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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  Consisting of a six-volume unpublished history and twelve archival storage boxes of supporting materials, it has many notebooks with newspaper clippings, pamphlets, photos, booklets, and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.

As the region gears up to celebrate the 200^th 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)

TICKETS:   $8 in advance; $10 at the door

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.”

An old Elkton house of worship, the Providence United Methodist Church, is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year.

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 21^st 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.

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.

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.

It aired last week and here’s a link to the broadcast. 

“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.

“Journey Stories,” a Museum on Main Street exhibit, is brought to the state by the Smithsonian and the Maryland Humanities Council.