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First Emergency Responder to Arrive on Scene of 1963 Plane Crash Recalls Tragic Night
Lt. Don Hash (Retired) of the Maryland State Police, the first emergency responder to arrive at the plane crash site east of Elkton on December 8, 1963, recently talked to the Singerly Fire Company Museum about his recollections of that dark night in a Maryland cornfield where 81-people perished.
On that stormy December Sunday evening in 1963, Trooper Hash, a 23-old rookie one year out of the academy, was cruising northbound on Route 213 near Brantwood Golf Course. With an unusual late fall thunderstorm rolling across Cecil County, heavy rain pelted the patrol car when a powerful bolt of lightning in the shape of a wishbone suddenly came out of low-hanging clouds, illuminating the area. One or two seconds after that, a large airplane enshrouded in an orange glow flew out of the cloud. The doomed craft flew for 10 to 15 seconds before a wing fell off, and the plane nosed straight down into the ground. Trooper Hash radioed the barrack as he raced toward the crash, somewhere east of Elkton near the state line.
Don, who retired from the State Police as a lieutenant, talked to us on June 9, 2011, about his experience on that troubling, unforgettable experience. The first emergency responder to arrive, he remarked: “I could see flames on Delancy Road as I neared the crash site. It wasn’t a large fire. It was several smaller fires. A fuselage with about 8 or 10 window frames was the only large, recognizable piece I could see when I pulled up. It was just a debris field. It didn’t resemble an airplane. The engines were buried in the ground 10 to 15 feet from the force of the impact.”
By this time, everyone was mobilizing. The state police rushed troopers from other barracks to help the three roadmen patrolling the county that night. In a few minutes, the fire company arrived, and during the next hour, officers from across the state arrived to help. Trooper Don Hash stayed on location throughout that long night until he was relieved the next morning.
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Lt. Don Has (ret.) of the Maryland State Police recalls arriving on the scene of the Elkton plane crash.
Stories of Dramatic Times In Cecil During Revolution & War of 1812 Were Told in Downtown Elkton by Interesting People From Our Past
Early this morning in downtown Elkton, a bunch of characters were hanging out in the vicinity of the Historical Society. The buzz around the Main Street crowd was unusual for a Saturday, and when passersby took a closer look at this gaggle curiosity was peaked even more.The eccentrics were dressed as if they stepped out of another era. Some men in tricorn hats were styled just right for the 18th century. A finely and properly dressed lady and gentleman were out of the 2nd-half of the 19th century and children were scampering around in colonial garb.
This early morning crowd was actually the Cecil County Heritage Troupe, a volunteer group sponsored by county tourism, closer investigation revealed. The company formed in the 1990s to entertain and inform audiences in a different way by taking them back in time to centuries old happenings right here in northeastern Maryland. During lively skits, they tell the county’s story theatrically as skits about the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 and much more unfold for attentive audiences.
They were at the Historical Society to welcome about 50 visitors to the county, the Teague family History Group. The Teague association traveled from around the country to visit here as part of an annual family get together. And they were in for a treat as they chatted with Zebulon Hollingsworth, Judge Sample, Kitty Knight, other important people, and children who lived through these troubling times.
Soon after being welcomed to the Society by librarian Carol Donache
the visitors to our historic region were treated to an excellent stage show about
the history of the county by these fine performers. It was great to see Zebulon Hollingsworth return to the stage for he keeps things rolling along with some history, plenty of humor, and the best interplay with an audience you’re ever going to see. But there was Judge Sample, too. The old man, present when the enemy attacked Cecil County, recalled those troubling days when the cry the British are coming, the British are coming frightened citizens. Kitty Knight told her story about confronting the British, and there was a dramatic skit as local citizens and children worried and argued about the upcoming Revolution War.
For an hour or so this morning some of the most interesting people from our past, individuals with stories of dramatic times were hanging around downtown welcoming visitors to this place with so many historical connections. The Troupe does an excellent job and has great performers, taking our visitors on a fun filled and enjoyable trip to the past.
A week earlier another Descendants of Valentine Hollingsworth were at the Society for their annual reunion, so it’s been a busy time in Elkton for visitors making our county a destination because of our past and the institutions that are working as our heritagekeepers.
