While Cecil County once had dozens of one-room schoolhouses to serve rural areas and small villages, these institutions started disappearing in the 20th century as the county modernized its educational system. Pleasant Hill, Liberty Grove, New Valley, and Pilot were the only remaining one-teacher buildings by 1947. Today it’s fascinating to drive country roads looking…
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“At the Head of the Bay,” Sought After Title on Cultural & Architectural History of Cecil County Available from Historical Society
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…
Johns Hopkins Press Author, Dr. Eshelman, to Speak on War of 1812 in MD at Annual Historical Society Meeting, Oct. 18
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…
Zoe Mulford’s Song about the “Lady of the Highways”
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,”…
The War of 1812 on the Upper Chesapeake at Elkton Library, Sept. 15
“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…
Saving Family Treasures, a Program at the North East Library, Sept. 18
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…
Enjoying the Water at Holloway Beach in Charlestown
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…
Buffington’s Store in Rising Store About 1912
Rising Sun 150th Celebration Anniversary Dinner & Dance on Oct. 2
This is an flyer we received from the Rising Sun 150th Anniverary Committee, announcing the dinner and dance for the celebration —————————– THE TOWN OF RISING SUN IS CELEBRATING 150TH 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…
Our Lady of the Highways Watches Over Stretch of Interstate Where Massive Pileup Occurred
As speeding vehicles dash across Cecil County on I-95, Our Lady of the Highways watches peacefully over the hectic scene from a tranquil hillside in Childs, MD. The guardian of travelers, a 14-foot-high white marble statue of the Virgin Mary, was placed there by Oblates after a massive pileup took three lives on a foggy…