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Archaeologist Search For War of 1812 Fort at Elk Landing

Elk Landing
Maryland history straight ahead. Signs for Elk Landing, Fort Hollingsworth and the Maryland Archaeological Society Field-School mark the spot, along with one tossed in for the Cecil County Airpark.

Dozens of people from the Archeological Society of Maryland were at Elk Landing on this beautiful Sunday afternoon working to dig up new clues about Fort Hollingsworth and the pre-historic period at a strip of land located at the confluence of the Big and Little Elk creeks.  The former farm and Chesapeake Bay port bustled with activity as professional and avocational investigators carefully scrapped, swept and sifted the soil with small trowels, brushes and other hand-tools looking for the smallest fragments of evidence that might shed light on the past.  Under the careful supervision of professionals working with the Maryland Historical Trust, lots of people from all around the state were busy with these types of tasks, acquiring first-hand experience during the 41st annual Tyler Bastian Field Session.  The enthusiasts, which numbered near one hundred people in total during the school, had been at it for over a week.

Archeaologist George Reynolds
George Reynolds the dean of Cecil County’s archaeologist has been conducted studies in the county since the 1950s. He opened this year’s annual field-school last weekend with a talk about exploring the Landing and the area in the first study 30 years ago.

A fortification was put up here to protect Elkton from a British attack during the War of 1812 and this is a central focus of this year’s investigation.  To help with spotting places for careful examination, ground penetrating radar had been used weeks earlier.  The students today were digging at those prime spots, in particular working a long trench where they carefully eyed changes in the soil strata while sifting for relic fragments long buried deeply in the ground.  Elsewhere there were clusters of students from Towson State University out in the old plow fields looking for pre-historic Native American artifacts.

In a period of over thirty years, the old farm soil has yielded many secrets as a number of digs have been done here.  Investigators have found material culture from pre-historic people, aboriginal burial grounds, bottles, arrowheads, cannonballs, plenty of 19th-century relics, and lots more.  A formal report on this latest dig should be released by September, according to the principal investigator, Dr. James Gibb and the President of the Northeastern Maryland Archaeological Society. Dan Coates.

We’ll look forward to hearing that report from the Archeological Society as the soil at the Landing still contains many secrets.

Archaeology at Elk Landing
Two members of the Maryland Archaeological Society carefully sift the soil, looking for clues about Fort Hollingsworth, the War of 1812 redoubt.
Maryland Archaeological Society.
Four archaeologists work in a trench searching for evidence related to the War of 1812 fort.
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After Decades of Legal Wrangling Elkton Marriage Mill Started Grinding a Little Slower

The Elkton marrying parsons and their employers, the taxi syndicate, were miserable in the autumn of 1938. These entrepreneurs fretted that Maryland voters might halt “weddings without waiting.” 

The threat came just as things boomed for the cabbies, as their chief interest was the wedding business.  At one company, the Rev. C. M. Cope worked days while the Rev. J. T. Baker pulled overnights, officiating at 1,118 marriages in Sept. 1938.  These two captured half the services.  But the Rev. Edward Minor, 81, whose church ordered him to cease uniting couples, arranged for the Rev. P. K. Lambert to do his work at the altar.  Mr. Lambert did 461.  A 48-hour waiting period had been passed by the legislature in 1937, but petitions opposing the delay brought the question to the voters.

The waiting period, “aimed squarely at the marriage racket in Elkton,” passed overwhelmingly.  When the Evening Sun visited the town just before the “famous marriage mart” breathed its last in December 1938, the paper wrote that a “melancholy calm” had descended upon the border town of 3,600.  Ordinary residents were glad to see “Dan Cupid’s trade in the chute to oblivion.  Only the ministers and the business people who have profited from the marriage mill were sore.”

Having been briefly put out of business one of the “matrimonial magnates,” an operation with four autos for hire and Rev. Edward Minor officiating at the altar, moved to Alexandria, VA.  The Rev. Cope planned to retire to New Carolina, while Pastor Baker advised that this wasn’t his only job as he preached at churches.  “I’m going on and preach and bury the dead and visit the sick just the same as always.”

Although it would seem that the principal business of Elkton, elopements, was a thing of the past, the taxi companies still found growth opportunities for Cupid’s affairs in Elkton as couples continued dashing across the state line.  They found several legal or questionable ways to eliminate the wait.  With a court order, the restriction could be lifted, say in the case of “expectant motherhood.”  Such aid to hasty marriages was credited with thirty percent of the licenses issued in 1940.  Another reason for getting a rushed ceremony was the call-up for military service.

The year before the waiting period became effective (1937), 16,054 Elkton marriage licenses were issued.  The total slumped in 1939 to 4,532, but once the “solicitors” hit upon “good and sufficient cause,” it jumped up again to nearly double what it was in 1939.  There were 8,526, the Sun reported.  The volume started growing again and Elkton did about 14,000 marriages in 1942.

