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.
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.
1858 map of Downtown Elkton
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.
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.
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.
Confederate and Union reenactors honor Private Alexander8th Maryland Voluntters, Co., A at the graveside during the servicePrivate Alexander's new Union tombstone.
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.
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.
As a border state, Maryland played a critical role in the Civil War, and beginning in 2011, the Maryland Humanities Council (MHC), regional historic sites, museums and other cultural organizations throughout the state will be observing the Civil War Sesquicentennial.
Maryland was truly a state divided, with slaves and free blacks living in the same community, families split politically and emotionally between the North and South and political and military leaders in both camps. The Sesquicentennial gives us an opportunity to reflect on this pivotal period in our state and nation’s history and to consider what unites us and what divides us today.
Abraham Lincoln will be portrayed by Chautauqua veteran Jim Getty. Lincoln, our 16th president, led our country through its greatest internal crisis and is remembered as the savior of the American union and “The Great Emancipator.”
Harriet Tubman, brought to life by Chautauqua and Speakers Bureau presenter Gwendolyn Briley-Strand, was born a slave in Dorchester County, Maryland. Known as “The Moses of Her People,” she led scores of slaves to freedom through the Underground Railroad and served as a union spy during the Civil War.
Jefferson Davis will be portrayed by another returning Chautauqua favorite, Doug Mishler. A fervent defender of Southern whites’ “right” to own slaves and an advocate of slavery’s expansion, Davis broke from the Union after deciding that Lincoln’s election might lead to its being further restricted or even abolished. Davis believed that peaceful secession was legal under the U.S. Constitution. He served as president of the Confederacy throughout the war.
Our 17th summer Chautauqua will take place July 5–13 in six regions throughout the state: Baltimore County, Cecil County, Charles County, Garrett County, Montgomery County and Talbot County.
Join us for these free events and engage in spirited conversation with celebrated figures from the past.
Chautauqua would not be possible without the generous sponsorship of the organizations and individuals listed below, nor donors to our annual fund. Thank you to them and to you for your continued support!
Chautauqua in North East is sponsored by Cecil County Arts Council, Cecil County Tourism, and Delmarva Power.
Insane Department, Cecil County Almshouse (Source: in the collection of the Historical Society of Cecil County)
In the 1880s, Cecil County searched for a more cost-effective way to meet the needs of the mentally ill. Some ended up at the jail in Elkton, others turned up at the poorhouse in Cherry Hill, and the most acute patients went to “insane asylums” around the region. Considering the growing number of people needing institutionalization at distant facilities, the expense for the county was becoming a burden, so the commissioners decided to build the “Cecil County Insane Asylum.”
After examining other regional institutions, they approved erecting a substantial three-story brick building on the grounds of the county almshouse in Cherry Hill (present-day Mt. Aviat Academy). The contract was awarded to C. A. Walt & Son of Westminster, Carroll County, for $5,942. The asylum had apartments for 31 inpatients and was located across the road from the Poor House near Potter’s Field.
One day in August 1887, thirteen patients scattered around the state were brought to their modern new home. Sheriff Robert Mackey, helped by ex-Sheriff Wm. Boulden went to Frederick to get three people confined there. Bailiff King and Poorhouse Trustee E. W. Janney took the train to Baltimore to pick up patients from Spring Grove, Monevien, and Mount Hope, a Catholic Asylum. They were brought to Singerly Station on the B & O Railroad and taken to the new asylum in carriages.
According to Dr. William Lee, the Secretary to the State Board of Lunacy, the new institution was a “credit to the county.” Since there was plenty of capacity, he suggested that it would be well to take patients from other counties at the expense of those locations.
According to Maryland, its Resources, Industries and Institutions, by 1893, two counties supported “hospitals for the insane, independent of the almshouses.” Allegany County’s Sylvan Retreat, near Cumberland, had sixty inmates, and the Cecil County Insane Asylum in Cherry Hill had twenty-seven inmates.
When the American Medico-Psychological Association, the forerunner of the American Psychiatric Association, met in Baltimore in 1897, Elkton’s Dr. C. M. Ellis, the president of the state medical association, addressed the group. This is an era “of renewed interest in the general welfare of our insane,” he remarked. But he noted that much needed to be done as our “almshouses and jails are still tenanted by the idiotic and distraught. . . Some effort is being made to awaken the conscience of the State to its further duty toward those of the insane who are deprived of the opportunity for betterment in wards of well-equipped hospitals,” the Baltimore Sun reported. “Every insane man, woman, or child whatever their condition. . . should be entitled to a certain minimum provisions within the confines of hospitals or asylums sustained by the state for their care or their cure.”
Sale of the County Insane Asylum on May 14, 1938. Source: Cecil County Star, May 14, 1938
Gradually, the state assumed responsibility for providing inpatient mental health, and in May 1915, the Eastern Shore Hospital for the care of the insane opened in Cambridge. That month 26 patients took the long ride to Dorchester County, where they were admitted to the new institution. A few months earlier, nine African-American residents of Cecil’s asylum were transferred to the “state hospital for the colored insane at Crownsville, MD,” the Cecil Whig reported.