Rachel Parker Kidnapping Case, which Involved Slave Catcher From Elkton, to be noted with Marker in West Nottingham Township; Commission Searching for Relatives in Preparation for Dedication
We recently received a press release from the West Nottingham Historical Commission advising that the organization is planning to erect a historical marker noting the forceful 1851 kidnapping of Rachel Parkier, an African-American. A slave catcher from Elkton, Thomas McCreary, was involved inthe abduction, which alarmed Pennsylvania and galvanized popular opinion against the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Click here to read a webpage on the kidnapping. The press release follows.
Press Release from the West Nottingham Historical Association
We need your help!
The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) has approved an historical marker for the Kidnapping of Rachel and Elizabeth Parker. In preparation and dedication of this historical event, the West Nottingham Township Historical Commission is trying to locate any descendants of Rachel and Elizabeth Parker, also Joseph Miller.
Rachel and Elizabeth Parker, young black women, were kidnapped from Nottingham in December 1851. Falsely accused of being escaped slaves, the sisters were taken to Baltimore, MD and imprisoned for more than a year. The local community reacted to the Parkers’ abduction with indignation. Pennsylvania officials also sprang to their defense. This swift reaction brought attention to the incident and, tragically, cost Joseph Miller, one of the would-be rescuers, his life. He is buried in Union (Fremont) Methodist Church cemetery.
We only know the following information:
Rachel and Elizabeth were daughters of Ned and Rebecca Parker (who were free Blacks). Elizabeth worked for Mathew Donnely.
Rachel worked for Joseph Miller. Joseph Miller married Rebecca Kirk, had several children and resided in West Nottingham Township.
Elizabeth (Parker) Miller lived at 427 W. Barnard St., West Chester, PA.
In 1918, Rachel Parker died at the home of her daughter. This daughter, Lucy, lived in Oxford and was married to James Jones.
If you have any information on descendants, please contact any member of the West Nottingham Township Historical Commission. You may phone 610-932-3305, 717-529-2962 or Historical Commission Secretary at 610-932-8823.
We welcome any and all information. We are eager to include any descendants in the celebration of this historic event.
On the Day When the British Came to Loot Elkton, An Enslaved Person Led the Invaders into an Ambush
Maryland’s War of 1812 history isn’t just about major battles, military commanders, political leaders, and the powerful. It’s also about a time of great fright on the shores of the Chesapeake for everyday people as enemy soldiers terrorized the region, “firing private property and robbing hen houses.” With the 200th anniversary of this conflict approaching, we’re fortunate that many unpublished accounts by regular citizens have been passed down in diaries, letters, and journals.
These firsthand eyewitness tales, while filling in gaps in our understanding of the past, also give us a different vantage point for viewing the trying events of 200 years ago when cries of the British are coming rang out in the middle of the night. Since the Chesapeake region is getting ready for the Bicentennial, we are periodically sharing the stories of some of these ordinary people.
Here’s an updated post about how an enslaved woman, Hetty Boulden, helped the local militia turn the British back during the April 1813 incursion on the Elk River. The narrative for the event is taken from Hetty’s telling of the story to a newspaper reporter. We’ve been aware of the account for years, but we recently located her obituary, so we’re updating the Dec. 2009 piece with that added information.
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When a British raiding party stormed Frenchtown during the War of 1812 an African-American woman, as brave as any man in the Cecil Militia, exhibited a great deal of gumption as hundreds of Royal Marines plundered the hamlet. Hetty Boulden, near twenty years old, the slave who risked her life shielding Elkton, was the property of Frisby Henderson. She and five other servants lived with the master’s family at White Hall, a fine mansion on the banks of the river just north of the village. Frenchtown was a place of some importance during this time, for it was the transfer point on the great travel and freight route between Philadelphia and Baltimore.
Hetty gave an account of the pillaging of the Upper Elk during the War of 1812 to a reporter from the Cecil Whig when she was 70 years old. On a morning in April 1813, the lookouts at a small fortification protecting the area shouted, “They’re coming, they’re coming,” as the Royal Marines rowed into view. Easily overrunning the small battery on the shoreline, the enemy proceeded to plunder and burn the wharf, fishery, warehouses, goods and vessels lying at anchor.
