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The Cecil County Cemetery or Potter’s Field, the final resting place for paupers who couldn’t afford a burial, is located across from Mt. Aviat Academy.  On the grounds of what was the county poorhouse, it contains some 150 to 200 unmarked graves.

The Alms House, as it was also known, opened about 1776  and closed in 1952 when the county put the property up for sale.  It was purchased by Elk Paper Manufacturing Company and the new owner donated part of the tract to the Oblate Sisters for Mt. Aviat Academy, a school. 

In time weeds and vegetation took over the abandoned graveyard.  But John Beers, who’d grown up in the neighborhood, launched a project to have the Cecil County Cemetery cleaned up and marked with a marble monument.  The job of memorializing those unknown persons who rest there and commemorating the burial plot used for the indigent was completed in 1968.  The marble stone read: “Potter’s Field, 1776 – 1950,  may their soul’s rest in peace.”   

Over the centuries, unidentified drifters, the county’s poor, criminals and other outcasts from society, many having spent their final days at the poorhouse, were interred in the county graveyard.  Today the sisters bury members of the order in the field. 

Mr. Beers wrote a poem about the Potter’s Field.  His brother Lawrence Beers, a detective for the Baltimore and Ohio, was shot and killed near Belcamp, MD. in 1919. 

—————— 

In Potters Field 

We will bury them in potters’ field, the criminals and the unknown. 

I hear the B & O Freight train coming in on the siding and see the hoboes heading for a warm night’s sleep in the county home. 

On my way to the little school house by the tracks, I count them one and all. 

We will give them coffee for the road for I know they will not return. 

We have had a burial in potters’ field today; he was found floating in the Bay. 

When his widow arrives from New York she will identify him as her own, for he was a millionaire without a home. 

I see my brother Lawrence Beers passing on the freight, for this was his line of duty for the B & O 

                                                                                 Johnny “Cash” Beers 

Research Note:  The Historical Society has many of the county poorhouse records and those manuscripts are valuable for research. 

See Also

A Snowy Day at the County Cemetery and Poorhouse

The Cecil County Almshouse, a place for the care of the needy and poor

From the Maryland Historical Trust —-

The Savin-Conrey House located at 221 George Street was built by Thomas Conrey c.1850 and is located in the Chesapeake City Historic District along the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal. The house was used as a telephone exchange at one time and later rented as a private residence. After many years of only minimal basic maintenance to the house the trees had become overgrown, water leaks damaged the roof and caused significant mold problems. Alan Marine and Catherine Soukup carefully rehabilitated the house, repairing the existing historic materials wherever possible, and replacing deteriorated and inappropriate materials with historically compatible new materials where necessary. This modest and unassuming house has been transformed from an eyesore to an attractive home that Chesapeake City can be proud of.

Saving Family Treasures, will be the subject of a program at the Chesapeake City Branch Library  (410-996-1134) on June 15, 2010 from 6:30 to 7:45 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. This talk introduces caretakers to basic methods for preserving and protecting family relics and papers.

Aside from a few memories  “the real verifiable League history becomes hazier each year,” Jim writes.  “The old League minutes and records have been misplaced and destroyed as leaders rotated and officers move.  It happens in most volunteer community organizations.  And reliance on oral history gets less dependable every year, as memories fade and old leaders, managers and players die.”      

“Everyone knows that Little League in Rising Sun began in 1954.  The charter on the wall says so.  Aside from that, however, there are virtually no documents, scorebooks, photos or old record left that tell about the origins of Rising Sun’s Little League.  Whose idea was it?  How did this community baseball tradition begin?  Who were the leaders, the managers the League officials?  Who was this group or ordinary citizens with a love of baseball, pride in their hometown, and an extraordinary vision?“      

“Today’s players need to understand where it all started,” Jim continues.  “There is a need to have a written record, describing the beginning of the Rising Sun Little League tradition.  So the purpose of this written account is to honor those League founders by documenting the early memories and by reconstructing the remaining written fragments of League history.”       

Jim has done an excellent job of documenting and aspect of our community history that would otherwise be lost with the passage of time.  The book is available for purchase from the Historical Society and as part of the celebration of this aspect of our past the Society opened a special exhibit on the subject at its museum on 135 E. Main Street in Elkton.  Be sure to check it out.   

Ever held a 500 year old arrow head in your hand? Ever examined a piece of 150 year old china? Ever rolled a piece of charcoal in your fingers that could  be from a pre-historic fireplace? You could do just that on Saturday June 5th at Historic Elk Landing during our Archeology Day. 

Since Pre-historic times, Historic Elk Landing has been populated by humans. And with each generation came new leftovers: pottery, arrow heads, charcoal, nails, buttons, bricks, glass, and many other artifacts. Since 2000 the Historic Elk Landing Foundation conducted several archeological digs, collecting many such artifacts. 

Archeologist Christy Gill, who participated in all of those digs at Elk Landing and who has lectured on the subject here, will return to Historic Elk Landing between 10 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon on June fifth. She will take visitors on a tour of the site, identifying, displaying, and explaining many artifacts that she helped excavate at Elk Landing over the last ten years. But that’s not all. 