Once the war was over, another challenge emerged for the syndicate.  The State wanted to allow the Clerk of the Court to perform civil ceremonies but financial interests hired lobbyists to fight that effort in Annapolis.  They held things off for a while in Annapolis.  But finally, in 1964, E. Day Moore, a retired postal worker and court clerk, started performing ceremonies in the courthouse.   The marriage mill was starting to grind a lot slower in Elkton as the waiting period was now being strictly enforced, and while there were still marrying parlors in Elkton, the couple had options.

rev Edward minor Elkton marriage mill
Rev. Edward Minor, the number one marrying minister in Elkton (Life Magazine)
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West Nottingham honors man who fought for kidnapped girls

From Souther Chester County Weeklies

The West Nottingham Historical Commission in concert with Chester County Facilities and Parks paid homage to Joseph Miller, a man who was murdered while attempting to rescue two sisters who had been kidnapped by a slave catcher in the mid-1800s.
Descendants of both Miller and the two girls gathered at the Union United Methodist Church near Fremont, where Miller is buried, on Saturday to discuss the details and legacy of Miller’s rescue.
Miller was a white farmer in the township, and he had working for him a young, free black girl named Rachel Parker, who was 16. Rachel’s family had lived in West Nottingham for several generations and was known around the area.
In 1851, a freelance slave catcher from Elkton, Md., who was allegedly in need of money, kidnapped Rachel from the Miller farm, just as he had done months earlier to Rachel’s younger sister, Elizabeth, 10, at the Donnelly farm down the road.

article continues on Southern Chester County Weeklies

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Wright’s A.M.E Has Been a Part of Elkton’s History Since the 19th century

On a spring day in the middle of May, Wright’s A.M.E. Church, an old Elkton house of worship, looks good as storm clouds break and the sun begins to shine on the sanctuary.  It has been a part of Elkton’s history since the early 1880s.  It was dedicated in May 1882 by Bishop Layman and Presiding Elder J. H. Handy, according to the Cecil Whig. Rev. Collett was the local minister.   Click here for a web page on Wright’s history.

wrights AME Church Elkton

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Archeological Society of Maryland Field School Opens at Elk Landing This Weekend

Archaeologists complete test digs at Elk Landing in preparation for Tyler Bastian Field Session in Maryland Archeology.

Press Release — Historic Elk Landing Foundation———————-

One hundred and ninety nine years ago musket and cannon fire erupted from Fort Hollingsworth at the confluence of the Big and Little Elk Creeks. That skirmish between members of the Cecil Militia and British Marines and sailors kept Elkton from being burned.

The invading British and the Militia occupants of the fort are long gone, but what ever happened to Fort Hollingsworth? Does anything remain of that earthen fort? Members of the Northern Chesapeake Archaeological Society think they know and will attempt to locate Fort Hollingsworth and any artifacts its defenders may have left behind during this year’s archaeological field school to be held at Historic Elk Landing beginning on May 25th and running through June 4th.

article continues on The Elk Landing Appeal

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Historical Society of Delaware Tour Explores C & D Canal History on June 16

Join the Delaware Historical Society for an afternoon cruise on the C & D Canal aboard the Miss Clare as popular historian Michael Dixon tells the story and history of transportation on this important link between the Delaware and Chesapeake Bays.

Following the one-hour voyage, we will visit the C & D Museum in Chesapeake City, Maryland.

Cutting a Path from Bay to Bay: History of the C & D Canal

Saturday, June 16, 2012 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Please arrive promptly at 1:30 p.m. at the C & D Canal Museum (815 Bethel Road, Chesapeake City, Maryland)

Cost: $15/members    $20/non-members Price includes cruise and museum visit. Seats are limited – reservations required no later than June 11, 2012. Call (302) 655-7161 or deinfo@dehistory.org

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Elkton and Port Deposit Issued Paper Money During the Civil War

A Civil War-era photo of Main Street in Elkton. The photographer is probably taking this image from Minihane’s (Howard House) and is looking up East Main Street. Source: Private Collection. Kermit Deboard had the original of this photo and sold copies at his shop,

As that bloody conflict, the Civil War, smoldered in 1862, a serious shortage of coins for everyday commerce had Cecil County merchants shuffling around, trying to find ways to make change.   You could blame penny pinchers, hoarders, or simply the scarcity of the war, but whatever the cause, there was a shortage of gold, silver, and copper.

With coins largely out of circulation, the hue and cry for small change was at its height as the nation faced the second year of the tragic struggle.  If silver did not become more plentiful, one Elkton merchant told the Cecil Democrat he would be forced to issue shinplasters.  Shinplasters were paper currency issued privately in amounts as low as five cents.

civil war coins and money
A 25-cent Elkton note issued by the Mayor and Commissioners. Elkton printed $6,000 in paper currency. Source: private collection

To alleviate the shortage, the federal government authorized the issuance of paper currency in small denominations.   Two Cecil County municipalities, Port Deposit and Elkton, joined others across the nation in issuing batches of notes with values of five, ten, twenty-five, and fifty cents.  In Port Deposit, money bearing the municipality’s name began circulating in shops and businesses in November 1862.  Elkton’s board ordered engraved plates from the American Bank Note Company and issued $6,000 in paper in February 1863.  Soon people were using these small notes from the two towns to complete business transactions.

civil war coins and money
Civil War 10-cent paper money note issued by the Town of Port Deposit helped relieve the shortage of coins.

