserved historic district nestled on the shore of the North East River. Periodically they will pause to hear first-hand stories about the time the second war with Britain came to Elkton, Frenchtown, Fredericktown, Principio and Charlestown. In between those stops, Historian Mike Dixon will share the historical narrative about the war on the Chesapeake and in the county. Once dusk descends on the charming community, lanterns are going to help chase away the lengthening shadows as the group heads back to its starting point, the Wellwood Club.
An old newspaper describes the attack on the Elk River.
This program, “Footsteps from the Past: Cecil County during the War of 1812” is brought to the community by several volunteer heritage groups and supporting partners. The History Society of Cecil County, Colonial Charlestown, and the Heritage Troupe, along with Cecil County Tourism, the President and Commissioners of Charlestown, and the Wellwood Club are bringing the evening walking tour to the county. It steps off from the popular Wellwood Club on August 12, 2012, at 7 p.m.Mark your calendar for this first time ever event, as members of the Cecil County Heritage Troupe entertain and educate you. Watch this blog and other media outlets for additional information on reservations and cost, which will be released soon. The tour benefits the Historical Society of Cecil County and Colonial Charlestown.
As evening comes to Charlestown, the tour will stroll through a historic district with beautiful homes.