Christy will also have something for future archeologists as she helps youngsters dig with shovels for their own “artifacts” in a sand box and explain what each find is, its significance, and how it might have ended up at Elk Landing. 

That’s Archeology Day at Historic Elk Landing on Saturday June 5th between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Admission is free. Historic Elk Landing is located south of Route 40 at the foot of Landing Lane in Elkton, Maryland. 

We try to stay up on media coverage related to Cecil County history and culture in order to share news about the creation of these materials with the blogosphere.  An April 1^st broadcast on the Baltimore Public Radio outlet, WYPR, slipped past us somehow but it  came up this evening during the public hearing on the tax rate.

As a regular feature on WYPR’s midday with Dan Rodricks the show travels once a month to a Maryland county to highlight that location.  For April the Rodricks show’s hour-long examination focused on Cecil.  The Maryland county of the month segment included pieces on the marriage industry, a haunted historic landmark, tolls at Perryville, fireworks plants, and a few other subjects.

When the paranormal investigator, Rob, called in for his segment, Dan found the “haunting of this historic landmark” of particular interest.  Rob reported that his group conducted an intensive study at the 18th century property, Elk Landing.  Using sophisticated instruments to capture data, the investigation found a number of spirits in the centuries old property that he  believes are members of the Hollingsworth family.  The nonprofit organization that oversees the landmark is using the paranormal studies as a fundraiser and they are planning another one for the this Oct. it was reported.

After engaging talk about spirits, it was back to more practical things.  The host was concerned with questions such as whether we lean more toward Baltimore, Philadelphia or the Eastern Shore.  Kilby Ice Cream, Country and Western Music, and Fair Hill were other subjects. 

Although we’re late in announcing this broadcast, it is still archived on the WYPR web site.  Click here and scroll down to the April 1^st stream and click on the Maryland County of the month link to listen to the radio show.

On May 20th at 7:00, local author David Healey will talk about his soon-to-be-published book, Delmarva: Legends and Lore, in which he explores the sometimes quirky, sometimes spooky, history of our unique region between the Chesapeake and Delaware bays. In his talk patrons will meet slavecatchers, duelists, outlaw oyster boat captains, and a peach baron or two!  

Registration is required by calling the library at 410-996-6070, ext. 3.

Down on Main Street this evening, a lively crowd gathered for a reception marking the opening of historical society’s baseball exhibit.  Attended by nearly 150 guests and members, the place was almost transformed into an old-time baseball field.   The Elkton Eclipse, the county’s 1860s team, was there talking about the national pastime as they played it in the era when the umpires were addressed as sir and dressed formally.  Talk about the original rules of the game, stealing, sliding and such filled the room as the players mingled with guests.   The hot dog vendor and the peanut dealer were nearby, with treats we associate with a trip to the ball field.    On the sidelines, James Crothers discussed his new book, the “History of the Rising Sun Little League” while other people talked about playing the game in Cecil County as youngsters.  Of course, the center of all this bustle of activity was the new exhibit, showcasing items from the collection and lots of photographs from the sports earliest period in the county to the era of Little Leagues.         

The Hollingsworth House

Imagine a light spring breeze blowing across the Little Elk Creek as picnickers enjoy a lunch and kids pass a football over head.  The air is warm and the living is easy at Historic Elk Landing.  It’s not a mirage, it’s May first, the first Saturday of the month and the Landing is open for your relaxation and leisure.  The gates open at 10 a.m. and will remain open until 2 in the afternoon.  In addition to the grounds, which will be open for walking, examining the plants and wildlife, picnicking, sports, etc, you may also catch a glimpse of a War of 1812 Cecil Militia member, cleaning his musket, pitching his tent, or making his own lunch.  If you ask,  he may even share his stories from the War that came to Elkton’s door step back in 1813 when the British attempted to burn the town, but were fought off by the brave Elktonian defenders.  

 Whatever your desire: learning, leisure, or both, Historic Elk Landing is the place to be on Saturday, May first, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 

See the web site, www.elklanding.org.

The Historic Elk Landing Foundation will throw open the gates and unlock the doors to Historic Elk Landing for a summer season of leisure and learning at the ancient site. 

Beginning on Saturday, May 1^st and continuing every first Saturday of the month through September 4^th, Historic Elk Landing will be open from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. for strolling the 44 acres, picnicking on one of the foundation’s picnic tables or your own blanket, examining the plants and wildlife, throwing a ball or Frisbee around our acres of open fields, or doing a whole lot of nothin’, just taking in the sites and sounds of a Cecil County summer season down by Little Elk Creek. 

In addition, the foundation will offer some learning experiences for young and old alike.  Some of the first Saturdays will feature War of 1812 Cecil Militia encampments, archeological explorations, tours of the Hollingsworth House, the newly stabilized Stone House, plus the grounds around them that have seen three invasions by the British, one tour by Captain John Smith of Jamestown fame, and a shipping business, sometimes referred to as the “UPS” of colonial America!  

The Foundation is also looking beyond the summer and into the fall with a search for real ghosts in October, and in December, a celebration of the Christmas season with live music, seasonal refreshments, and more. 

It will be a busy summer at Elk Landing, but a relaxing one too.  Check us out!!  See the web site at www.elklanding.org for more information.