One company was ordered to advance to Elkton, a distance of about three miles. Passing up the shoreline, they stopped at the door of White Hall, where Mr. Henderson told them that the barges wouldn’t be able to reach the place by way of the creek. So an officer ordered Hetty to show the Royal Marines the way by land. Although she was terribly frightened, the enemy commander assured her that she wouldn’t be hurt. For her assistance in escorting them to the town they intended to loot, the military man said he would give her “more money than she could carry.”
The approaching invaders created a big scare in Elkton. Roads to the north were filled with women and children carrying bundles of every description. At the same time, the men rallied to the nation’s defense, and Hetty escorted the English through unfamiliar territory. She could have easily and more safely marched the enemy up the direct road to town but instead she fooled the contingent, taking them to Cedar Point, opposite Fort Hollingsworth.
As they stood at the edge of the Big Elk Creek, directly in front of the garrison protecting the county seat, the Militia responded with shot at the approaching enemy. That was about noon and Hetty recalled that they took no cannon with them, only their muskets. The swearing soldiers, having been caused to blunder into range of local defenses, concluded they had better go back. But they said they would torch everything. Built about 1800, the Frenchtown Tavern survived the attack but was destroyed by fire in the 1960s. Returning to White Hall, she heard them threaten to hang Mr. Henderson before his own door for
deceiving them. Several barges approached Elkton by another route, going up the river. Militia there also fired upon the British and obstacles in the water halted the advance. The enemy, having neither grape nor canister shot with them, could do no harm so they rowed back down the river, the Americans firing away at them all the time.
Their primary objective was achieved, the destruction of the military stores, warehouses, and vessels, and they sailed back down the river. It was now the turn for Havre de Grace. Hetty recalled seeing the smoke from the burning town. She lived well into the second half of the 19th century. When the aging African-American granted the interview, she was residing with Dr. R. C. Carter of Cherry Hill.
Another paper, the Cecil Democrat, wrote about her passing in 1873, when she was between 90 and 100 years of age. The weekly recalled that “she belonged to Captain Henderson, of Frenchtown, when that place was burned by the English Army . . . and was compelled by the commander to act as a guide to Elkton.” Freed at some point, she worked in the household of Dr. R. C. Carter of Cherry Hill for 23 years before becoming disabled by age.
Here’s the link to the full report: “An Investigation of a Slave Woman’s Role in the Defense of Elkton During the War of 1812.”
Middletown Transcript: Colonial picnic highlights historic Mount Harmon Plantation
By Jennifer Hayes — Middletown Transcript
Just a few miles down the road from Middletown sits the Mount Harmon Plantation, a colonial site right on the Sassafras River in Earleville, Md., boasting 200 acres of nature trails, gardens wildlife and colonial buildings. Each year, the Friends of Mount Harmon invite the public to explore the property and enjoy a day of food, fun and colonial performances. The group will host a Colonial Plantation Picnic from noon to 4 p.m., Sunday, June 2.
Community members will have a chance to tour a colonial Manor House, take in the views of the Chesapeake’s waters, sample an Eastern Shore buffet and become apart of the American Revolution as re-enactors take them back to the 1700s.
continues on the Middletown Transcript
As Old Main Street Building is Demolished, Interesting Architectural Elements from Earlier Era Revealed
You never know what kind of buried treasures might turn up when someone starts digging around older parts of Elkton. Many parking areas, streets, and buildings lots have yielded relics that were tossed aside and buried long ago. It’s been that way for centuries as people are often astonished after unearthing Revolutionary War and War of 1812 artifacts. Beyond projectiles of war, the soil yields up relics of everyday living including old building foundations, architectural elements, bottles, coins, ceramics, buttons, and arrow-heads. One bona-fide archaeological dig produced Spanish coins, stoneware from prehistoric peoples, and human bones from an aboriginal burial ground.
These archaeological discoveries put the spotlight on a dimly illuminated part of Cecil County’s history. Since our written record here is strong we know
lots about that extended period, but in earlier times, as the manuscripts grow
weaker, we have to depend on archeology to help puzzle out the past. So whenever a contractor starts digging deep into the earth in the oldest parts of the county seat, one has to wonder what’s being unearthed. Some of
those discarded materials would help us solve historical mysteries since our
soil is crammed with lots of artifacts that have been buried for centuries.
