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The Octoraro Branch Railroad once connected Rising Sun, Colora, Rowlandsville, Liberty Grove, and other northwestern Cecil County communities to the outside world.  But in the automobile-age, passenger service declined rapidly and after World War II freight service slowly disappeared.  

The history of this old line, the Baltimore Central Railroad, will be the subject of a program at the Rising Sun Public Library on Sept. 29^th at 7:00 p.m.  While the trains are long gone, we’ll use using dozens of old photographs, timetables, maps, newspapers clippings, and railroad documents to talk about this era, while also asking the audience to share knowledge and memories.   Bring your interests, recollections,  photos and memorabilia to share with your neighbors or just come to listen to the stories at the Rising Sun Library.  

Click here for more information.

A second edition of At the Head of the Bay:  A Cultural and Architectural History of Cecil County Maryland by Pamela James Blumgart is finally back in print.  This sought after hardcover title, which was originally published in 1996, is available from the Historical Society of Cecil County for $75.

This well-illustrated volume interprets the incredibly diverse stock of historic buildings in Cecil County for local history buffs and architectural historians alike. Beginning with the prehistoric period and continuing through the mid-twentieth century, the authors offer a history of the county as a context for its architectural heritage, as well as a detailed discussion of the style and form of houses built by county residents during the past 300 years. These insightful discussions are followed by an inventory of county buildings, both prominent and ordinary, that gives the reader a sense of the wealth of history in the county. Photographs, maps, floor plans, and paintings, many of them historic images, illustrate both the history and the buildings.

Hardcover, 506 pages, $75.00

One of the authors of a newly published Johns Hopkins University title, the War of 1812 in the Chesapeake, will be the guest speaker for the annual Historical Society of Cecil County meeting on October 18th. Dr. Ralph Eshelman spent years investigating sites connected with the conflict in Maryland so as the bicentennial of this chapter of our past nears, we’re pleased to have the opportunity to hear the distinguished historian.

His presentation will focus on the campaign in Maryland and our general area. “No state has more battlefields, graves or sites associated with the War,” he noted in a Washington College lecture. “Elkton and St. Michaels share the distinction of turning the British back twice.”

Dr. Eshelman was the director of the Calvert Marine Museum in Maryland from 1974 to 1990. In 1974 he received his Ph.D. in geology and vertebrate paleontology from the University of Michigan. He’s now a research associate at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution. He is widely published and lectures on maritime and military history, popular exploration and paleontology. In addition he also served as a consulting historian on the War of 1812 on the Chesapeake for the Maryland Historical Trust and the National Park Service.

The evening program will be held at the Chesapeake Inn in Chesaepake City, MD, start at 6:00 p.m. with dinner on Oct. 18th. Watch for additional information on the evening’s arrangements soon, but keep this important date on your calendar. The author’s book will be available for purchase at the special discounted price of $60.00 and he will be happy to autograph your copy.  He accepts cash or check.

 The cost of the dinner is $30.00 per person for members of the Historical Society of Cecil County and $35.00 for non-members.  You may select between Crab Cake or Chicken Marsala.  Your meal will include salad, coffee or tea and dessert.

 Please send your reservation to Paula Newton, HSCC, 135 E. Main St., Elkton, MD  21921.  Make your check payable to the Historical Society of Cecil County and be sure to include your meal selection.  The deadline for reservations is October 8, 2009.  This is a catered dinner making it impossible for us to take late reservations or walk-ins.

We’re always pleased when we discover creative musical pieces about Cecil County.  Well, after the piece on the Catholic shrine located alongside I-95 went up on the blog, a reader pointed out a song about this Cecil County landmark by American songwriter Zoe Mulford.

Her 2006 CD, Roadside Saints, includes the track about the “stone lady,” a shrine that encourages travelers to pray for their safety.  You may want to click over to Zoe’s website to check out the talented musician’s work, as well as the tune and lyrics of this song and others on the enjoyable album.

Words & Music by Zoe Mulford –“Our Lady of the Highways” — Click here to listen to the song

Our Lady of the Highways stands on the right side of northbound I-95 just south of the Delaware border. She is especially beloved of truck drivers and traveling musicians.

Thank God for the radio and convenience-store coffee
Three hours you’ve been on the road, and it should have been dawn
Northbound to Delaware, you’ll pass the temple where
Our Lady of the Highways stands looking on

. . .

Hear the swish of the wiper-blades, rain on the windshield
Passing exit 100-A to the town of Rising Sun
Black sky fading into blue – clouds shift and the sun peeks through
Our Lady of the Highways welcomes every dawn

And blessed be…

“The times in these parts has been troublesome,” wrote one Cecil County soldier in describing the War of 1812 on the Chesapeake Bay.  And no wonder:  Frenchtown in flames, Redcoats on the Sassafras, an attack on Elkton.  As we approach the bicentennial of this often-forgotten conflict, local author David Healey will introduce us to the War of 1812 history that’s literally in our own backyards.  Registration required.September 15, 2010 at7:00pm 

Click here for more information

Saving Family Treasures, will be the subject of a program at the North East Branch Library  on Sept. 18, 2010 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.

Family treasures are often neglected, frequently tucked away in drawers, trunks and attics. Preserving these heirlooms – items such as marriage certificates, family Bibles, letters, journals, and photos – is important, for they tell us about the past and connect the generations. During this talk historian Mike Dixon introduces caretakers to basic methods for preserving and protecting family relics, photos, and papers.  Click here for more information.  Registration is requested.  Telephone 410–996-6269

While a family enjoys the cooling waters of Holloway Beach in the midst of the Great Depression, they take time to mail a postcard home to Lancaster, PA.  It was 1938, an era before air conditioning so the beaches of Cecil County were popular for folks from nearby cities trying to escape the oppressive heat and humidity of urban areas.

This is an flyer we received from the Rising Sun 150th Anniverary Committee, announcing the dinner and dance for the celebration

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THE TOWN OF RISING SUN IS CELEBRATING

150^TH ANNIVERSARY

DINNER AND DANCE

                         OCTOBER 2, 2010        7:00PM-11:00PM

RISING SUN BANQUET HALL

                                Master of Ceremony – Richard Brooks

 FEATURING

 PIC’S  3 –  Lowell, Cheryl and Butch; DJ (Haven & Rosemary)

 REED FAMILY – David, Kathy, Ralph, and Bud

 DINNER MENU

Fresh Garden Green Salad

Season Baked Chicken Pieces (legs, thighs, breast)

Beef Burgundy

Baked Ziti

Scalloped Potatoes

Vegetable Medley

Dinner rolls and butter

Fudge Brownies

Coffee and tea

TICKETS $25.00   CASH BAR

 DOORS OPENED AT 6:30 pm

 MANY WILL BE IN PERIOD ATTIRE

               For tickets contact Diane Ehrhart 443 350 5351 or 410 658 6905

                                   Town Hall Headquarters 410 658 5353

     The Rising Sun Chamber, Rising Sun Historical Preservation Commission,

                                            Mayor and Town Commissioners

                                                  Thank you for your support