The county insane asylum was torn down in 1935 when C. B. Van den Huevel was paid $50.25 to remove it.
The Cecil County Insane Asylum, a postcard circa 1910 (Source: personal collection)
A Cecil County Road Map from the colonial era shows the location of the Poor House on the road between Childs and Cherry Hill. Source: From the collection of the Historical Society of Cecil County..
(April 29, 2011) –Oh, say can you see…. Maryland’s bi-centennial commemoration of the War of 1812 making its way to the Upper Bay Region? A website www.upperbay1812.com has been developed to share the history, notable people and places of the War of 1812 Upper Bay or Chesapeake Campaign.
A steering committee of stakeholders from both Harford and Cecil Counties is working to capitalize on the events that occurred in the region during the Chesapeake Campaign of the War of 1812. Maryland’s 200 year anniversary of the War presents opportunities to promote and improve the visitor experience in the Upper Bay region. Sites such as The Concord Point Lighthouse, Principio, Elk Landing, and Rodgers Tavern will help connect visitors to this National story and how it relates to the Upper Bay.
The two-county Steering Committee is being led by the Tourism Directors of Cecil and Harford Counties, Sandy Maruchi-Turner and Wini Roche respectively. Partners include the towns of Perryville, Port Deposit, North East, Charlestown, Earleville, Havre de Grace, the Lower Susquehanna Heritage Greenway, Aberdeen Proving Ground and numerous historical sites around the region. While the most significant events actually took place here during 1813 such as the burning of Havre de Grace, the State’s bi-centennial is a multi-year cultural tourism and educational initiative to commemorate Maryland’s unique contributions to the defense and heritage of the nation, including the pivotal clash that ensured American victory, an iconic flag and our national anthem, the Star-Spangled Banner. For more information visit: www.starspangled200.org.
Current events are also being promoted on the Upper Bay 1812 website including the Re-enactment in Havre de Grace of the Attack of the British coming up on May 7 & 8. Future plans for the website include a site map and pod cast trail of sites of interest in the Upper Bay region.
Please visit the Perryville Branch Library at 7:00 on May 5th for A History of Port Deposit presented by Port’s Town Administrator, Erika Quesenbery. From John Smith’s visit, to the Bainbridge Naval Base, Port Deposit has a long and storied past. As the town’s bicentennial quickly approaches in 2013, it is time to learn about and celebrate the almost 200 years of history of Port Deposit, Maryland. Registration for this program is required, by stopping by the library or callling 410-996-6070, ext 3.”
Elkton, MD – The Board of Trustees of the Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) has named the rehabilitation of the Gilpin’s Falls Covered Bridge the winner of a 2011 Maryland Preservation Award for Project Excellence. The award will be presented at the 36th Annual Maryland Preservation Awards ceremony at the Miller Senate Office Building in Annapolis, Maryland at 4:00PM on Friday, May 20, 2011. The awards ceremony is free and open to the public.
According to MHT, Maryland Preservation Awards are presented each year to honor outstanding people, projects, and publications that protect and revitalize Maryland’s historic places. They are the highest level of recognition for historic preservation projects and service in the state.
In his letter to Jim Mullin, President of the Board of Cecil County Commissioners, announcing the award, Harrison B. Wetherill, Jr., Chairman of the MHT Board of Trustees, stated that the MHT Board selected the Gilpin’s Falls Covered Bridge project “Because of the exceptional quality of the workmanship and commitment to historic preservation shown by the County and the project team during the rescue and revitalization of this highly visible and significant structure. The Trust recognizes that projects of this size and magnitude are no small feats and we applaud your achievement.”
The Gilpin’s Falls Covered Bridge project repaired and rehabilitated a historic covered bridge constructed in 1860, which carried highway traffic until 1936. Because of the historical nature of the structure specialty craftsmen experienced in historical restoration had to be employed and replacement materials had to be specially constructed to replicate original materials to the maximum extent possible. The project was completed in April 2010 at a cost of $1,469,000, which coincided with the 150th anniversary of the construction of the bridge.
The project was managed by the Engineering & Construction Division of the Cecil County Department of Public Works (DPW). It was designed by the consulting engineering firm of Wallace, Montgomery and Associates, Kinsley Construction, Inc. was the general contractor with historic restoration work performed by the firm Barns and Bridges of New England. These organizations, as well as the Board of Cecil County Commissioners and the Gilpin’s Falls Covered Bridge Committee, a private group which advocated for the project and which contributed funds toward the project cost, will receive award certificates in recognition of their efforts on the project.
The MHT 2011 Maryland Preservation Award for Project Excellence is the fourth major award bestowed upon the Gilpin’s Falls Covered Bridge Project. The County Engineers Association of Maryland named it the “2010 County Project of the Year” in the mid-size projects category. The Virginia/District of Columbia/Maryland Chapter of the American Public Works Association named it the chapter’s “2010 Project of the Year (Historical Restoration Category),” and the Maryland Quality Initiative presented DPW with a 2011 Award of Excellence for the project.
The Maryland Historical Trust, an agency of the Maryland Department of Planning, is dedicated to preserving and interpreting the legacy of Maryland’s past through research, conservation, and education programs.