The exposure of some fascinating architectural elements of a building being demolished this past week at 124 and 124 ½ E. Main Street is what brought this subject up. The frame commercial, vernacular structure that stood on the property circa 1880, replaced a much earlier building. Once it was torn
down, some below Main Street elements became visible from Howard
Street. On the west side of the frontage lot was an attractive arched brick structure, which probably supported something heavy such as a multistory fireplace, from an earlier period (see photo). On the east side was another
opening under Main Street.
A few weeks ago, unidentified town officials decided to rush through the governmental bureaucracy a request to tear down the late 19th century commercial structure, bypassing the town’s procedural requirements. As it turned out in this instance, just as it has in other cases, the decision to ignore their own regulations simply made it far more complicated than necessary. After someone in municipal government told the contractor to go ahead, officials had to stop the demoltion so everyone could back up and go through the regulatory steps enumerated by the Elkton ordinances. Once they stepped back to address the required review, the historic district board approved the demolition in a split vote, only requiring that an “attractive fence” be
installed on Main Street as it was unclear what the future held for the parcel.
This is a property that is connected with some of the municipality’s earliest development so one never knows what types of surprising artifacts are waiting to be found and how they will yield insight to the past. Whenever an archaeological study is done around Elkton, the investigators frequently find historical secrets in the ground. The key is there is a lot of stuff we don’t know about that’s buried under Elkton soil. Hopefully officials, in their rush to restore the downtown, will think about archeology as a minimum, though we also suggest they require a basic examination of properties being considered for demolition. Presentation of data concerning a site helps everyone make an informed decision.
Havre de Grace Patch: Lost To Time: What We Can Learn From Bainbridge
by Adam Rybczynski. the Havre de Grace Patch
Cecil County is home to several of Maryland’s most spectacular landmarks: Turkey Point Lighthouse, the Gilpin covered bridge, the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, and most iconic, the remains of Bainbridge.
Bainbridge’s notable history is rooted in Jacob Tome’s established, elusive prep school for wealthy young men. Tome’s magnificent vision proved to be a masterpiece of art, culture, and academia, intertwined and fused into one grand creation.
Civil War Soldiers Grave Marked by Union Tombstone Nearly 90 Years After He Died
An error on the tombstone of Private James D. Alexander, a Civil War soldier from Elk Neck who died nearly 90 years ago, was corrected during a ceremony today at Hart’s United Methodist Church Cemetery. When the old veteran died in 1922, a regulation Confederate States of America grave marker was erected.
Generations later John Goff, a descendant, decided to correct the oversight for the private who served nearly two years in the Union Army, was wounded in combat, and eventually had his leg amputated, On this Sunday afternoon the grave marker dedication was attended by union and confederate re-enactors, a bagpiper and bugler, the pastor of the church, the Rev. Mary Brown, and dozens of family members and the public.
For coverage of this event from ABC News, Baltimore, click this link to a 2011 Memorial to a Civil War Hero., Private James Alexander.
CECIL COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY NOMINATED FOR 2011 LIBRARY BLOG AWARD
The Cecil County Public Library is pleased to be nominated for a 2011 Library blog Award by the Salem Press. CCPL is one of the five finalists out of hundreds of nationwide nominations in the category of outstanding Local Blogs, which awards blogs that are institution specific and promote the interests of a public, academic, or school library. Voting is open to the public now until June 1.
The CCPL blog was created with the launch of our redesigned website in 2009. The blog promotes programs, library materials, and topics of local interest, as well as inviting commentary from the public. Contributing writers are library staff members from a variety of departments.
Visit our website at www.cecil.ebranch.info and visit CCPL’s blog at the bottom of our homepage. Please support the Library and cast your vote now by visiting http://salempress.com/green/blogs/blog_vote.php and view Cecil County Public Library listed in the category of Local Blogs.
Ab0ut the Library
The Cecil County Public Library operates seven branches
located throughout Cecil County, MD. The library serves over 50,000 registered borrowers. The mission of the Cecil County Public Library is to provide access to educational and cultural resources for all and to promote individual and community success.