The newspaper editors didn’t approve of the paper money as they believed the “change panic” would soon be over.  As for these “greasy nuisances as currency”, the Whig had a suggestion for merchants and shoppers.  “Let everyone refuse them.”   That was the remedy for “shinplaster fever,” the paper remarked.   Regardless of the stance taken by the local editors, the issuance of municipal paper currency alleviated the hard coin crunch that was crippling the local economy.

A Civil War Kepi and the Slave Register (tax assessment book). Source: a photo of artifacts in the collection of the Historical Society of Cecil County
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Clouds Break For Lunch Over Elkton

Around noon on this comfortable Tuesday, the sun broke through the clouds as people headed out for lunch on Main Street in Elkton.  The break in the overcast sky allowed the sun to shine long enough for office workers from the courthouse and other places to enjoy the noon-hour and to create some streetscape photo opportunities on a route that’s been traveled since the 1600s.  The weather service says the break is brief as overcast skies and showers remain in the forecast for another day.

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Revisiting a Historic Moment As Colonial Spirit Hits Elkton for 200th Anniversary

The Mayor and Commissioners of Elkton practically turned back the clock during Elkton History Month in May 1987, an occasion for celebrating the Elkton Bicentennial, the 200th anniversary of the town’s incorporation.  Now, as the municipality prepares to mark its 225th birthday, we’ll post some of those twenty-five-year-old photos from days that were full of lectures, slide shows, walking tours, museum exhibits, theatrical performances, proclamations, speeches, and reenactments focused on the community’s colonial and early federal past.

Mayor James Crouse appointed a citizen committee of volunteers to oversee the schedule, which was packed full of heritage and popular entertainment events.  In this series of photos, the Mayor and Ed McKeown, the chairman of the Head of Elk Bicentennial Committee, cut a ribbon opening the headquarters for the celebration in the old Boulden Ford Building.  In another one, members of the council are preparing to reenact the original town meeting, where the charter was signed.

We have some aging videos that we’ll digitize and share over the next couple of weeks as the current celebration gets underway.

The Mayor and Commissioners celebrate the Elkton Bicentennial.

Elkton Bicentennial
Mayor James Crouse and Ed McKeowen, chairman of the Elkton Bicentennial Committee

Elkton Bicentennial
Elkton Bicentennial

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Elkton Prepares to Honor Its Roots For Its 225th Anniverary

Elkton is preparing to celebrate its 225th anniversary in a few weeks, according to signs that sprouted up around town.  The municipality, Town Commissioner and Elkton Alliance Director Mary Jo Jablonski reported at a recent council meeting, was established on May 25, 1787.  To mark this important milestone in the annals of the community, the Alliance, the county seat’s revitalization authority, is hosting a number of activities.  These include a downtown classic car show, national marriage day, a 5K run & old fashion street dance, and Memorial Day parade, the elected official reported. For more information contact the Elkton Alliance at 410-398-5076 or www.elktonalliance.org.

It seems just a short time ago that the county seat, a place that always found its history important, was observing the 200th anniversary.   For that big celebration, there were publications detailing the history of the old colonial town, lots of lectures, a reenactment of the charter, walking tours, a heritage oriented play, interpretive museum exhibits, special postal cancellations, and lots of other history products.  Of course, the typical community festivities filled the calendar too, including a big parade and a popular downtown festival.

One of the highlights we fondly recall was a program that brought history to life.  Mayor James Crouse and the commissioners skillfully played the role of those early founding officials.  Complete with council members in colonial garb, and motions and votes from the era,  some engaging theatrics filled the afternoon, as the public enjoyed the performance.  Mayor Crouse, played his part well, bantering with the crowd.  Other commissioners fell right in line with the show as if they were regular performers on stage, joking with the town bailiff, newspaper reporters and the audience.

These are great life-time memories to be made as a community honors it roots and its heritage.  We have some video tape of that day (especially the reenactment) so perhaps we’ll digitize some of it to share with readers.  Those publications that explored Elkton’s history are also something we keep nearby on a shelf for frequent consultation as questions come up.  Mrs. Dorothy Robinson, Mrs. Eva Muse and others spent lots of time digging up stories about Elkton’s past and getting it into print.  And there were Mrs. Robinson’s informative lectures on town history.

And now we near another anniversary, a moment in time to be proudly recalled for decades, as the Elkton Alliance prepares to celebrate the 225th anniversary of the founding of a historic town and honor its roots.